Now this is a hotdog! The famous Kelekis hot dog:
Of course we had to stop at Kelekis’ for dinner. Kelekis is this little hole in the wall diner that has been around since 1940. G. Kelekis started off with a food cart from which he sold hot dogs and French fries. The business grew over the years and eventually he opened two restaurants. The one that survives is at 1110 Main Street. It’s a landmark in Winnipeg. Everyone is who anyone (or wants to be somebody) has to make a pilgrimage to Kelekis’.
Located just down the street from Rainbow Stage (another Winnipeg landmark), Kelekis receives a large number of actors, singers and other performers. The tradition is to leave your signed head shot – which may or may not be put on the wall.
What is particularly special about the restaurant is that G. Kelekis’ six daughters worked their entire lives (into their 70’s) in the restaurant.
Every time I’ve been to Winnipeg, I’ve eaten at least once at Kelekis’. We always get a fries smothered in gravy and a hot dog, split down the middle, with fried onions on top.
Stephane Dion, Liberal Party leader and man of the people, shows his savviness by having one of these famous Kelekis hot dogs -- and then immediately flubs it:
“If this gets out, it could mean the end of the Liberal Party of Canada,” warned a local politico, requesting anonymity.
And what, pray tell, has the Grits so up in arms? It seems that when Stephane Dion touched down in Winnipeg last month, he and his entourage popped by North End mega-icon Kelekis for lunch. There, Dion shocked locals and his handlers by eating Kelekis’s world-famous hot dog with — gasp! — a knife and fork.
“It conjured images of George on Seinfeld eating a Snickers bar the same way,” said another witness who, for obvious reasons, also asked not to be named.
Whether Stephen Harper’s Conservatives use Wienergate to their advantage — at press time there was no word whether they’d be rejigging their official slogan to read Getting Things Done (Without Utensils) — remains to be seen.
Actually, it was Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt who wouldn't touch a chocolate bar with his fingers.
Spooky resemblance, eh?
Elections have turned on stranger things. OK, so this isn't on the scale of Brian Mulroney telling John Turner that he had a choice on the issue of patronage appointments. But a hot dog with a fork? Not the best way to shake that elitist academic ivory tower image.
A sligtly different spin at the Western Standard.
Update: Here is a written account of that photo-op at Kelekis:
It was a promising start for an image mobile journalist: a photo op at C Kelekis Restaurant with Stephane Dion, the newly appointed federal Liberal leader.
A proud francophone with Winnipeg's famous shoestring fries in front of him? Perhaps with gooey poutine, too? You know what they say about sounding too good to be true...
Politicking these days is focused not on rhetoric, but on sound bytes and meet and greets. A photo op is a valuable opportunity for the politician to smile for the cameras and to chat with citizens who may or may not cast a ballot in your favour.
For someone like Mr. Dion, a good photo op is crucial. He's new to the game, and still looking for some name and face recognition.
Unfortunately, Mr. Dion came across as bumbling, tentative, and not quite sure of himself Saturday at the local landmark.
It's really quite simple; Smile and wave. Admire the pictures of all the famous people on the wall. Order the large poutine and have a big bite. Or three.
Whatever you do, don't furtively scan the crowd over Mary Kelekis's head as she regales the history of the restaurant. Don't forget to wear your "I support this cause" pin du jour and have to borrow one from local Liberal Anita Neville. Don't sit empty-handed at the table while Neville announces you'll "wait for the photographers to leave so you can get to work".
Especially when a photo of Liberal archangel Pierre Trudeau hovers imperiously over your shoulder.
Much like Mr. Dion, I find myself at a new job. I'm excited but nervous; I've got a lot of ideas, but I'm not too sure how to implement them. I suspect we're feeling the same way. So take a hint from me, Mr. Dion, and don't tell my boss: pretend you know what you're doing.
And for goodness sake, smile for the cameras.
Bumbling. Furtive. Unsure.
All he had to do was smile, wave, and eat a hotdog.
And he still couldn't get the job done!
Here is a picture from that afternoon:
At least he took off his tie.
