Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Unfortunately, the viral hot dog straw is now a real thing

We'd tell you not to do it, but you won't listen anyway

By
Oscar Mayer hot dog straw
Oscar Mayer

Just over a decade ago, I sat in my freshly pressed chef’s whites, young and eager to learn in a crowded culinary school classroom. We were going through our ServSafe training and certification process, and our instructor was slicing a strawberry whilst stressing the importance of always wearing latex gloves when preparing food for a large crowd. Without actually thinking about what I was about to say, I raised my hand and innocently asked in a spirit of authentic desire to educate myself, “But Chef, wouldn’t that flavor transfer to certain foods? Latex has a very distinct taste.” It took me about four seconds, a classroom erupting with laughter, and a chef instructor who had just turned as red as the strawberry he was slicing, to realize what had just escaped my mouth.

This is more embarrassing than that.

Recommended Videos

In an answer to a request that absolutely no one made, Oscar Mayer has just released its first-ever… hot dog straw. Yes, you read that correctly. We’ll leave it to Oscar Mayer to explain it best, saying in their recent press release for the product, “Using a delicious Oscar Mayer wiener as its muse, the Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Straw mirrors the same size and color of a delicious, cooked dog and is made using food safe soft silicone to replicate the feel of a real Oscar Mayer hot dog.”

Related

We’re unsure as to whether that reads as cringy or just straight inappropriate, but either way, it’s exactly what you’re imagining.

The strangely phallic straw with its “authentic color and feel” is a response to a video that went viral last year, featuring a seemingly eccentric gentleman at a ball game who thought to tunnel a hole straight through his hot dog in order to sip his beer with it. Now, we’re not here to judge, but…why, hot dog straw guy?

Riding the weird wave of hilarity that followed this video, Oscar Mayer is apparently cashing in on this dire need, and here we are. A weiner straw through which beer can be sipped (and it’s already sold out).

“While the viral ‘Hot Dog Straw’ divided the internet, we salute the brave man who paved the way to enjoy his hot dog as he wishes,” said Kelsey Rice, Associate Director at Oscar Mayer. “Taking inspiration from a classic Oscar Mayer dog, the silicone Hot Dog Straw is designed for optimal sipping…”

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
The best snacks for the Mediterranean diet: 9 healthy, tasty ideas
9 Mediterranean diet snack ideas — sweet and savory options included
greek yogurt with berries and granola

"Diet" has traditionally translated into "eat less." Snacking? Off the table, right? That's not how the Mediterranean diet rolls — and dietitians are here for the change.

"So many people believe they shouldn't be eating them when, in fact, eating nutritious snacks can be a great way to keep blood sugar balanced, fuel exercise, and prevent eating past fullness at dinner," said Emily Van Eck, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor. 

Read more
Drink up at these amazing bars — they’re favorites of famous authors
The literary bars of literary giants

Writers and bars have a special connection. These haunts are where ideas are forged, new characters are developed, and--in some cases--where the next great American novel is created.

Within these hallowed walls, you can feel the buzz of creative energy. Sure, Hemingway and Hunter S. Thompson may be gone, but their spirit remains, permeating these watering holes with an atmosphere you just don't get anywhere else.

Read more
How to spit roast lamb in 5 easy steps
Ever wanted to go primal and roast a whole lamb? Here's how
Spit roast lamb

One of the best ways to cook meat is by an open fire, and there are several ways to accomplish this -- a clean barbecue grill, a spit (also known as rotisserie), or even a campfire. There's nothing better than cooking meat over an open flame, especially during warm days of summer when we're often outside. The smoky flavor, the slight char, and the dripping fat all add to the roasted meat experience.

You can roast just about any meat outdoors, and by using many techniques. We’re going to be discussing how to spit roast whole lamb on an outdoor rotisserie. Here's how to do it in five steps.

Read more