One of my all-time favorite books is “A Confederacy of Dunces” by the late, great, John Kennedy Toole. This classic comedy/tragedy is the story of Ignatius Reilly, a luckless academic and aspiring author from New Orleans, who struggles against both obesity and modern society. Over the course of the book, Ignatius fails to succeed at a number of careers— including one particularly ill-fated stint as a hot dog vendor.
In his early days as a street merchant, Ignatius hopes that this new form of “gainful employment” will finally be enough to satisfy his overbearing mother. It’s not a terrible job— pushing a cart through the French Quarter affords him plenty of time to ruminate on the finer points of medieval philosophy— and the weiners provide plenty of sustenance for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Despite a firmly-held opinion that hot dogs— like all forms of modern cuisine— are a disgusting abomination, Ignatius ends up eating more of them than he actually sells, right up until the chaotic end of this promising new career.
Many, many years ago— back when I was pursuing a degree in Carnival Security Management at the University of South Carolina— I stopped into the Russell House to pick up a set of overpriced textbooks. It was the first day of the semester, so the lengthy checkout line wound back through the store. As I impatiently tapped my foot, I happened to glance down and spot one particular title on a shelf of biographies:
Of course I know that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
But this was love at first sight, so I had to buy it.
I’ve always been more of a fiction reader, so “Managing Ignatius” was one of my first experiences with the ‘unexpected memoir’ genre. Author Jerry Strahan spent his adult life working as a manager for one of New Orleans’ most iconic brands, the Lucky Dogs hot dog company. While this might not sound like the most exciting line of work, the employees— a rotating cast of characters— never failed to keep things interesting.
Strahan gleefully recounted how he unsuccessfully tried to bring order to chaos, herding a motley crew of drifters, drunks, and degenerates through the French Quarter. And much like the fictional Ignatius Reilly, Strahan’s own family and friends were alarmed when he abandoned a promising academic career for the thankless work of slinging weenies. Ultimately, though, Strahan proved to be a talented manager and a successful entrepreneur. Under his guidance, Lucky Dogs grew from a local novelty brand into a global hot dog empire, with dozens of new franchises and several international locations.
Literature is kind of like food: different people like different things, and there’s no accounting for taste. As for me, I felt like Strahan’s autobiography was right up my alley. His stories kept me laughing just as hard as Toole’s novel did, and his unique perspective offered a fresh view on a small slice of life in the Crescent City. That’s why “Managing Ignatius” carries my highest recommendation.
It’s a memoir that you can definitely… sink your teeth into…