StarbucksAddict
November 18th, 2002, 12:36pm
There are heated times, even in 'chili' weather, when hot dogs are in charge
By SHARON MONTAGUE
The Salina Journal
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The hot-dogging team of Kenny "Ketchup" Lin and Megan "Mustard" Baroska was hauling buns down Interstate Highway 70 Thursday morning when suddenly, things just didn't seem right.
Their vehicle is always hot, but it suddenly got a little bit hotter than normal.
So they pulled their conveyance over to the side of the highway -- they were in the eastbound lanes, just west of the Hedville exit -- and called for help.
"Vehicle on fire," the emergency dispatcher cried, just before 9 a.m. "It's the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!"
A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper rushed to the site, only to find a soggy and hot, but not roasting, wiener on a bun.
"There wasn't any smoke," Megan Mustard said, getting up from her relish-colored seat in the plush Wienermobile to talk to visitors. "We just overheated. We're just taking a rest."
She said no firefighters responded to the report of the wiener roast, and the trooper quickly went on his way after determining there was no need for his services.
Megan Mustard and Kenny Ketchup tried to relish their break, having been to Denver and anticipating an appearance at a Waterloo, Ill., Wal-Mart store.
But the two were frequently interrupted by friendly travelers, many of whom, seeing the disabled wiener on a car-shaped bun, stopped to offer their assistance -- and to accept some of the Wienerwhistles Megan Mustard and Kenny Ketchup offered to well-wishers.
"We think it's great that people care about the Wienermobile," Megan Mustard said with a smile.
She said she assured all of the concerned questioners that help was on the way, and, if prodded, explained just how the Wienermobile happened to be by the side of the road on a Thursday morning in November, as a light rain fell.
Megan Mustard, who began her year-long Wienermobile trek in June, said it was the first time the buggy hadn't been able to cut the mustard.
"We haven't had any problems before," she said. "But we're fine. We just called our version of Triple A, and they're bringing us some coolant."
Usually, she said, the Midwest Hotdoggers just travel from school to store to shopping mall, smiling and handing out their plastic-wrapped Wienerwhistles, talking in wiener puns and making people smile and give a toot about Oscar Mayer products.
Thursday, the two seemed to be on the other side of the table -- on the receiving instead of the giving end -- especially when it came to bad puns. People who heard the call for help asked if it was a wiener roast. They asked if firefighters responded with mustard, relish and buns. They giggled about hot dogs and soggy buns.
But they also stopped, as people normally do when they see a vehicle with its hood up, to offer their assistance.
"Everyone has been really friendly," Megan Mustard said.
By SHARON MONTAGUE
The Salina Journal
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hot-dogging team of Kenny "Ketchup" Lin and Megan "Mustard" Baroska was hauling buns down Interstate Highway 70 Thursday morning when suddenly, things just didn't seem right.
Their vehicle is always hot, but it suddenly got a little bit hotter than normal.
So they pulled their conveyance over to the side of the highway -- they were in the eastbound lanes, just west of the Hedville exit -- and called for help.
"Vehicle on fire," the emergency dispatcher cried, just before 9 a.m. "It's the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!"
A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper rushed to the site, only to find a soggy and hot, but not roasting, wiener on a bun.
"There wasn't any smoke," Megan Mustard said, getting up from her relish-colored seat in the plush Wienermobile to talk to visitors. "We just overheated. We're just taking a rest."
She said no firefighters responded to the report of the wiener roast, and the trooper quickly went on his way after determining there was no need for his services.
Megan Mustard and Kenny Ketchup tried to relish their break, having been to Denver and anticipating an appearance at a Waterloo, Ill., Wal-Mart store.
But the two were frequently interrupted by friendly travelers, many of whom, seeing the disabled wiener on a car-shaped bun, stopped to offer their assistance -- and to accept some of the Wienerwhistles Megan Mustard and Kenny Ketchup offered to well-wishers.
"We think it's great that people care about the Wienermobile," Megan Mustard said with a smile.
She said she assured all of the concerned questioners that help was on the way, and, if prodded, explained just how the Wienermobile happened to be by the side of the road on a Thursday morning in November, as a light rain fell.
Megan Mustard, who began her year-long Wienermobile trek in June, said it was the first time the buggy hadn't been able to cut the mustard.
"We haven't had any problems before," she said. "But we're fine. We just called our version of Triple A, and they're bringing us some coolant."
Usually, she said, the Midwest Hotdoggers just travel from school to store to shopping mall, smiling and handing out their plastic-wrapped Wienerwhistles, talking in wiener puns and making people smile and give a toot about Oscar Mayer products.
Thursday, the two seemed to be on the other side of the table -- on the receiving instead of the giving end -- especially when it came to bad puns. People who heard the call for help asked if it was a wiener roast. They asked if firefighters responded with mustard, relish and buns. They giggled about hot dogs and soggy buns.
But they also stopped, as people normally do when they see a vehicle with its hood up, to offer their assistance.
"Everyone has been really friendly," Megan Mustard said.