Dinglewood Pharmacy

Of America’s many ways with wieners, Dinglewood Pharmacy’s scrambled dog is one of the weirdest. It looks nothing like a regular bunned hot dog. In fact, a bun isn’t even part of the formula. What you get if you have a seat at the lunch counter of this fine, family-run pharmacy and order one, is a shallow rectangular dish that is filled with a chopped-up, redskin weenie along with meat-and-bean chili, a pile of oyster crackers, pickles, and chopped onions. (Cheese is an available option.) There is no way to eat this with one’s hands. A spoon is provided. It’s definitely a sum-is-greater-than-its-parts dish, for no single element is wonderful; and yet the whole, mixed-up package is endearing.

Normal hot dogs, chili dogs, and Dixie dogs are available, in buns, as are good hamburgers adorned with regular or pimento cheese. To accompany these short-order meals, Dinglewood offers a menu of milk shakes, sundaes, and freshly made lemonade.