Canned hot dogs are not awful, they are somewhat similar to Vienna sausages, as noted in the chapter. My eccentric uncle who lived in the Florida Keys, kept them in his pantry along with canned bacon. My brother and I begged to sample both, on a visit in the early 1970's. The bacon was pre-cooked and not very satisfactory to my 16 year-old taste buds. The hot dogs were better. Both products are now available through survivalist vendors, at a pretty high price.
Regarding the story plot (and I am new here, March 2019), I am guessing that Dirk is secretly gay -or- "on the spectrum". That was the reason for the divorce proceedings, and Dirk's discomfiture with gay topics. As I read on, I will find out.
Finally, many thanks to Chris James for this story, and the many others he has provided on numerous websites.