Terhi's Kiosk Sells 500 Hot Dogs in Record Day for Nokia and Pispala

Grills across Nokia and Tampere sold record numbers of hot dogs on Friday during the 18th International Hot Dog Day, Tamperelainen reports. Terhi Lassila sold about 500 hot dogs at her kiosk in Nokia, while Vaakon Nakki in Pispala sold 315 — strong tallies for the event. Locally, the "hot dog" is a regional specialty: a steamed doughnut filled with a sausage. Sunny weather and extra staff drew the crowds, sellers and customers said. Lassila said there "seemed to be plenty of purchasing power." Extra workers kept the queues moving. Vaakon Nakki's grill manager, Jenna Heikkinen, called the turnout a record: about twenty customers were already in line when the hatch opened, and sales stayed steady into the early hours. Organiser Mikko Salonen praised the community atmosphere but said he closed the event's Facebook group after heated arguments over what constitutes a "proper" hot dog. One post alone reached nearly 100,000 viewers.