Photos: Tanya Grozdanova
The history of the delicious sandwich with hot dog or boiled sausage dates back to 1487 in Germany, and in the 19th century German emigrants brought the recipe and production technology to America. Hot dogs can be consumed without additional preparation, although they are usually warmed before serving, and the most delicious part of them are the additives – you can choose ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, and if you are in Bulgaria - lyutenitsa, of course! In our country it became especially popular in the 90s, when together with ice cream from a machine they were a favorite treat for children during a walk in the center.
Today, in spite of all the gourmet sandwiches and huge burgers that have become very popular in recent years, we can guarantee that the taste of Nikolai's hot dog is as we remember it from childhood. When we asked him when he had come here, he replied in his typical joking style that he’s here "every day from 9 o'clock!" But the truth is that for 12 years now he has been behind the counter of the cart on the side of Central Halls, right next to the parking lot. He was on the opposite tree 6 years ago, but now he has firmly found his place. And although, according to him, people's preferences have changed a lot lately, at noon there is a queue, and part of our editorial office doesn’t miss to eat a hot dog on the break at least once a week.
Certainly, it's not just the sandwich that takes regular customers back here. Nikolay is one of those people who, just sensing that you have an intelligent sense of humor and good mood, will immediately cheer you up with a joke. And believe us - his stock of funny stories is absolutely inexhaustible! There's nothing more fun than while waiting hungry for the warm bread, richly garnished with lyutenitsa, to also "feed" your soul with something fun that will make you laugh all the way back to the office. Because, after all, food not only provides the vital functions of the body, but also must bring together, be made with pleasure and served with a smile. The hot dog may not claim to be eco, organic or healthy, but eating by Nikolay's cart always delivers a bit of positive emotion and makes customers smile if they need it.
As he himself told us - "business is not what it used to be, I used to have carts in other places in the city, and students worked for me", but when you do something with desire and pleasure - it is always obvious.
