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mattyvreads's review
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.
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 —
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
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Eating disorder, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Vomit
breadbummer's review against another edition
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 alsodealing with a breakup , so I don't think it would be fair of me to complain all that much.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, Excrement, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Deportation
slimshaedy92's review
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
Moderate: Sexual content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Eating disorder, Genocide, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
rorikae's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
'Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs' by Jamie Loftus is a funny and informative look at the different types of hot dogs available around the United States. Paired with some personal reflections, this book details a road trip that Jamie took to try a number of hot dogs around the country and delve into the food product's history.
This is a really fun book that also gives the reader a good understanding of the current state of hot dogs in the United States as well as how they became a well known food product. There are also peeks inside the Nathan's hot dog eating contest and the place that hot dogs hold within American culture. Loftus' background as a comedian is clear in the way she writes and I found much of this book to be funny. Despite the generally upbeat tone, Loftus doesn't shy away from delving into the troubled history of hot dogs and the troubled pasts of some of the businesses that she profiles.
I highly recommend the audiobook as Loftus reads it herself, which adds to the experience. If you like hot dogs and are looking for a humorous look into their history and the different types of hot dogs available around the United States, you should definitely pick up 'Raw Dog.'
This is a really fun book that also gives the reader a good understanding of the current state of hot dogs in the United States as well as how they became a well known food product. There are also peeks inside the Nathan's hot dog eating contest and the place that hot dogs hold within American culture. Loftus' background as a comedian is clear in the way she writes and I found much of this book to be funny. Despite the generally upbeat tone, Loftus doesn't shy away from delving into the troubled history of hot dogs and the troubled pasts of some of the businesses that she profiles.
I highly recommend the audiobook as Loftus reads it herself, which adds to the experience. If you like hot dogs and are looking for a humorous look into their history and the different types of hot dogs available around the United States, you should definitely pick up 'Raw Dog.'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Stalking
jourdanicus's review against another edition
5.0
This might be my most unexpected 5 star read this year! I have been in a serious book slump, and it's been even worse with audiobooks, so for a... Hot dog... Memoir? To take me out of it is pretty fun.
Yeah, idk, it was good. Interesting. If you like "micro histories" you'll like this. If you're vegan you will either love this or hate it. You'll definitely like it if you like podcasts. Being narrated by the author makes the audiobook even better!
Re: content warnings - they are listed in the beginning of the book so that's helpful if I missed some here.
Yeah, idk, it was good. Interesting. If you like "micro histories" you'll like this. If you're vegan you will either love this or hate it. You'll definitely like it if you like podcasts. Being narrated by the author makes the audiobook even better!
Re: content warnings - they are listed in the beginning of the book so that's helpful if I missed some here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Eating disorder, Police brutality, Stalking, Alcohol, and Colonisation