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| Neil "Skip" Fletcher, JR. with Corny Dog inventor Neil Fletcher, Sr (circa mid-1970s), Fletcher's Corny Dog booth (circa 1950s) |
The proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention” says a lot about how inventors look at life. Many inventors go their whole life without recognition for their creativity while others are household names. February 11 is National Inventors Day so today, I am giving a nod to two Dallas brothers who helped start America's obsession for fried food. In 1938, brothers Neil and Carl Fletcher were offered a unique opportunity to run a food booth at Fair Park. Both men had spent years marveling at the lack of cuisine offered to the Park patrons and knew they had an opportunity on their hands. According to Neil, there was a local baker on Oak Lawn Ave. who served a dish of hot dogs baked in cornmeal in the shape of an ear of corn, and while it tasted good, the process was time-consuming and complicated.
