Wiener World

The catchphrase “Only in Rhode Island” has a mostly negative connotation, generally referring to the population’s collective, unblinking acceptance of statewide cronyism, corruption, scandal and crime. But there are other times – we like to call them “Oiri” moments (think Yiddish reggae) – when it is the only way to describe the cultural oddities that abound here.

A case in point: While stuck in traffic on I-95 during last week’s squalls, I yo-yoed back and forth with a white car next to me that had two bumper stickers plastered on it. Since bumper stickers and vanity plates provide the only real reading opportunities during gridlock, I took the time to notice the odd juxtaposition. One was an Obama ’98 campaign sticker. Opposite Obama was a sticker that read:

OLYNEYVILLE
N.Y. SYSTEM
R.I.’s Best Hot Wieners

It’s a fair bet that no Obama supporters driving around the Other 49 would so proudly rank their political pride on equal terms with wiener love, but this is Rhode Island, where presidents rarely visit and wieners (sometimes spelled “weiners”) live in the pantheon of local culinary delights.

Side note: The next morning at the office I found a press release in my inbox headlined: “RHODE ISLAND DISH NAMED ONE OF THE 50 FATTIEST FOODS ACROSS THE NATION: HEALTH MAG REPORTS.”

And there, ranked with South Carolina turducken, South Dakota frybread, Texas corn dogs, Philly cheesesteaks, North Carolina livermush, Mississippi mud pie and Montana’s Rocky Mountain oysters is Rhode Island’s own N.Y. System Wieners. Here’s the profile:

Rhode Island
In the late 1930s, when father-son team Anthony and Nicholas Stevens moved to Rhode Island from Greece, by way of Brooklyn, they opened a small restaurant in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. The popular fare – New York System Hot Wieners – is still a regional favorite, and is imitated by vendors and eateries throughout the state.
Ingredients: A beef hot dog drenched in yellow mustard, onions, celery salt and ground-beef sauce.
Fat content: With 13 grams of fat for the hot dog and 15 grams of fat in a serving of ground beef, you’ll max out your daily recommended limit of fat; the ground-beef sauce is usually made with ultra-fatty shortening.

What Health magazine doesn’t say, of course, is that “gaggers” aren’t the only “heart attack on the plate” enjoyed regularly by Rhode Islanders. From hot-oven grinders to doughboys, coffee milk to clam cakes, spinach pie to strip pizza, stuffies to zeppoles and sausage-stuffed breads and meals using chourico (a Portuguese sausage) or Soupys (an Italian sausage), Rhode Island has enough distinctive foods to keep Health magazine in the expose business forever.

This week’s question: What is your favorite “Only in Rhode Island” moment?

[Blogger’s note: Posting early this week because of the Monday holiday. Enjoy the fireworks.]