McDonald's Review

Here is a review that I wanted to take some time to think about.  Because, when the subject in question is the fast food chain known as Mcdonald's, well, everyone has an opinion.  After all, a whole lot of people worldwide have eaten there.  It is the largest fast food hamburger chain in the world.  I have eaten there multiple times throughout my life.  Much of why I have eaten there, in recent years, has been that the food is cheap, fast, consistent and convenient.  Although the food lacks luster, nearly 70 million people worldwide eat there each day.  I intend to look at why so many people frequent this fast food chain.

                Now, the original McDonald's was established in San Bernardino, California on U.S. Highway Route 66 in 1940.  This was the main route between Chicago and Los Angeles before the interstate highways were established.  The idea for a quick roadside hamburger restaurant was not the original plan, because McDonald’s started out as a barbecue restaurant.  Success came when the products were made for travelers of the great American road.  The era of the automobile is really what got McDonald's going and their philosophy really hasn't changed.  McDonald's is cheap easy food for people on the go. 

                Really, when I think of McDonald's, it is mostly a stop along the highway or it’s lunch time and I wasn't really thinking about it, but there are the golden arches ahead, so I'll grab something quick.  After all, McDonald's isn't any good, or is it?  Their staples haven't changed in years, so they have carved out their own niche.  The cheeseburgers, Big Macs, and fries have all been the same for as long as I can remember and that is some 37 plus years since my first cheeseburger and fries at this establishment.  I loved them as a kid and I'm sure that many others did also.  So, when I bite into a McDonald’s cheeseburger it is part nostalgia of a place where food was fun with bright colours and fun characters.  Yet, even in my earliest memories, the food was nothing special.  The makeup for each product was, and is, still simple. The cheeseburger is a plain bun with a meat patty, cheese and some onion, ketchup and pickle.  The Big Mac even has a jingle about its contents.  The thing is, there are plenty of other fast food places out there.  So, I have to ask myself, why do I continue to frequent this establishment when there are so many others.  Well, let’s look at what else out there.

                The fact is established that McDonald's found its niche for people on the go and these are the occasions when I stop there as do many others.  There is however a long list of other options.  There are Subway, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Wendy's.  As well as other smaller burger chain such as In-n-Out Burger, Carl’s Jr./Hardees, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, White Castle, Jack in the Box, Whataburger, Blake's Lotaburger, Shake Shack, and my local northwest favorite, Dick's Drive-in.  Of course, I have left out quite a few others, but I feel I have a fairly good grab sample here.  Now Subway, KFC, and Taco Bell are obviously not burger joints.  So although they compete for the fast food market, they appeal to different tastes.  Additionally, Subway is not quite as fast and a little more expensive.  KFC is messier and more expensive.  Taco Bell is cheaper, but manages to feel even that much lower in quality that all the rest.  Then you have Burger King which is a direct competitor along with Wendy's.  In my experience, the reason that I would choose McD's over BK is consistency.  From restaurant to restaurant I don't know what quality of product I will get from a Burger King, but at McDonald's it is always the same.  With Wendy's, there is the same problem as well as higher prices and fewer locations.  This is where the smaller chains miss out.  I would love to try White Castle or Shake Shack, but they are on the east coast and Whataburger is throughout the South and into Arizona.  I love Five Guys, but I haven't seen many and they simply cost more than McD's.  Given the choice, I'd eat In-n-Out over McD's anytime, but they are only found in the southwest and mostly in California.  Blake's is only in New Mexico and if you want to eat at Dick's Drive-In you’re only going to find them in Seattle.  The truth of it is that McDonald's, of all these restaurants, with the exception of In-n-Out and Taco Bell, is the only place you can go and be in and out in less time that it took to find the change on the floor boards of your car to pay for your meal.  Let’s face it if you’re choosing Taco Bell you didn't really save time because you’re camping out in the restroom later.  The fact is that McDonald's is usually convenient to find with fast service at a cheap price for when you need to keep moving.

                Now, for those who have not been to the United States there are a few things to be said.  One, McDonald's is an authentic experience of United States cuisine, but it should not be assumed that this is what 'Americans' eat all the time.  Two, McDonald's hamburgers are not a good example of what a good hamburger should be.  There are many burger joints throughout the country.  Some are much better and some are much worse.  Three, just enjoy McDonald's for what it is, a work of true Americana born on U.S. Highway 66.  Hate it or love it, it is a product born out of the age of the automobile.

                Well, speaking for myself, McDonald's will most likely be an establishment that I frequent in the future.  I'm not saying that they are the best burgers in the world or that they even rank in that category.  McDonald's meets a need for our time restrained modern lifestyle, which it also promotes and perpetuates.  McDonald's is not alone for all fast food establishments are filling that same need.  Regardless of the business, if you have a problem with the food, blame the culture, and make a difference starting with you.  If you like your McDonald's, then live it up, for you were born to the right age.  As for me, I have to praise McDonald's business model, the service they provide, and the quality products they make. While, at the same time, saying that I aspire to a lifestyle, a culture and a time when we will no longer need their current products and services.

Jason

Super Bowl

I am a converted Seahawks fan. Since Jason is from Washington, it seems that being a Seahawks fan is practically in his DNA. When his parents gave me a Seahawks shirt for Christmas in 2013, I felt that I had been officially brought into the fold. I'm a different person when I watch football. I yell at the t.v. and sometimes even make myself hoarse. This year's Super Bowl was a well played and exciting game. Am I sad that the Hawks didn't win? Definitely. But, as the saying goes, there is always next year.

BURGR - Gordon Ramsay

Among the mere facade, panache, and decadence that is Sin City there is a humble eating experience in that of which I have partaken. Back on the twelfth night of November in 2014 I was intrigued by the opportunity to eat at a Gordon Ramsey established restaurant called BURGR. Now, I am not an avid Ramsey fan, but I have watched a number of his television programs and have noted his reputation as a world renowned chef and restaurateur. Everything I have seen and know of Mr. Ramsey would not come to my description of him being humble and would reflect quite the opposite. However, hamburgers, being a staple fastfood cuisine, are quite humble. So how does Gordon Ramsey approach the hamburger. I had to try it, but how does one approach such an experience when they have eaten countless hamburgers. Do I assume this will be the best burger I've ever eaten or do I compare it to what I know of other burgers. I needed this experience to be unique yet with elements that I was familiar with eating. Due to my years of experience foraging, cooking and eating chanterelle mushrooms I chose to have the Chanterelle Burger.

 

The menu at BURGR was not easy to choose from other than it seemed appropriate that I indeed have a burger. From the eleven selections given, not including the Fish & Chips Burger or The Hog Burger, it was difficult for me to choose between the American Burger and the Chanterelle Burger. All the options would have been wonderful, I am sure, but I needed a test. I knew this was a fine dining experience and I needed to compare it to previous knowledge despite my lack of opportunity with fine cuisine. The Chanterelle Burger ultimately was my choice due to my experience with the subtle flavors of this mushroom. The burger had, aside from the mushrooms, arugula lettuce and a fig-onion jam. I had my concerns that the lettuce or the jam could over power the chanterelle flavors, but I had faith that since Gordon Ramsey put his name to the restaurant that it had to be good. I ordered onion rings as a side. What came to me met expectation and yet it was so simple. There were no fireworks or sparklers. No jugglers on rollerskates swallowing swords. What came was a burger with a sesame seed bun on a square white plate. It was beautiful and I loved it. The onion rings were more flashy in the metallic cone in which they were served. It simply stated 'this is it'.

                                                                                    

 

Well, I see no need to praise Gordon Ramsey or the BURGR establishment. I would however like to thank them for the best burger eating experience of my life. The bun was excellent, fresh yet firm that yielded to each bite and not over powering any part of the experience. My fears of overpowering flavors were cast aside as the flavors of my beloved chanterelle mushrooms were complimented. They were enhanced and centalized with the balance of flavors of the smoky beef, sweet onion and fig with the spicy arugula. The meat was cooked perfectly to my request. Yes, the onion rings were the best I had ever had also, but it was the simplicity and amazing experience of the burger that put all other burgers to judgement. As a burger enthusiast this burger, unless I come across another, is the standard by which all others will be measured. In this I have been humbled.

 

Jason

 

It's All About the Bun

In an effort to return to this food blog project of mine, may I ask that we consider the hamburger. I have eaten good, bad, blah and way to many condiments. In my opinion, what takes a good burger to great all rests with the bun. Store-bought, dried-out, or gummy can completely change my opinion about an otherwise nice assembly. Seriously, the bun should never stick to the back of my teeth while I'm eating. An in-house or homemade bun has no comparison. The bread is what truly makes or breaks the burger.