Hot Dog!
Elementary: Grades 3–4
Story
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Uncle John took Ruth and Allan to the grocery store on the corner. A bell on the door chimed when they walked in, and a gray-haired older woman came from the back room.
"This is Mrs. Pernsley. Miss Jean, the children want to know why hot dogs are important in Chicago. What can you tell them?"
Mrs. Pernsley smiled, "I've loved eating hot dogs since I was a little girl, but I don't know the history. Let's get my husband. He used to work for the Armour meatpacking factory for years before we opened this store." Mrs. Pernsley called to her husband, and soon a tall older man joined them. "The children are curious about why hot dogs are important in Chicago," Mrs. Pernsley explained.
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"Chicago was the capital of the meat world for a hundred years!" Mr. Pernsley exclaimed. "We were known all over as the butcher to the world. Inventions in the industry started here. Campaigns for better workers rights in meatpacking started here. Even many laws about keeping food safe started because of problems in Chicago's packing houses. Chicago was the center of the meatpacking world, and hot dogs were part of that."
"What was it like to work at Armour?" Allan asked. Mr. Pernsley pulled an old bound book off the shelf. Inside he showed them an old picture of a meatpacking plant. The picture showed all the floors and what was happening to the animals in the different areas of the building. Ruth didn't like the looks of it. Neither did Allan for that matter. "It looks like hard work," Allan said.
"Running a grocery is easier," Mr. Pernsley explained. "But I do miss the smell of our sausages. I still have one of the advertisements." Mr. Pernsley shuffled to the back room and returned with a small card.
"Breakfast sausages, with natural herbs!" Allan read. "I'm a picky eater, but those actually sound good."
"You'd eat them with ketchup probably," Ruth said.
"Armour used good quality meats like corn-fed pigs. We were the best in the business," Mr. Pernsley continued. "Nowadays Oscar Mayer is one of the most famous companies. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile drives all around the country; a big version of this toy." Mr. Pernsley pulled a miniature version of the hot dog shaped car from a shelf. "Their hot dogs are one of our best-sellers." Mr. Pernsley showed them a tin can of Oscar Mayer Wieners. "Oscar Mayer is famous. I can't imagine Chicago without hot dogs."
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