I've never been much of a barfly, so I don't hang around the area of 6th and Main in Boise on Friday and Saturday nights. I have been down there on occasion, however, and I remember enjoying a chorizo with the works from the vendor Yankee Dog late at night. I remember standing in line for some time to get it, too. I considered it the perfect food for someone emerging from a bar hungry.
In the United States, that's pretty normal. Americans traditionally like something a little on the greasy, fatty and carbohidratey (?) side when they're all done drinking for the evening and not completely passed out. We keep pizza delivery places open late, and Boise now has several fast food joints that stay open 24 hours. And there are people who can't imagine a Friday night without a trip to Taco Bell.
Around the world, there are other choices. In the Czech Republic, where they drink more beer per capita than just about anybody, they traditionally top off the night with a "smazeny syr", which is basically a cheese sandwich. It consists of two slices of bread, mustard, mayonnaise and a large hunk of deep-fried mozzarella cheese.
Drinkers in Germany enjoy fries, but not with either ketchup or catsup. They prefer theirs with mayonnaise and curry with a sausage added on top. They like fries in England, too, where they call them "chips". And the Brits eat them covered with cheese and garlic aoli.
I won't list what drunks prefer in every country, but I like what they do in Japan. They eat ramen. And I like ramen. I also like the price. But I don't see it catching on as a late-night post-bar meal. What, then, would college kids eat for breakfast?
