Dog day of summer
During the holidays it was National Hot Dog Day — or at least some people say so. Other calendars say it’s July 14. Where we do agree, though, is that 1) hot dogs are tasty, and 2) they aren’t good for you.
That doesn’t stop us from eating them, as the numbers show. The average American eats 50 hot dogs a year, coming to more than 15 billion a year for the whole country! They eat 150 million of them just on the Fourth of July. 7-Eleven stores sell more hot dogs than anyone else, selling 100 million a year. Even though Americans love hot dogs, the food wasn’t invented there. Its other name is the “frankfurter,” because the first ones were made in Frankfurt, Germany way back in 1484.
Wee ones: If you chow down 5 hot dogs, what numbers do you say to count them?
Little kids: If you eat hot dogs every 6 days starting on Monday, when will you eat them next? Bonus: Will you ever get to eat them on a Wednesday?
Big kids: Is 50 hot dogs a year really that weird? About how many a month is that? Bonus: How many hot dogs do you think you eat every year? Is it more or less than 50? How would you figure that out?
Answers:
Wee ones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Little kids: On a Sunday. Bonus: Yes. You’ll get to eat them on any weekday, since every 6th day lands on a different weekday each time.
Big kids: A little more than 4 hot dogs each month, or about once a week (and in fact, there are 52 weeks in a year!). Bonus: Different for everyone…think about how often you eat a hot dog, then find how many times that chunk of time fits in a year.
That doesn’t stop us from eating them, as the numbers show. The average American eats 50 hot dogs a year, coming to more than 15 billion a year for the whole country! They eat 150 million of them just on the Fourth of July. 7-Eleven stores sell more hot dogs than anyone else, selling 100 million a year. Even though Americans love hot dogs, the food wasn’t invented there. Its other name is the “frankfurter,” because the first ones were made in Frankfurt, Germany way back in 1484.
Wee ones: If you chow down 5 hot dogs, what numbers do you say to count them?
Little kids: If you eat hot dogs every 6 days starting on Monday, when will you eat them next? Bonus: Will you ever get to eat them on a Wednesday?
Big kids: Is 50 hot dogs a year really that weird? About how many a month is that? Bonus: How many hot dogs do you think you eat every year? Is it more or less than 50? How would you figure that out?
Answers:
Wee ones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Little kids: On a Sunday. Bonus: Yes. You’ll get to eat them on any weekday, since every 6th day lands on a different weekday each time.
Big kids: A little more than 4 hot dogs each month, or about once a week (and in fact, there are 52 weeks in a year!). Bonus: Different for everyone…think about how often you eat a hot dog, then find how many times that chunk of time fits in a year.