Japanese hot dogs

by Joe DiStefano, Posted Mar 23rd 2006 @ 9:15AM

This past week I hooked up with some friends at an izakaya to watch the final game of the World Baseball Classic, Japan vs.Cuba. More on the results later. I first met these folks at the same pub. We bonded over the historic Yanks–Red Sox Game, cheering for Matsui.

Fast forward to the food. As we anxiously awaited the game's start, I noticed hot dog, Japanese style, $2, on the handwritten specials board. At that price I knew I had to try it. What better snack for a ball game than hot dogs? Beneath that read: $5.50 – dressing: squid sashimi, natto and seaweed. We ordered up two dogs; one with the squiddy, squishy works, and one plain.

When a bowl of natto, raw squid and seaweed appeared sans sausages, I soon realized that "dressing" was a mistranslation, not a topping for wieners, but rather a standalone salad. I'm no stranger to natto, and I enjoy its funky, cheesy flavor, but given its gooey texture, I prefer it combined with meaty tuna sashimi rather than slippery squid. Not wishing to risk cred, I gamely ate my fair share of the salad.

I was relieved, yet surprised, when the waitress brought our Japanese hot dogs. Surely these golden-battered tubesteaks impaled on skewers were little more than corn dogs with a Far-Eastern pedigree. In all fairness, I've never had one of these state fair staples. As for the Japanese version: sweet batter encased a mellow, soft seafood sausage. All in all, a perfect complement to an ice-cold Sapporo. As for the game, Japan won 10-6.

Filed Under: Food Oddities, Raves & Reviews, Ingredients
Tags: Cuba, east coast, fish, izakaya, Japan, Japanese hot dog, JapaneseHotDog, natto, oddities, squid sashimi, SquidSashimi, World Baseball Classic, WorldBaseballClassic