Today’s Zippy strip:
(#1) I choose to understand hot dog in this context as a sexual metaphor, so I’m both enchanted and appalled by the idea of a world of talking hot dogs, all in conversations with one another (I am famously fond of penises, but still); meanwhile, Yocco’s was a feature of the sociocultural landscape of my childhood (in an area of Pennsylvania Dutch country much influenced by Philadelphia both linguistically and culinarily), though I early on cleaved to Nathan’s hot dogs (Coney Island wasn’t all that far away), as I still do
My own metaphorical hot dog (mhd for short) is highly expressive, but (blessedly) not at all chatty. Though if my mhd could speak, it would have something of a (now old-fashioned) Philadelphia accent — with back notes of Pennsylvania Dutch English and a significant overlay of NYC Yinglish.
My mhd, like Yocco’s hot dog, has a crown (technically, a glans penis), but it has no discernible facial features, and certainly no mustache, that would be kinky.
Now, about Yocco’s.
Yocco’s Hot Dogs. Basic data from Wikipedia:
Yocco’s Hot Dogs is a hot dog and cheesesteak establishment with five restaurants, each located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, US. Yocco’s was founded in 1922 by Theodore Iacocca, uncle of Lee Iacocca. Its corporate headquarters is located on East Minor Street in Emmaus.
Yocco’s was originally established in 1922 at its former location at 625 Liberty Street in the center city section of Allentown. Its original name was the Liberty Grill.
The name Yocco’s was derived from the name “Iacocca,” after the family who owns the establishment. Because the Pennsylvania Dutch could not pronounce Iacocca, an Italian name, and instead pronounced it as Yocco, the name was changed to reflect the pronunciation used in Pennsylvania Dutch.
From the 1970s through the end of the 20th century, Yocco’s opened five additional restaurants in Allentown and its suburbs. The first was at 2128 Hamilton Street in Allentown, followed by locations in Emmaus, Fogelsville, Trexlertown, and Hanover Township.
In 2016, the Liberty Street location closed, and a sixth location opened in South Mall in Salisbury Township.
From the website, with some company puffery (complete with some Enthusiastic Capitalization, for things that are so special, so unique, they deserve to be treated like proper nouns):
(#2) The logoYocco’s has been serving quality hot dogs and more in the Lehigh Valley since 1922! The recipe is simple; take the best quality ingredients, friendly staff, steep it all in local traditions and serve it at a price that can’t be beat!
We serve a specialty dog made by Hatfield Meats, nestled in a freshly baked, steamed bun and topped with our world famous Secret Recipe Chili Sauce, Tangy Mustard and Chopped Onions. Our hot dogs are served “well done”, meaning they are cooked so the spices and flavors can caramelize. We have been the go-to for generations of Allentonians and people in the know. We are proud to carry on this Lehigh Valley tradition for the next generations to enjoy.
I was born in Allentown, and lived in a suburb of it until I was 5, when we moved to a suburb of Reading, about 40 miles away. Members of my mother’s family lived or worked in Allentown, or Bethlehem, or Easton, or their suburbs, for many years. (My father’s family were mostly clustered to the west of Reading.) The layout of the land (in a Google map):
(#3) Reading and Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (the Lehigh Valley); NYC is directly east of Easton
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