Really, what is the best way to make a hotdog?

Something to know before you say the wrong thing at a barbecue this summer:People have very strong opinions on how hotdogs are supposed to be prepared and also on what they're supposed to be called.

In July of 1994, CBC's Midday corralled three "hotdog lovers" to share their views on the proper way to prepare hotdogs.

'They're not called hotdogs'

And like the hotdogs themselves, the conversation at times got heated.

Hotdogs or frankfurters?

30 years ago

Duration 1:14

On CBC-TV's Midday, Carl Amabili of Montreal and Peter Black of Vancouver discuss hotdogs -- and whether the best ones can be found in Montreal.

"They're not called hotdogs, they're called frankfurters," said Vancouver butcher Peter Black, when grillingthe Montreal-based Carl Amabili a fellowhotdog connoisseur about what these wieners should be known as.

But Amabilididn't agree with what was being served up during the discussion. To him, frankfurters and hotdogswere as different as ketchup and mustard.

"We're talking about the hotdogs in particular, we're not talking about frankfurters," he told CBC's Midday.

Fried? 'The wrong way to do it'

The Midday discussion also delved into the deep divide amongthe panellists on the right way to prepare hotdogs.

Are fried hotdogs 'wrong'?

30 years ago

Duration 0:44

On CBC-TV's Midday, a discussion on hotdogs reveals strong individual preferences when it comes to preparation.

Elyse Friedman of Winnipeg preferred a griddle-fried hotdog.

"Hotdogs just don't have enough fat in them and I really believe that the mark of a good hotdog is that after you eat it, you should feel like showering," she said.

To Black, frying a hotdog was "definitely the wrong way to do it." He saidbarbecuing was the way to go.

'Perfect' hotdogs are steamed

30 years ago

Duration 0:17

Carl Amabili told Midday viewers that the 'perfect' hotdogs for Montrealers were steamed hotdogs.

Amabili, meanwhile,was talking up the steamed hotdog.

"Here in Montreal, we just put it in the steamer itself within a few minutes, you've got a perfect hotdog, you just have to put on your own condiments," he said.

Mustard and relish? 'That's commonplace'

What to put on top? It was aquestion as loaded as hotdogs themselves.

Amabilisaid many Montrealers would have mustard, relish, onions and some coleslaw a condiment combination known there as all dressed.

Friedman called for mustard, relish, fried onions anda slice of processed cheese.

Calling mustard and relish "commonplace," Black said "a goodhotdog" called for a topping ofsauerkraut "with chips and bacon in it."