Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Hot Doug's – One of Chicago's Premier Fine Art Institutions

Hot Doug's

On a recent trip to Chicago, I had the opportunity to visit a museum a bit off the beaten track. In fact, most people have the misconception that Hot Doug's is an eatery of sorts, but it holds one of the finest collections of HotDog Art in the Nation.

Gothic Hot Dog

Frankfurter Gothic is the iconic American painting by Grant Food. It seems to depict the traditional gender roles of early American hot dog enthusiasts (men preferred their weenies with glasses, while women preferred theirs plain).

Dog of Man

Many will argue that Dog of Man by Rene MagrEat is one of the most famous surrealist weiner pieces. It is often thought that the modern businessman is the son of Adam, while the hot dog represents caloric temptation.

Hot Dog Art

Another MagrEat piece is The Seasoning of Images. Its famous inscription "Ceci n'est pas une hot-dog" (this is not a hot dog) is in fact not a contradiction. The painting is not a hot dog, but rather an image of a hot dog, which provokes a conversation on visual representation and food.

Chicago Dog

One of the most exciting pieces at the museum was one that I had never seen before: The Keira Knightley (formerly the Jennifer Garner and the Britney Spears). The red-hot combined with the onion and relish represents the combination of the masculine with the feminine. The sport peppers and tomatoes add a freshness to the piece that invokes the inevitability of aging. The dill pickle and celery salt represent the tangy, sour obstacles in life, while the mustard reminds us all of how expensive dry cleaning is. It truly was a masterpiece.

Inside Hot Doug's

Unfortunately, the museum's special exhibit of french fries fried in duck fat is only available on Fridays and Saturdays, but the usual exhibit of hand cut fries was a delight nonetheless. On any trip to Hot Doug's your eyeballs and tastebuds are guaranteed unparalleled cultural stimulation.

No comments: