No July Fourth (Hot) Dogs

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Even though I end up watching (9am, ESPN) the annual 4th of July Nathan's hot dog contest, I will not eat any hot dogs this weekend. This contest cures me of my nitrite fix, and potential stomach cancer. But I plan to have my fair share of other good food. So, what do we eat for our fabulous Fourth? Over 74 million of us will do the traditional barbecue this weekend. They never publish how many new grills are sold each year. Most popular items to grill are burgers (85%), steaks (80%), hot dogs (79%), and chicken (73%). It seems they forgot seafood, ribs (both pork and beef) pork, sausage, and plant based products. Aside from Joey Chestnut, we consume over 150 million hot dogs. Americans spend more on condiments than chip and dip for their barbecues. Can you believe 5% of our national beer consumption occurs on July 4th? Corn (41%), potatoes (41%), and veggies (32%) are the most popular side dishes. I would prefer potato salad, or cole slaw. A typical cookout for 10 people averages only $60. I suspect it will be much higher post-pandemic. We spend that much for just two! Typical sides are: baked beans, potato chips, green salad, chili, corn on the cob, cole slaw, potato or macaroni salad, fruit plate, veggie plate, cheese plate, and tons of potato chips. We will spend $1.6 billion on booze this weekend. Beer alone is a billion! The entire bill is going to total $6.7 billion!! Who says the economy is stagnant?

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