"What I Did for Love"

And Other Things Denise Said

Denise wants you to know that the last time she ate a hot dog was over 40 years ago. She also wants you to know that she ate one, here in Cascais, just so I could share the experience with you.

This is from the HotDog Cascais Facebook page.

First Impressions

If we want to walk along the water we have two options. We can turn left and head east toward Estoril along the promenade, or turn right and head west on the sidewalk/bike path. If we turn right, on most days we encounter a food truck, parked in the same spot, about 1.5 miles into our westbound trek. And every day there are a few people sitting on the benches eating a “dog” and a couple of more people in line.

The chairs, table, and umbrellas you see above are not currently in use; but I expect with outdoor dining being allowed after 5 April, they will be in place soon. At that point, Hot Dog Cascais will seem more befitting its 30+ year history. For yes, this food establishment has been in business for nearly as long as it has been since Denise eat a hot dog.

Onix is certain she would have liked it.

Taste Test

Let me begin by saying, Denise is not the fairest taste tester. She doesn’t typically eat processed meat. But since I don’t eat any meat … it had to be her. To be fair, the truck offers a vegetarian dog. But we didn’t believe ordering one of those would provide a useful review.

Denise ordered a dog with everything. On top of the bun was placed

• a thin layer of red and white cabbage,

• an 8” hot dog,

• 4 sauces (she thinks ketchup, mustard, mayo and ?),

• potato chips/straws; and finally

• cheese.

[When I spoke with my Brazilian language learning partner, who lives in Porto, on Friday night he confirmed that this is the typical way Portuguese and Brazilian’s eat hot dogs.]

Permit me to share Denise’s review with you in her own words. “My stomach probably isn’t going to like this…I could have done without the potato chips…this isn’t a Chicago hotdog…not your typical ballpark frank…it’s different…the bun is definitely the best part.”

So there you have it. Our first food review since arriving in Portugal. I’m confident future reviews will be more positive. And to be fair, Denise is NOT the best person to taste test processed meat! She did it for love and so I could write this post.