Hotdogs Stilo Sonora
There is a little corner in Phoenix, on N 19th Ave and W Hatcher Rd, which I frequent more than I ever thought I would. What is so special about this little spot in Phoenix? Well, there was a man who my boyfriend’s brothers good naturedly call El Suegro, which means father-in-law (apparently, he has beautiful daughters). This man prepares for you the best Sonoran hotdogs in the Valley. On nights when we get a hankering someone will say, “Let’s go pay El Suegro a visit,” and we make our way there. This little hotdog stand, towed there on the back of a van, appears here, in the lot of a carwash, on every night except Mondays and is serving customers from 8 pm into the wee hours of the night. If you go on a weekend expect to be waiting a while.
In light of Kristin Koptiuch’s article, “Cruzando Fronteras/Crossing Phoenix,” I could not help but see the hotdog stand as a representation of the Mexican border passing over Phoenix. In many areas of the city you can witness this meshing of cultures. For on this corner, as on many others, I am not sure that the workers even speak English because I have only ever talked to them in Spanish. Here, a characteristically American food (formerly brought by German migrants) has meshed with the characteristic tastes of Sonoran Mexican food. A bacon-wrapped sausage topped with beans and guacamole is as American as apple pie.
