"Japadog with Evan Susser (LIVE)" is Episode 39 of the premium-content podcast, Doughboys Double, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Japadog with Evan Susser (LIVE)" was released on November 27, 2017.
"Tomorrow on the Double... Live from Vancouver" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
On the final stop of the Doughboys' tour of the Pacific Northwest, screenwriter and commissioner Evan Susser (Fist Fight, Sonic the Hedgehog) joins the 'boys to discuss Japadog, a Japanese hot dog eatery.
Recorded live at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, BC.
Nick's intro[]
Manzo Nagano and Jim Skinner Sr.: these two men never met, separated by a century and the expanse of geography of the Great White North, but their legacies combine to inspire a 21st-century success story that could perhaps only happen in the unique culture of Vancouver.
In 1877, Manzo Nagano moved to British Columbia to take a job as a salmon fisherman, becoming the first person to immigrate to Canada from Japan. This trailblazing Japanese-Canadian would help Vancouver establish its identity, as the city would later come to have the highest Asian population outside of Asia.
Jim Skinner Jr. was not as historically consequential, but he too was a pioneer of sorts. In 1929, Skinner imported an iconic American dish north of the border, opening the first restaurant in Canada to serve hot dogs. Located in the small rural community of Lockport, Manitoba, Skinner's restaurant was a local sensation and its profile rose once his son, James Daniel "Jimmy" Skinner, began working for the Detroit Red Wings. The junior Skinner ascended the ranks of this "original 6" NHL franchise to become head coach, eventually winning the Stanley Cup in 1955, and in the off-seasons, he dispatched his player-personnel to work shifts at his father's frankfurter joint.
Flash forward to 2005 when Noriki and Misa Tamura, a couple from Tochigi, Japan moved to Vancouver with dreams of opening a hot-dog stand inspired by the cuisine of their home country. Their innovative fusion of yakisoba noodles, Teriyaki sauce, and good old-fashioned Canadian wieners was a local hit and a second stand opened in 2009, followed by yet more carts and a dine-in restaurant.
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics further increased the visibility of this small chain and has become a staple, not just for locals, but for tourists and the cast and crew of visiting film productions. The business has even expanded from the town now known as "Hollywood North" south to Hollywood proper after adding a Los Angeles-area location on the Santa Monica Pier.
As for James Skinner Sr.'s restaurant, it remains open to this day, recently celebrating 25 years of continuous operation.
And Manzo Nagano? He has a damn mountain named after him.
This week on Doughboys: Japadog.
Fork rating[]
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
4 forks |
| Evan Susser |
|
4 forks |
| shared |
|
The Doughboys shared each other's orders, as best they could. Nick makes a point that it's called "Hot Spicy" dog without an ampersand, but the Japadog website includes one. Similarly, Mitch makes jokes about the name of the "Meat Love" dog, but their website calls it "Love Meat."
Both Evan and Mitch rated the place 3.75 forks, keeping it out of the Golden Plate Club. But in a craven bit of pandering, before Nick's rating, they said if Nick gives it 4 or more, they would bump their rating up to a 4 so it could make it into the Golden Plate Club. This is what happened.
Drank or Stank: Strange Brewdogs edition 🍺[]
In Drank or Stank, the Doughboys have a drink and rate it either 'Drank' or 'Stank.'
At live episodes, they often bring up an audience member to join them; today a fan named Emily joined them.
For this episode, The Doughboys have a couple local Vancouver beers (in Canadian parlance, "strange brews"): Parallel 49 Craft Lager and Strange Fellows Brewing Talisman.
| guest / host | Parallel 49 Craft Lager | Strange Fellows Brewing Talisman |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Drank | Drank |
| Mike Mitchell | Drank | Drank |
| Evan Susser | Drank | Drank |
| Emily | Drank | Drank |
Roast Spoonman[]
The Macho Man, Randy Savage
| “ | The Nacho Man, Randy Flabbage | ” |
–Jake Lightsman | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | Evan: You kind of are the Winnie The Pooh of the podcast. Nick: Yea, around the house, you wear a red shirt and no bottoms. |
” |
–Mitchy the Pooh, this makes Nick Eeyore | ||
| “ | Like a first timer at the nude beach, I got burnt buns! | ” |
–Mitch, on the Japadog buns | ||
| “ | These guys, you know it, they fight a lot on the podcast. Probably not a surprise, they fight not on the podcast, just when we're driving. But there's also a lot of love and every night, Nick has been giving Mitch a bath. | ” |
–Evan Susser, on the tour | ||
#hashtags[]
- #OneDogNight vs. #102Dalmations
- #TisTheSeasoning vs. #AManForNewSeasons vs. #BahHumFries
The Feedbag[]
| “ | I'm from Los Angeles. At the bottom of some menus in Los Angeles, they have a surcharge, like 3% or 5%, to pay for medical care or the higher minimum wage with the caveat that you can talk to the manager and have that waived. The question is, is this business that does these things - are they a bunch of bad people or are they trying to do better for their workers? | ” |
–Ian | ||
| “ | So one thing: every week we hear you talk shit about Quincy, a running theme. The weird thing is I'm also from LA... but what Mitch doesn't know that I know is that Lakewood sucks. You talk about Snoop Dogg and Cameron Diaz and Long Beach is not Lakewood. | ” |
–Christopher | ||
| “ | I feel like everyone is feeling the same thing I am. How come we did not get a drop?
When you're at home alone, what do you make yourselves for dinner? |
” |
–a guy from Winnipeg | ||
| “ | How many hot dogs have you had in one sitting? | ” |
–Ben from Canada | ||
Photos[]
Tour poster