Hot Dogs To Become Slightly Less Deadly, Maybe

maura johnston
The Awl
Published in
1 min readMay 27, 2010
or you won't get dessert

How to solve the deadly danger that lurks every time you eat a hot dog — namely, the possibility of choking on a tube that’s the same size as most human airways? The man who gave the world the popcorn chicken thinks that he has the answer! Gene Gagliardi has patented a device that will cut strategically placed slits into hot dogs — the incisions break up the dog into smaller, less fatal pieces upon mastication. (Well, less immediately fatal anyway — there’s still the whole matter of the dog’s nutritional value to deal with.) Also, Gagliardi is claiming that the cuts actually enhance the taste! “All the slits that open up, the flavors get in there, the condiments get in there,” he said, and I am wondering if the reporter on the other end of the line of that quote had to stifle a “that’s what she said” joke in response.

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maura johnston
The Awl

i edit @mauramagazine and teach at @bostoncollege.