There’s this little thing called work/life balance we’re trying to figure out here at Lantern. So, in an effort to take some mandatory breaks, we’ve instituted R.I. Weiners + Ice Cream Fridays.
There were absolutely zero catchy names I could think of, so let’s just go with it.
If you’re not a Rhode Islander, you might not understand our love for R.I. weiners, which aren’t just hot dogs with a sexy name and represented by hilarious neon signs that say “hot weiners.”
No – they’re so much more. Wikipedia says it best, although they’re the only ones spelling it with an i before the e around here:
The traditional wiener is made with a small, thin frankfurter made of veal and pork, giving it a different taste from a traditional beef hot dog, served in a steamed bun, and topped with celery salt, yellow mustard, chopped onions, and a seasoned meat sauce (the spices vary by vendor but commonly include cumin, paprika, chili powder, and allspice). A preparation including all of the above is often ordered by patrons as “all the way.”
When I was new to Rhode Island, I even did a little weiner foodtrip and wrote about it for Examiner. They’re also called “gaggers,” which is, you know… er… strange … Rhode Island. Derp.
I haven’t learned the ordering lingo yet, but I think it’s something like “one dog, all the way.” I learned this from an old fella today and I figure he must know what he’s doing by now!
And now, well, it’s a Friday holiday here, which also involves some ice cream as a chaser to a bun full of mustard and onions. And don’t tell me sherbert is not ice cream – I love it and I don’t care!
Today, we ventured to Riverside (and when I say ventured, I mean drove about 10 minutes). The only thing I know about Riverside now is that it’s not the old amusement park in Agawam, Mass., that I used to love so much. No, it’s a little burb of another burb – East Providence.
We stopped at Riverside Creamery first because I was thirsty, and because what you really want when you’re thirsty is milk, right? No? Oh, well.
I got a “small” cone of sherbert, which was mountain high, ridiculously sweet, fruity, and yum all over. Pat got a coffee milkshake. Feeling extra fat, we rolled ourselves across the street to Riverside Kitchen for a couple of authentic Rhode Island weiners. There were a bunch of other people in there stuffing their faces with onions, dogs, and ketchup, too, so we fit right in. Next time, we’ll reverse the order, because I’d rather be burping up ice cream than onions.
How do you manage the work/life balance? I’d love to hear about it!
