Eating Our Way Through The Olympics: Part 2 - Japa dog

What is a Japa dog you might be asking yourself.

Is it a Japanese dog, like a Shiba Inu? Nope.

Or maybe a Japanese American Puggle like Mia and Buster Suzuki? Nope, still not right.

Actually Japa Dog is a famous hot dog street vendor found on Burrard and Smithe St in Downtown Vancouver. Even though we had just finished dinner we knew we had to find Japa Dog to find out what all the fuss was about.

With the boom of late night hot dog vendors outside of bars and clubs, Emi and I have seen all varieties of hot dogs. Emi's favorite is a late night Belltown hot dog with cream cheese, grilled onions, mustard, and ketchup. I even tried one once with siracha because this girl in front of me, who looked like she enjoyed food, ordered it. Bad choice, it tasted like burning.

You haven't really had a hot dog until you've tried a Japa Dog. We had to wait in line for over 30 minutes for this bad boy, but it was well worth the wait. Emi who was skeptical is now a true believer. A Japa Dog if you couldn't tell by now is short for a Japanese Hot Dog. This beauty above is the Okonomi which is a kurobuta (pork) hot dog covered in bonito (dried fish) flakes, fried cabbage, Japanese mayo (sweeter than American mayo), and special okonomiyaki sauce. If you've ever had okonomiyaki it's like that, but with a fat piece of pork.

Emi ordered the kurobuta terimayo. It was a teriyaki kurobuta hot dog covered with Japanese mayo and seaweed. It was amazing, the okonomi was good, but this was amazing. I've never thought to add nori (seaweed) to a hot dog, but I guess that's why they're famous and I'm not. Funny side story, we all waited in line for what felt like forever for these special Japa Dogs and one of our friend's ordered a plain hot dog. Seriously?! So now he's known as "plain hot dog". Don't worry he probably won't read this blog because plain hot dog doesn't like food.

I think it will be difficult for Emi and me to go back to the Belltown hot dog vendors when we know we could have so much more. I guess in the future we'll just have to make more trips across the border for a Japa Dog.

- Kyle