Farmer John Trying to Make Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog The Official Dog of L.A.

Farmer John

When it comes to being "official," L.A. has many things going for it: official basketball, baseball and hockey teams and even an official "City of Angels" slogan. But one thing that's missing is an official food. If Farmer John has its way, that won't be for long. The nationwide meat giant, perhaps best known for making L.A.'s famous Dodger Dog, has launched a city-wide marketing campaign -- you might have seen the giant billboards, heard the radio spots and clicked on banner ads bearing a plump frankfurter -- to make the bacon wrapped hot dog the official hot dog of Los Angeles.

Why is Farmer John on such a mission? New York is officially known for its 'dirty water dog,' Chicago has its spicy 'red hot' and Baltimore has the 'half smoke,' a half-pork, half-beef hot dog served with spices and covered in onions and chili sauce. L.A. can't be left out of the hot dog fray, so what better dog for a city that routinely protests fat grams and carbohydrates than one that's wrapped in bacon?

You have until November 2 (that's Election Day) to cast your vote. Better yet, all that's needed for a "Yes" vote is your email address. For the record, we've voted and thus far haven't gotten any random, unsolicited emails in our inboxes. Finally, for every vote -- of which there are 11,000 and counting -- Farmer John will donate one pound to L.A. area food banks. While we're unclear on just how many votes constitute an official "election" of the bacon wrapped hot dog as the official dog of L.A., we're loving the sound of 11,000-plus pounds of food donated to feed the hungry. If you want to vote, text 80800 to LADOG or visit the Farmer John website. And if that doesn't work out, maybe Farmer John can start a mammoth advertising campaign to get us an "official" professional football team.

Christie Bishop also blogs for PardonMyCrumbs.com.