As the July heat wave hit Capitol Hill, enemies battled at the Rayburn House Office Building over none other than a delicacy that Americans know all too well: the hot dog.
With July being National Hot Dog Month, the American Meat Institute celebrated the quintessential American food by treating an estimated 1,000 people to a free-meal at the Annual Hot Dog Lunch July 19. Celebrated since the 1970s,the event helped to contribute to the 20 billion hot dogs that Americans eat each year, said David Ray of the institute.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, whose stance is “Meat is murder,” had to counter the event, of course. The scantily clad Meat is Murder brigade arrived at the Hot Dog Lunch in strategically placed lettuce leaves and passed out a nonmeat substitute as the highlight of their 10th annual Congressional Veggie-Dog Lunch.
While congressmen, senators and VIPs appeased their carnivorous habits in the foyer of the building while mingling with autograph- signing baseball stars Graig Nettles of the New York Yankees, Michael Boddicker of the Orioles and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants, outside on the steps PETA?s Lettuce Ladies served a much smaller crowd of people that consisted primarily of interns who couldn?t get into the main event, the general public and perhaps the occasional vegetarian who simply preferred a veggie-dog to the real thing.
Though in this food-fight, PETA?s Maya Linden claimed, “I think we have a lock on victory,” it was obvious to see that everyone won; there was plenty of food to go around.
Greg Whitesell is a photo editor at The Washington Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected].
