Reviews with content warning for Pandemic/Epidemic - Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs | The StoryGraph

Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus

23 reviews

mattyvreads's review

Go to review page

dark emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.75

What a strange and fascinating book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Loftus’s writing is hilarious, irreverent, and that perfect mix of very intelligent yet sophomoric that really does it for me. There is no doubt that she has done her research.

The book is full of hot dog stories, facts, wives’ tales, and scandals. There is astute social commentary and histories about the different individual stands, communities, and organizations which contextualize her opinions on those different businesses. Plus, some conspiracy theory lite™️ (read: technically conspiracy theories that are unproblematic and probably true).

CW: disordered eating —

I struggled a little bit with how she mentions and frames the struggle with her eating disorder on this hot dog road trip. I have complicated feelings. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder for almost my whole life, I am grateful she spoke about this openly and honestly, and acknowledge that is a very vulnerable thing to discuss publicly. Having said that, she just mentions it a couple times in passing like “this was a day that I felt disgusting and worthless in my body” (I’m paraphrasing), but those feelings seem completely unresolved. Even in a day to day snapshot, where we might see a light at the end of the tunnel (even briefly). BUT! I also understand where she is coming from. As the book went on, I could guess a motivation for leaving those few, scattered mentions. It is ever-present and it is unresolved. There is no happy resolution on most eating disorders. It’s ongoing. Maybe it’s just because of my own historically disordered eating that I saw it through a lens of how I would have discussed the issue? Not my book!

All in all, the book was incredibly witty and refreshingly modern. She is a terrific writer. My favorite quote: “10 years ago, we would call this a Woody Allen day. But now we know better and call it a Nora Ephron day.” Chef’s kiss.

Content Warnings

fkshg8465's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

I never thought anyone could store s whole book just about hotdogs. Nor did I ever think I could read such a book, especially since I’m vegetarian. More than the discussion of what makes a hotdog and how they are made, I felt sick thinking about what it must feel like to eat so many hotdogs. Some chapters were light and funny. Others were very serious and talked about heavy topics like racism, sexism, and even rape, (who knew hotdogs could have so much gravitas, right?).

Content Warnings

xinawebb's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

spookyaz's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

3.25

Content Warnings

daniandsn's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

What does it mean for a leftist to partake in (and enjoy) the classic symbol of American rugged individualism? How does it feel to enjoy the snap of a beef frank when the workers who made them were dying in the midst of a global pandemic? Can hot dogs be political?

This book reflects on the cultural impact of hot dogs. Whether it is hot dog stands gentrifying local neighborhoods, Nate's Hot Dog Eating contest clearly favoring the men's competition, a lot of gendered pickles, or poor working conditions, Jamie analyzes what it means to be American through the eyes (taste?) of the hot dogs made there.

"Look I'm as American as anyone, and I don't know what I mean when I say that, but I know how i feel, and it's insecure with a throbbing need to prove something."

It is at once a memoir and a critique of capitalism. We feel Jamie's discomfort, although it is left unsaid, about frequently being the only one in a room wearing a mask. This book is more of a time-capsule of what America looked like in 2021 than it is about hot dogs.

I think this book fell a bit short for me here though. There was so much potential, but much of the critique felt shallow and unexplored. We were granted peaks into her inner life along the way, but not enough to understand why it connected to the rest of the book. Many crude and often sexual jokes undercut the point that was being made. All together, it was an interesting concept and some chapters really did stand out (who doesn't want to hear about the inner workings of a hot dog eating contest?), however it left me wanting more than what it could give.

The audiobook was a pleasure to listen to. Jamie narrated it herself and gives so much life to each of the interesting people she observed on her journey. Her emphasis and accents made it work in a way that I'm not sure that words on a page could.

Approach this book understanding that it isn't really about hotdogs. It is casual entertainment, and although I was disappointed, I did find myself entertained.

Content Warnings

breadbummer's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

Very funny and very informative! Probably not a book for boomers (my boomer parents, at least) with Loftus' consistent jokes relating to sex and/or diarrhea; I, being raised by the true god of older gen-z, the YouTube Poop, thought these were hilarious. I especially loved how this was all blended with the personal histories of the various hot doggeries and figures related to the food. Big bonus for the content warning section at the beginning, too!

My main critiques come from aspects that I'm not really sure can be helped. For one, a lot of jokes/silly comparisons/what have you are repeated multiple times throughout the book, which made me a bit tired of the "(whoever) wouldn't do (a specific thing) if they had (a specific weapon) to their head" (for now). Along with that, maybe it's just because I'm a midwesterner, but I was kind of appalled at how short the trip to the Midwest was. I mean, c'mon, not counting the chapter on Chicago, just Ohio and Wisconsin...? A huge swath of the country is being missed out on. But at the same time, I get it—Loftus has already been on the road for weeks eating variations of the same grotes ue food just about every day and is also

dealing with a breakup

, so I don't think it would be fair of me to complain all that much.

Content Warnings

raebelanger's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

corriespondent's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative slow-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

sarahyjackson's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative medium-paced

5.0

Part travelogue, part food essay, part capitalist critique - ALL VERY FUNNY.

Content Warnings

slimshaedy92's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

Jamie balances history, personal and national, in her exploration of the most American of terrible yet wonderful dishes. There are moments when I lose the plot and literally don’t know what we’re talking about but that’s for maybe a sentence. I was horrified and hungry in varying amounts at various times and I want to follow her journey (sans the emotional and digestive turmoil).

Content Warnings