This project was undertaken as a tribute to the land response project which was centered on our local Maverik gas stations.

In choosing my research topic, I decided to pursue a serendipitous approach, which led me to base my research on hot dogs and preservation methods. Every time I have walked into a Maverik gas station, I have always been entranced by the hot dogs rotating on the grill.

I have always viewed hot dogs as something that is associated with artificial materials. Maverik gas stations pride themselves on selling high-quality fresh food. I was curious to discover if Maverik hot dogs, with their rubbery texture, would decay due to their “high quality.”

Initially, I wondered what would happen if I encased a hot dog in resin, and if the hot dog would mold or become deformed. Given my prior experience with resin this school year, I was eager for an excuse to resume exploring this material. Additionally, my passion for pickling vegetables and cooking kindled my curiosity about this project. These interests and ideas served as the inspiration to submerge Maverik’s hot dogs in a variety of liquids/materials, and to monitor what changes they might overgo over the course of several weeks.

To complement these mason jars, I also created a chapbook that detailed my design process, the jarring technique, and the research I conducted on hot dogs, preservation methods, and food science. I devoted the majority of my time to creating this miniature book and performing the research that would inform it since the actual jarring process did not require much time.

This project began as a lighthearted, playful exploration of food decay, and ended up being one of my most intriguing projects of the year. I found it gratifying to turn a humorous topic into something that I took seriously, and created thoughtful work about. This project provided me with valuable insights as I learned more about myself and the things that I am interested in in the realm of design. I'm not implying that I will continue to perform “ridiculous” projects and resume the jarring of hot dogs, but rather, I learned that I derive satisfaction from things that are playful and where I do not have to take myself and the world too seriously :)