Happy Fourth of July to all our friends and family in the U.S., sent from us in Tübingen, Germany, home to a currently trendy food item: American hot dogs.OK, “trendy” is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. But 3 years ago when we first moved here, it was hard to find anyone serving up small red wieners on buns. I mean, wurst was always easy to find, of course. But German wurst rarely is served along with any bread in restaurants,  which sets it apart from the American hot dog typical serving, which is in a bun.

For whatever reason, though, over the last 9 months American hot dogs have started to pop up at places all over Tübingen.  I’ve included signs in the gallery below for just a few of the places that proudly advertise them now.

Note that the first photo is from of a place in town that serves only American hot dogs.  American hot dogs with toppings, that is, although the toppings  might not be strictly traditional American. Chili, cheese or onions? Check. But remoulade sauce? Italian tomato sauce? Bacon on top of a pork hot dog? Hmm – let’s call them German fusion hot dog toppings.

In any case, hot dogs do seem to be a trend that’s catching on fast here. It seemed appropriate to mention this fact today, on the July 4th holiday in the U.S., since I recently learned that the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) in the U.S. has declared July National Hot Dog Month.

BTW, if you are enjoying a hot dog in the U.S. today, you’re probably eating it for lunch or dinner.  I should note that’s mostly not the way it’s offered here in Tübingen.  One of the places shown above is a bakery, which is only open during the day, with hot dogs offered for breakfast or lunch.

The other two places, including the one that only serves hotdogs, are both connected to bars/nightclubs. You can’t get a hot dog at either place before 7pm at the very earliest, but you can get one well into the early morning hours. Craving that chili bacon cheese dog around 3am? No problem. The hot dog night spots here are open on weekends until 5am.

Wonder if that will be a German hot dog trend that catches on in the U.S. someday…

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P.S. I’m not sure if Chris and I have eaten any hot dogs on July 4th in recent years, but I am certain we didn’t have one 6 years ago, on July 4th, 2008. That was the day we arrived in Italy, at the start of our European adventures. I can’t believe how quickly those 6 years — and 2 countries of residence and countless countries visited — have passed by!