Hot Dog Harvey's Hot Dog Truck: What's in a name?

Hello blogworld and welcome to the first post on The Hot Dog Truck Blog. The first thing most people want to know is how the heck did a guy named Rob come up with a name like "Hot Dog Harvey?" Harvey (Harv for short) is a nickname for me used by my brother since we were in grade school. We had a gym teacher and soccer coach named Mr. W___ who had a rather low tolerance for not following directions and a very loud voice. More than once when his students or players weren't moving as fast as he'd like us to, he was heard to say (insert a thick Boston accent here), "COME ON, YOU'RE MOVIN' AROUND LIKE A BUNCHA HAHVAHD LAWYAHS!" I guess Harvard Lawyers are a slow moving lot, at least Mr. W____ thought so.

As the season and school year wore on, he would usually call one or two of the slower moving kids not by their real name, but merely "Hahvahd." "HAHVAHD, MOVE TO THE BALL! HAHVAHD, GET THE LEAD OUT! HAHVAHD GET INTO THE GAME AND HUSTLE!" and so on, could be heard on the fields and in the gym throughout the school year. Never being a kid (or an adult for that matter) who was blessed with speed, I inevitably became one of Mr. W___'s "Hahvahd's."

Little brothers being the understanding, sensitive creatures they are will often latch on to something they find annoying to their older siblings and rail relentlessly in safe situations lest they get their standard beating. My little brother was no different. So to him I became "Hahvahd" which got shortened to "Hahv" and then morphed into "Hahvy" or, in the less than vernacular "Harvey."

As the years wore on, I continued to be known as "Harv" or "Harvey" around our home. Little brother, mom and dad still call me by that ancient nickname fairly frequently. I am glad the larger population never latched on to the nickname back in my school days, but the name has become a term of endearment within my family.

When I told my brother I was getting into the Hot Dog business, his first statement was "Ya gotta call it 'Hot Dog Harvey's.'"

Thus the name was born.

If you ask for Harvey at the truck, I'll simply say "he's not here."