Always in search of a laugh and a bite, the nation is eagerly preparing to indulge in chicken satay, ice cream bars, ice pops, caramel apples and beef kebabs in celebration of Something On a Stick Day, which falls on Monday, March 28.
In the midst of the excitement and anticipation, let's spare a thought for the corn dog - the ultimate "on a stick" food - at Denio's Roseville Farmers Market & Swap Meet.
The battered, deep-fried pup has been a standard at the 64-year-old Denio's for 42 years. In that time, some 5 million corn dogs have been eaten by eager shoppers, who've left nothing behind but empty sticks.
To honor Something On a Stick Day, the market is offering two corn dogs for the price of one ($1.85). The downloadable coupon, at www.deniosmarket.com, is redeemable Saturday and Sunday (Denio's is open on weekends only, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Quality batter is what separates a world-class corn dog from its mundane cousins. Denio's batter was concocted by founder Jim Denio, and the same recipe is still used today. So said Jim's grandson, Eric Denio, on the phone from company HQ.
"I've eaten these corn dogs all my life and probably have corn dog batter running through my veins," he said. "We wanted to go healthier, so now we use turkey dogs and cook them in vegetable oil. The corn is still (coarse) milled for us, according to my grandfather's (recipe). When I was young, I remember him talking about how he wanted the batter to be heavily granular on the outside, and not smooth like a frozen (product). The (cornmeal) is produced that way solely for Denio's."
The market is at 1551 Vineyard Road, Roseville; (916) 782-2704.
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