Thanks
to
the
ongoing
government
shutdown,
Washington
has
no
shortage
of
overeducated
professionals
living
in
existential
crisis.
Few
are
embracing
the
chaos
quite
like
Isaac
Stein,
a
31-year-old
IRS
attorney
who
swapped
drafting
retirement
regulations
for
slinging
hot
dogs
on
the
streets
of
the
nation’s
capital
—
by
choice,
and
with
a
full
sense
of
irony.
In
a
city
where
every
lawyer
claims
to
serve
the
public,
Stein
may
be
the
only
one
who’s
doing
it
literally.
With
the
help
of
a
federal
furlough,
Stein’s
living
his
childhood
fantasy
of
owning
a
hot
dog
cart,
and
he’s
managed
to
turn
it
into
his
own
unique
side
hustle,
suit
and
tie
included.
His
cart,
brilliantly
named
SHYSTERS,
advertises
itself
as
“The
Only
Honest
Ripoff
in
D.C.”
It’s
“performance
art”
meets
processed
meat,
and
every
single
detail
has
been
thought
through
with
a
lawyer’s
precision
and
a
comedian’s
sensibility.
Reuters
has
additional
details:
A
“plurality
but
not
the
majority”
of
his
customers
order
a
steamed
hot
dog
served
with
spicy
brown
mustard
and
sauerkraut,
which
Stein
describes
on
his
menu
as
‘The
Only
Choice:
Correct
Hot
Dog
and
Drink’.
…The
menu
is
a
blend
of
nostalgia
and
regional
flair:
Hebrew
National
hot
dogs
and
Chicago-style
giardiniera,
as
well
as
Moon
Pies
and
RC
Cola
for
Southern
patrons,
and
free,
hot
dog-shaped
dog
treats.
“If
someone
recites
the
historical
significance
of
RC
Cola
and
Moon
Pies,
I
give
them
a
nickel
off,”
Stein
said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPl1pWhjQzD
What
started
as
a
weekend
side
gig
has
turned
into
a
full-time,
street-side
enterprise
while
the
government
remains
shut
down.
Instead
of
reading
the
tax
code,
Stein
now
reads
his
customers,
describing
the
experience
as
a
series
of
“vignettes
in
a
novel”
—
brief
glimpses
into
real
lives,
one
hot
dog
at
a
time.
“You
feel
really
connected,”
he
said.
Stein
has
invested
five
figures
into
SHYSTERS,
and
says
he’ll
continue
selling
hot
dogs
on
the
weekends
when
the
government
reopens
for
business,
because
living
the
dream
for
this
lawyer
comes
with
serving
of
sauerkraut.
Washington
lawyer
on
furlough
lives
out
dream
of
running
a
hot
dog
cart
[Reuters]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
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