Tag Archives: events

Happy Hot Dog Day!

Happy Hot Dog Day! A world renowned and widely loved snack, the origins of the term ‘hot dog’ is unclear, but we do know that although it is incredibly popular with American sporting events, Frankfurters – the type of sausage normally used for a hot dog – were originally invented in Germany. Germany is well known for its spiced meats and various meat products and has produced the frankfurter (from Frankfurt) and the hamburger (from Hamburg) as well as the Wiener (from Vienna, Austria, whose German name is ‘Wien’).

hot dog 1When visiting Germany in December, it is incredibly easy to find several different types of sausage and hot dog floating about their Christmas markets, although ‘wurst’ is enjoyed year round in its many forms in Germany. With hundreds of years experience cultivating and curing meats with herbs, Germany combines exotic flavours with various different types of sausage and pork meat to create new and exciting types of ‘wurst’.

The frankfurter is the most recognisable form of sausage, but other popular types are the Landjager which is similar to salami and can be eaten cold or boiled, the Leberwurst (Literally ‘Liverwurst’) which is like a pate to be spread on bread or crackers and the Blutwurst or ‘blood sausage’ a delicacy made from congealed pig or cow blood and bulked out with oatmeal, meat and fat, to be eaten cold.

The first recorded instance of a hot dog was when German immigrant Charles Feltmen began selling sausages in bread rolls in Coney Island, USA in 1870. Later on one of his former employees, a Polish-American named Nathan Handwerker, separated from the business to start his own, creating Nathan’s Famous, a world renowned hot dog company that is still in production today.

hot dog 2Nathan’s Famous  started in 1916 with the help of $300 from a few friends. Handwerker quickly gained popularity by selling his hot dogs at a reduced price of five cents each whereas Feltmen was charging ten cents per hot dog. Now it boasts world fame and products in millions of supermarkets and stores throughout the USA.

You can even still visit and enjoy a hot dog at the original Nathan’s Famous store in Coney Island, Brooklyn. If you’re planning a holiday in the USA and have always wondered what an original, award winning hot dog recipe was, why not grab a hired car and head over for a tube of American and German history?

St Patrick’s Day Festival

Today is St Patrick’s Day, one of the most well-known holidays for those of Irish descent. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated enthusiastically across the world, but nowhere celebrates better than the Irish themselves. Those of Irish American descent may find themselves caught up in parades and various celebrations, but if you’re looking for the best place to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Ireland is the place to be.

From the 14th to the 17th March 2014, the whole of Ireland gathered together to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in St Patrick’s Festival, located in Dublin, Ireland, and full of exciting events and performances that continued throughout the weekend.

St Patrick is one of Ireland’s most famous saints and most of what is known about him is derived from the Declaration thought to have been written by Patrick himself. It depicts Saint Patrick’s life before he became a priest, when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery on Gaellic Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd. During his days there he claimed to have ‘found god’ and brought it back to mainland Ireland, where he converted many of the Pagan Irish to Christianity until he died on the 17th March.

DUBLIN IN FEBRUARY 2006The St Patrick’s Day parade uses Ireland’s commemorative era as inspiration and throughout the next few years will be looking at the themes of ‘Past Present and Future’ when it comes to celebrating St Patrick’s Day and Ireland’s history. Plus next year the festival will pose the question ‘Who do we aspire to be in the next 100 years?’

Eight pageant companies will bring beautiful creations to life that culminated in a gorgeous and awe-inspiring parade that started at 12pm today. It begins on Parnell Square in Dublin, passing through O’Connell Street, over O’Connell Bridge, Westmoreland Streets, Dane Street and through to where it finishes at St Patrick’s Cathedral. If you’re visiting Ireland on holiday, why not hire a car in Dublin and head over to catch the festivities?

[penguin]st patricks day blogOther events that occurred throughout the weekend was a number of Music and Street performance vendors, including fun-fairs and various entertainment rides and information about the history of St Patrick’s Day, making it a great day out for you and the kids.

All this culminates in the Greening the City event, among other events, which starts at 6:30pm and sees various iconic buildings throughout Dublin ‘going green’ meaning that they are bathed in a green spotlight. It is a momentous event and one not to miss for those aspiring photographers out there!