3am. Ext. Belltown Street. 1st day of 2013   

First bite of 2013....a hot dog from Monster Dog.  I discover that cream cheese is the signature of a "Seattle Dog"...can someone please tell me the connection between shmear and this city? Initially skeptical, I love how the spread tempers the salty dog, which is served in my favorite fashion: split down the middle and grilled so that char is the primary condiment.  Robin adds pickled jalapenos and Steve doctors a spicy weiner with sliced onions and Sriracha.   Both genius.  Admittedly, anything would taste divine pre-dawn and post-boozing, yet these particular sausages embody more than just meat.  They are the sweet success after numerous failed attempts to find food. They are warmth as we chow down in the heated cocoon of the Jetta.  They are togetherness as we pass them among old friends, sister, husband.  They are the beginning, a taste of what will come.