Mustard? Ketchup? You'll Relish These Facts About The Hot Dog

Did you know there was such a thing as the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council?

Me neither.

But a quick search will get you to this page, where the wiener experts will assure you that "You’ll Relish the Variety of Information on the All-American Food."

They've got some pretty serious advice to make sure you don't run awry of the hot dog police (OK, I made that one up).

First of all, the don'ts

Don't put hot dog toppings between the hot dog and the bun. Always "dress the dog," not the bun
Don't use a cloth napkin to wipe your mouth when eating a hot dog. Paper is always preferable.
Don't take more than five bites to finish a hot dog. For foot-long wiener, seven bites are acceptable.
Don't leave bits of bun on your plate. Eat it all.
Don't put fresh herbs on the same plate with hot dogs (never over-do the presentation)
Don't use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18.Mustard, relish, onions, cheese and chili are acceptable.
Don't send a thank you note following a hot dog barbecue. It would not be in keeping with the unpretentious nature of hot dogs.
Don't bring wine to a hot dog barbecue. Beer, soda, lemonade and iced tea are preferable.

Now we know what not to do, what are some of the Dos:

Serve sesame seed, poppy seed and plain buns with hot dogs. Sun-dried tomato buns or basil buns are considered gauche with franks.
Eat hot dogs on buns with your hands. Utensils should not touch hot dogs on buns.
Use paper plates to serve hot dogs. Every day dishes are acceptable; china is a no-no.
Lick the condiments remaining on the fingers after eating a hot dog, (no washing).
Use multi-colored toothpicks to serve cocktail wieners. Cocktail forks are in poor taste.

Some other hot dog information from the NHDSC:

Condiments should be applied in the following order: wet condiments like mustard and chili are applied first, followed by chunky condiments like relish, onions and sauerkraut, followed by shredded cheese, followed by spices, like celery salt or pepper.
Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other city (about 30 million pounds), beating out New York and Dallas.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.
On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times.
During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period.
Los Angeles Dodger fans consumed 2.7 million hot dogs in 2019. Across the major leagues, fans enjoyed 18.3 million hot dogs during the 2019 season.
They really love their dogs in the Carolinas -- The top per capita consumption in the USA for hot dogs is Raleigh/Durham and No. 2 is Greensboro.
Utahns eat about 180 hot dogs per capita every year!
In the country of Chile, they serve a dish called completos, which is essentially a hot dog and bun covered in sauerkraut, smashed avocado, diced tomatoes hot sauce and a large drizzle of mayonnaise.