CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

Readers of CMH Gourmand know one central truth, O’Betty’s is the greatest Hot Dog shop in Ohio. As part of my holiday tradition this year I went to the Los Potosinos Taco Truck for Christmas Eve lunch, Little Dragons Chinese restaurant for Christmas Eve Dinner with CMH Mom and O’Betty’s for a bacon and slaw hot dog surrounded by the ambiance of the 3D Jesus Display.

Athens is a special place where different worlds live in harmony. Students and academics live in proximity to locals that have been in the area for generations. Deer Hunters and Vegans pass each other on Court Street without a blink of the eye. There is a mix of conservatives and liberals, right wingers and hippies but the end result is a tight community. In December, there is a shift the the town. College kids leave at Thanksgiving and don’t come back until the near year. The seasons change and things slow down. At O’Betty’s the gang goes all out the make the downtime a good time.

This year customers could get two quarters for the meter if they needed it. Back by popular demand for the third year in a row was “The Life of Jesus in 3D”. The hot dog museum in the back of O’Betty’s is transformed into the Gallery of Fine Contemporary Culture. The portraits of Blaze Starr and Betty Page come down (well most of them) to be replaced by thirty vintage lenticular photographs and images of Jesus from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s from across the world. A tri-fold pamphlet full of information about the images and the history of the technology that created it is provided for visitors. The development of 3D images from the 1930’s to the present is described in detail. Leticular images were ubiquitous in the mid 20th century. The technology was used in campaign buttons, ads and record albums. Many of these examples have disappeared however this collection serves as an education and was preserved because, well, you can’t throw Jesus away.

The images are amazing whether you look at them from a religious, pop culture or technological perspective. So like I said, in Athens, different viewpoints come together and survive the convergence. I’ll go for a hot dog, fries and a side of culture any day. However in this case, you are out of luck. The exhibit is around for December only. Maybe you can make a journey to Athens next year to make this part of your own holiday tradition.