Come with me on a full-circle journey

Many moons ago, I tried Skyline Chili. OK, it wasn't that many moons ago. I just have a thing for alliteration. Anyway, I came to Cincinnati for the weekend in Dec. 2004. I had just accepted a position with The Enquirer and I was on the prowl for a place to live. After apartment shopping all day, I looked for a grocery store. My hotel had a schweet kitchenette...

Well, glory be! Do my eyes deceive me? I saw a KROGER!

Big deal, you say. But it was awesome for me! You see, I was born in the Toledo, Ohio, area and I grew up going to Kroger. But when I was 14, my dad's job transferred him (and us, of course) to Cleveland. So for the next 14 years, I had to go Kroger-less. So knowing I would have that big "K" in my life again meant something to me. It's the little things, you know? So I stopped into the store. I had seen a chili joint on every other corner, so when I saw a Skyline 3-way in the frozen food section, I decided to try it. In short, it was terrible.

Fast forward two years. About a month ago, I had a "craving" for Rudy's Hot Dog, the best hot dog place in Toledo. And that's when I realized the hot dogs I crave are eerily similar to the coneys at Skyline. I did a little research and further affirmed my hunch with this article. They're almost identical to the ones I had back in Toledo. I just couldn't see the Rudy's for all the cheese. Coneys aren't the healthiest thing you can use to fuel your body as it is. No need to overdo it with a pound of shredded cheddar... So I had a regular Skyline coney, extra mustard, extra onions, and it was almost identical to Rudy's.

So although I'm in a new town, it's almost home.

I told you it was full circle.