Cohen's knishes

In Newark I attended Hawthorne Avenue School.   My Hebrew school was a block away down Clinton Place, called Bet Yeled.   It was not a pleasant place, seemingly filled with very strict Israeli teachers who wanted to talk about Israeli military prowess.   I often ended up standing in the corner, or worse punishment (for unruly talking) standing outside the door.  Since Bet Yeled started about an hour after school, my parents gave me money to buy a snack at Cohen's Knishes, which was directly across Hawthorne from the school.   I usually got a "pig in a blanket."   This was a hotdog wrapped in dough....like the miniature ones you can see at Jewish weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, but this one was full size.   I never thought about it, but that's a pretty unlikely name for a Kosher hotdog.   Well the kosher hotdog could fill many blog entries for me, but right now the main point is that:
1. It's brown, not pink
2. It has a real animal casing that's real chewy
3. It's got a phenomenal garlicky taste.
4. It demands good brown mustard.
5. The dough (blanket) is perfectly matched in blandness and soft texture, to the almost overpowering flavor of the hotdogy.

That treat surely made the wait for Bet Yeled worthwhile, and almost made the boredom that awaited within tolerable as well.

Cohen's gave out pigs in blankets on Halloween.   That clearly outclassed anything else a kid could get for free on Halloween, so the lines went around the corner to Clinton Place.   You got a stamp when you got one, so you couldn't cheat and get two.