The Social and Culinary History of the Hot Dog

Comedian Jamie Loftus has been eating hot dogs her whole life. But in her new book, Raw Dog, she takes a road trip across the U.S. to discover how they're prepared in different parts of the country, and does a deep dive into everything from the labor conditions in meatpacking plants to the social class implications of who eats hot dogs and why. In today's episode, Loftus speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the immigrant roots of the baseball classic, the capitalist propaganda behind the hot dog as a symbol of America, and the ethical ways to still consume them.

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