Hot Dog Carts and Hot Dogs

Downtown Toronto has one of the largest and most diverse range of cuisines in the world, with large districts of specific nationalities make up the city. Probably the most prominent cuisine to dominate Canada’s largest city, however, lies within the large army of hot dog carts. Little patches of light that spill onto the pavements of the city at night, that feed people throughout all of the day and night. Subject to much controversy surrounding food safety and sanitation, they still remain a popular food destination for Torontonians far and wide. Prices typically range from as low as $1.50, and can go up to $4, all of them made from the same ingredients.

This project investigates Toronto’s hot dog scene, and is a greater look at the homogenised culture that our consumer- orientated society has developed.

This photo book maps and documents a selection of hot dog carts and the hot dogs they sell in downtown Toronto, presented as diptychs and supplemented with photos of features of the carts. The physical book itself features materials related to hot dogs and their packaging, including a styrofoam insert on the front cover, and the map itself printed on a serviette. The book aims to critically investigate this sometimes viewed ‘guilty pleasure’ of Toronto cuisine, presented to the viewer larger than life and in gratuitous detail.