New Twist on Dodger Dogs a Big Hit with Fans

- Advertisement -

New twist on Dodger Dogs a big hit with fans

October 3, 2006

It was a fine night for Los Angeles Dodgers fans Friday, Sept. 22. The game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was a 2-0 shutout, bringing the Dodgers within half a game of the National League Western Division lead.

On top of that, the fans got another big treat. They were introduced for the first time to the new Dodger Avo Dog. According to Xavier Equihua, executive director of the Chilean Avocado Importers Association, which sponsored the first-of-its-kind promotion, the new twist on the famous Dodger Stadium foot-long hot dog was a home run - and the fans went wild.

The enthusiasm was given a boost, said Mr. Equihua, by the appearance on the Megatron screen, not once but several times during the game, of the ever-popular Tommy Lasorda, National Baseball Hall of Famer who managed the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996. Dodger fans cheered each time Mr. Lasorda appeared on the screen to announce the arrival of the Chilean avocado season and to tell them about a new way of eating avocados -- as a topping on a hot dog.

He told the fans that they could get the avocado topping free on their Dodger Dogs at the concession stand.

"It was a great hit," said Mr. Equihua. "Basically everybody that asked got a sample" of the topping. "Thousands and thousands of portions were served of this simple, yet delicious recipe."

"It was the first time that something like that was done at Dodger Stadium," he said. "It is also the first time that the Dodger Dog has been modified in its history" since its introduction in 1968. Never before had anything been offered to fans for their Dodger Dogs except ketchup, mustard and relish.

Dodger fans were introduced to the new twist on a classic favorite at the Sept. 22 game "to celebrate

1 / 2

the beginning of the Chilean Hass avocado season in the United States," according to a press release from the Chilean Avocado Importers Association. The season's first shipments of Hass from Chile arrived in the United States "just in time for the topping to make its debut as the ideal baseball playoff season party food."

Move over Super Bowl. The most popular day of the year for consuming avocados (mostly in the form of guacamole) may soon have competition from baseball and hot dog fans eating avo dogs while watching the World Series.

"The avo dog is a very popular food in Chile," said Jorge Covarrubias, chairman of CAIA. "We hope this easy-to-enjoy recipe and the avocado's year-round availability make this delicious hot dog topping a 'home run' in the United States, too."

The recipe consists of diced Hass avocados mixed with lime juice, diced tomatoes and salt, with onions and additional seasonings optional, according to the press release.

Avocados have not traditionally been associated with the baseball playoff season, partly because until Chilean avocados started to come into the United States a few years back, the local-grown fruit was generally in short supply at that time of year, the press release noted. Now, Hass avocados are available in good supply year-round. Between 265 million and 290 million pounds of the Chilean crop will be shipped to the United States this season during the period from September through March.

CAIA, an organization representing Chilean avocado importers, exporters and producers, exists primarily to build market demand for Chilean avocados in the United States. The idea of the avo dog promotion was "to come up with new ways to eat avocados," Mr. Equihua said. "This is something that is very common in Chile and the people really like to eat it."

Promoting the avo dog at baseball games is a natural, since eating hot dogs at baseball games is such a strong tradition, he said.