Last Bank Holiday Monday, we all took time off work to hang out with our loved ones, not to mention enjoy the lovely weather, right? For most of us, that meant hanging out in swings or deckchairs, getting out the garden grill, and cooking up a delicious barbecue in the late spring haze.
Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, I'll even accept halloumi; whatever your delicious poison, I'm here for it, as long as you're having fun on the grill. That's all that matters, right? But beware, my barbecue brethren; there might be a new trend out there that threatens to ruin grill time this summer, and maybe even summers far, far into the future.
Of course, many of us will count vegans and vegetarians among our dearest loved ones, and as you might have guessed, a barbecue isn't always the most welcoming place when you're on that kind of diet. So when the Washington Post suggested earlier this week that 'carrot dogs' could be the next big vegetarian craze, there was a tiny bit of method behind that madness.
Putting together a recipe which requires a host of marinating and seasoning as well as the suggestion "serve warm", if you were one of those vegetarians who was looking for an alternative to sad soy-based substitutes or quiet weeping whenever barbecue season rolls around, you could perhaps convince yourself to try this out.
It didn't, however, work out so well in practice. Never slow to criticise something ridiculous, Twitter descended upon the post from the Washington Post like vultures on a wounded gazelle, and it's fair to say that people were unhappy with the notion of bringing a carrot dog to a barbecue.
Not exactly ready to give it a shot, are they? I don't blame them, honestly. Imagine heading to a barbecue - supposedly a place for good times, friendly connection and great food - and biting into what you thought was a hot dog. Only, it was a carrot in a hot dog bun. Imagine the confusion you would feel . Imagine the betrayal you would feel.
In this writer's personal opinion, this is an offence akin to summer barbecue treachery, but to each their own, I guess. There were a few defenders - even advocates - of the carrot dogs. Let's... hear them out, I guess?
Some of the people here bring up the ridiculous notion of replacing a frankfurter with a carrot, and while I'll eat carrots in most guises - I feel this is where I draw the line.
I'm not quite at the level of one tweeter, who declared they were "going to throw a cookout with carrot dogs, guacamole & peas, and Brooklyn BBQ, then toss everybody who shows up into a dungeon", but as a healthy side to a burger? I guess I could be convinced. However, if you invite me to a barbecue and try to sneakily get me to eat a carrot in a hot dog bun, I will consider it the end of our friendship.
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