Coronary infarction on a plate: the "Hamdog"

[Gifted Gourmet]

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When one lives in Atlanta, there exists a quandry in the making: This city boasts of the CDC and Emory University with its spectacular cardiology reputation .. but then there is yet another "face" to Atlanta ... specifically the "Hamdog" ... actually saw this on CNN ..

Oh, yes, what is the "Hamdog" exactly?

a place in Decatur, Ga. called Mulligan's, which offers "The Hamdog." It is a hot dog, wrapped by a beef patty and deep fried. It is then covered with chili, cheese and onion on a hoagie bun, and also topped with "a fried egg and two fistfuls of fries."

Just a brief bit of background on southern cooking and how it evolved .. or didn't yet ...

"Flavor is a big issue -- when you modify Southern cooking, then you lose a lot of the flavor," said Laurita Burley, a clinical nutrition instructor at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Much of the South's traditional foods date back to the days of slavery. Frying was preferable in the region's hot climate, since it didn't take as long as baking and didn't heat up a house as much. Plus, Burley said, workers didn't have all day to prepare meals; they had to get back into the fields to work. Lard was also plentiful. Today, frying still is popular, especially in poor areas of the South, because it is also inexpensive.

What evil lurks in your city of the food variety? Unhealthy, yet appealing, local foods which stand out, beckoning the innocent? Heart attack on a plate local grub? Love to hear from you .. not just the SE members ...

[oneidaone]

Here the highest calorie count plate lunch is chicken katsu an incredibly deep fried chicken piece

that has been coated in panko and served with a katsu sauce which is always brown and tastes

pretty much the same everywhere, when combined with the 2 scoops of rice and macaroni

salad your calorie count is at notches unknown. Also popular is breaded friend chicken piece

"boneless with gravy allover" which Rainbow Drive-in does a good job of, that along with the

aforementioned other items tops the scales. The spam musubi (a slab of spam atop a rectangle

of rice about an inch or so thick wrapped with nori comes to mind as well, it has a teri type

sauce to round out the mix. Delicious! a hui ho

[hazardnc]

The now defunct Roger's Barbecue here in Charlotte used to sell a breakfast casserol which included hash browns with onions and green peppers topped with sawmill gravy and sausage and then cheese. Definitely heart attack on a plate.

[DTBarton]

One of my favorite high caloric lunches used to be had at the Althaus deli in Newport News, VA. I think they're still open, but haven't been in years.

They served a killer hot pastrami, split knockwurst, and melted swiss cheese sandwich on rye with a big pile of delicious, greasy, fresh cut fries. Didn't have to eat again that day.

[scottie]

Back home in Roanoke, VA, the best greasy meal comes from the Texas Tavern (Roanoke's Millionaire's Club, Seats 1,000-10 at a Time. Yes, Ladies Enjoy Eating Here!).

It's the Cheesy Western- a really greasy hamburger topped with cheese and a fried egg. The perfect ending to a drunken evening.

I am quite enjoying my fried hog jowls as I write this here in North Cackalacky!

[Holly Moore]

Though out of the region, the Hamdog reminds me of the Oki-Dog as served in Los Angeles - two grilled dogs with pastrami and chili, mustard onion, wrapped in a tortilla.

Either dog should meet one's minimum daily requirement of nitrates and cholesterol.

[MarketStEl]

So Holly Moore posts to this topic and completely forgets to mention cheesesteaks?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Philadelphia's signature sandwich--thinly sliced sirloin cooked on a grill, then either covered with slices of cheese (American or Provolone; not, as John Kerry tried to have it, with Swiss) and served in a torpedo roll, or scooped into a torpedo roll slathered with Cheez Whiz, usually accompanied by fried onions ("with")--has been fingered as a major reason why the City of Brotherly Love ranks at or near the top of those annual "America's Fattest Cities" rankings.

[culinary bear]

Less my home city of Edinburgh, and more Scotland in general :

The deep-fried battered mars bar. With chips, salt and brown sauce.

[sladeums]

I have a little monster diner in my town.

They are a bit of throwback to the 50's cookbook with a 90's desire for monstrous portions.

Big Daddy's Diner

1901 Farnam St (within walking distance from all downtown hotels if you are ever stranded in Omaha overnight)

and

8412 Park Dr (Ralston...which is Omaha)

but anyway the dish:

an 8-ounce hamburger (yes, that's half a pound) topped with a fried egg, cheese and ham (the Omaha burger); or bacon (the Big Daddy). So to recap that is a 1/2 pound burger with cheese and some extra meat topped with a fried egg (oh, and you can choose soup or salad instead of fries - if you are calorie-sensitive).

I understand there are a few calories there...and another thing - they have a HUGE Monte Cristo (very old school).