I grew up in Battle Creek (Michigan) and although I have been gone for a long time, I like to think that I have some sort of telekinetic bond with the pulse of the city. More likely that I just hear news on Facebook, but somehow I think it is something more spiritual. Something more primal. But maybe not.
A few weeks ago, I sat with my wife at her service club’s annual Christmas program. One of the owners of the Willmar Stingers (our town’s excellent college baseball summer league team) was also at our table. Considering that my hometown also has a team (the Battle Creek Bombers) in the same league (the Northwoods League), we had a brief conversation about Battle Creek. During the conversation, he mentioned something new. Something exciting. Something I was baffled to be unaware of. At the Battle Creek Bombers games, they feature something called the “Twinkie Dog.” Yep, that’s right. The “Twinkie Dog.” A hot dog with the Twinkie serving as the bun. Right up my alley and a product of my hometown, yet I was completely unaware. I had to make amends.
Yesterday was New Year’s Eve and I found my opportunity. The boys were home on Winter Break. Willing participants in the Twinkie Dog experiment. Charlene had a work lunch. She would not be grossed out by the Twinkie Dog experiment. It was New Year’s Eve. If something went horribly wrong, I could leave the memories behind in 2014.
The ingredients were purchased. Name brand. No generics. No half steppin’, my friends. We were all in.
The participants were willing. Note: since it was our first foray into the world of the Twinkie Dog, I decided to go basic and forego any toppings, although my research indicates that a true stadium Twinkie Dog is topped with whipped cream, colored sprinkles, and a cherry on top.
We jumped right in (after the obligatory group photo) and…
…they were indeed tasty. Salty and sweet. Thumbs up, all around. We all downed our Twinkie Dogs and some of us had seconds. An epic finish to the year. A Twinkie Dog conclusion.