Rudolph on a Bun

     My brief stay in Anchorage permitted me to get aboard one of those tourist trolleys around town.  I learned quite a bit on that hour long ride.  Fifty years later residents are still recalling the day the earth shook for over four and a half minutes during the second worst earthquake in recorded history.  And I also learned something about a unique part of their cuisine.

     While on the tour the guide asked those of us in the trolley if we knew the difference between a caribou and a reindeer.  One young boy sitting with his parents near the front shouted out, "Reindeer know how to fly!"  Well actually, other than that, there is no difference.  They are of the same species, Rangifer tarandus, and are related to moose, wapiti and deer.  The guide explained that reindeer are just domesticated caribou.  Both live in the cooler northern climate that includes Alaska, the Yukon and the Canadian Rockies.  And one thing more, the reindeer are considered a viable commercial food source.

     No place is that more evident than on the streets of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.  Along West 4th Avenue there are numerous street vendors selling reindeer hot dogs.  The popular street food is sold from carts that pay a licensing fee for the privilege of providing breakfast, lunch and dinner to residents and tourists alike.  I purchased mine around 11am right in front of the steps leading up to the old Federal Building at 4th and F Street.

     It seems that each vendor has a particular culinary slant on the iconic meal.  Some smoke the meat, others season it with coriander, and others provide intriguing condiments like onions sauteed in coca-cola.  And many, too many, over spice their hot dog meat with pepper.  Mine was spicy alright.  And my lips tingled for about a half hour after I was finished.  It was about then that I wished I had brought some Tums along for the trip.

     The Northern Light, the weekly campus newspaper published by the University of Alaska: Anchorage has even gone so far as to rate 5 of the reindeer hot dogs from the most popular vendors.  Click on their name to read the results.

     Given the opportunity would I have another reindeer hot dog?  Probably not.  It's one of those things that you can say you did and don't need to repeat.  Although that late morning meal did just that to me.