by Karen Smith

Created on: March 31, 2009

There will be a lot of writers who take on this quintessential American question, seeking the finest in seasoning or the perfect synergy of toppings, the premier preparation or the best pedigree. While those articles will be interesting, they won't capture the essence of the hot dog.

The hot dog, in all its permutations, is about you. Your childhood, your summer vacations, your high school sports field, your college quad, your street corner deli, your butcher. Like the best of other US traditional foods, hot dogs reflect who we are, where we came from and where we like to go. They are as varied as each of our cities, and as different as each of us.

My marriage survives because we agreed early on to rotate hot dog purchases, buying my husband's favorite during one week's supermarket trip, mine the next. That way, each of us is, at worst, one hot dog away from nirvana!

Nathan's Famous Coney Island

Born and raised in New York City, (www.nathansfamous.com for me it's Nathan's We had delis that were closer, and the hot dogs were just as tasty, but Nathan's is at the beach. Not just any beach, either - Nathan's is in Coney Island. Part of the flavor of eating a Nathan's hot dog was the salt air, and the melded aroma of cotton candy, jelly apples, french fries and all the other boardwalk foods.

Today, Nathan's fans can purchase the dogs in several varieties at neighborhood supermarkets - even if the neighborhood happens to be Tucson, Arizona. In fact, the folks at Nathan's now sell their hot dogs at 18,000 locations worldwide.

If you're not dining at one of the many Nathan's fast food emporia scattered throughout the 50 states, buy a package at the supermarket, bring them home and cook them yourself. For the true experience, you'll want the casing to 'snap' when bitten into, and that means making them on a grill like they do in Coney Island. A well heated frying pan or pancake griddle can produce a similar effect.

Farmer John's

My husband was raised in northern New Jersey, visible from Manhattan...but light years away in terms of hot dogs. Somehow, New Jerseyans of a certain age think the perfect hot dog is one produced by the good folks at Farmer John's. (www.farmerjohn.com

These are a different sort of hot dog entirely; pink in color, mild in flavor, as happy boiled up as broiled or barbecued. These were an after school snack for many kids, apparently, as dozens of Jersey-bred friends talk about the joy of coming home and having a Farmer John hot dog (or two or three) while

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