At last week’s Indigenous Pop Expo, I was prepared for about two hours of exultation. But with all the guests, the exhibits, and, of course, the fans, it was about five hours until I finally exited the building. One problem: I was pretty famished as a result.
Just as I was deciding to make it to 7-Eleven for two-day-old roller dogs and congealed cheese, right in front of me was the new food truck that's been making waves in the Indigenous community – RedBird Concessions.
With their truck rolling across the whole state, RedBird has been a stand-out for those craving a snack attack, with homemade Native frybread, NDN tacos, and a renowned NDN burger. But what I did not expect is the fantastic taste and Indigenized flavor of the RezDawg ($7.00).
I quickly slapped down the money for two of them on the counter, as well as an Indian Sweetie ($5.00) for dessert, and patiently waited for my order to come up as my bag of convention purchases waved in the breeze.
When they arrived, it was a golden god in my Styrofoam container; the wiener encased in a cast of frybread goodness like a grand totem. As the aroma pleasantly wafted through my nose, the frankfurter was deficient in all condiments—you didn’t need them.
I stood by emotionally and mercilessly reached for the RezDawg with my gaping mouth. As my body flinched and my jaws shook, with one bite, that was it. I was thoroughly transfixed.
Never would I believe that frybread would be a simple source of life-giving daily bread, deep-fried surrounded in a nameless hot dog, but here we are, giving new life to this very staid snack. This was a new way to enjoy all of them: wieners, sausages, franks, red hots, foot-longs, conies, links, and, of course, Natives in a blanket.
I ate the first one, then the second. It was glorious and I could have devoured more, with only my self-censoring stopping the insatiable appetite for this new food.
I then turned my focus and attention on my other new love – the Indian Sweetie, a slapping piece of frybread with added sugar, cinnamon, and a little bit of honey too
It was, of course, delicious, only lasting a few large bites.
With my appetite sated, I then walked to my truck, licking the sticky sugar off my hands like a randy hobo, reflecting on an amazing meal from one of the best food trucks in town.
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Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
