Invented in the late 19th century, the “hot dog” became a culinary fad in the 20s and entered into what we now consider Americana. I wasn’t alive back then, however, I suspect the quality of the bun has declined in the last century.
Now, in the 2010s, you can go to the store and buy a pack of buns for the price of a small coffee and have dogs for dinner any day of the week. There’s no doubt that our life has been getting more and more convenient as the calendar gets longer. Since the hyper consumerism of the 80s and 90s, the quality of our goods have been going down as the quantity goes up. This has emphasized a flaw in the design of the hotdog bun; that flaw being the connection between the two buns. When you place the hot and wet dog in the but, the moisture breaks down the white bread until you’re only left with the sorry excuse of a crust to hold everything together. Once the last line of defense fails, you’re stuck there with a dog falling out of the bun while you’re toppings just lubricate the slippage.
Now, I see two solutions. One is that the bun should be thin and flat, then steamed and rolled when ready to be consumed. This would be like a taco shell, however, made of bread. The issue here is that it could lead to the bun unrolling when not being held. This would not be optimal.
The second solution is a direct counter to one of the main issues, that being the buns sticking to each other in the package. When you go to get a bun, you often end up ripping it due to it being stuck in there. My solution is paper dividers for the buns. This would be good for the environment due to most paper companies having replanting policies, and it would be good for the consumer. The company is a more complicated equation. The thing is, with the right marketing campaign, this could lead one company to assert dominance over the competition. Customers are selfish and want the best deal on the product that best caters to their needs. I can see this transforming a company from a package on the shelf to a household name.
What do you think? Has this ever been an issue to you? Is there a better solution? Am I wrong on something? I’d like to hear people’s opinion on this as I’ve remained silent my entire life.