The Off Topic Topic

[Sheilbh]

You monsters have driven me to needing a burger for dinner

[Barrister]

You monsters have driven me to needing a burger for dinner

You're welcome.

[merithyn]

You monsters have driven me to needing a burger for dinner

And now I want one for lunch.

But dear lord, not Five Guys. That stuff upsets my digestion for days, and their fries are awful. I'd take Burger King over them.

[Josquius]

Five Guys is very good. We had a trend for a long while of fancy burgers which was the most tedious thing in the world and Five Guys is great because it isn't fancy. It is a trashy burger that is squashed down and great for what it is. I am a big fan.

How many mortgages have you taken out to eat there?

[derspiess]

It is a trashy burger that is squashed down and great for what it is. I am a big fan.

That's become a big thing around here the past year or so.  One place that just opened up is perfectly situated for social distancing-- they just happen to have about a block's worth of open space they can spread out a ton of properly spaced tables.  And it's a brewery, close to where my kid plays baseball.  So I've been there a bit the past few weeks

[Tonitrus]

You monsters have driven me to needing a burger for dinner

And now I want one for lunch.

But dear lord, not Five Guys. That stuff upsets my digestion for days, and their fries are awful. I'd take Burger King over them.

Please tell me that Waffle Window still lives. 

[DGuller]

We ordered burgers for a working lunch today. Mine was with smoked cheese, cheddar, tamarind-chipotle ketchup, marinated black beans, guac, red onions, tomato, salad, in hand made burger bread. Is that what you mean by fancy?

Yes.

I have no issue with it generally. BUT basically I just want a fast food burger. And I got really annoyed with some friends who got really into burgers and were like "let's go and try this new burger joint everyone's raving about."

Every single time I was just thinking "it's a burger. It's fine. Why is it £15?"

I do think there is a difference between fancy burgers and fast food burgers.  Fast food burgers are about putting a scorched meat between pieces of cheap bread, and drowning that scorched meat with as much crap as you can find.  Fancy burgers are more focused on cooking the meat in a way that leaves if flavorful, and not distracting from the meat with other crap unnecessarily.  Obviously it's a matter of taste;  fast food burgers taste like shit and fancy burgers don't, generally speaking.

[Syt]

Over here, a lot of "fancy" burger places serve the burgers well done, with nary a flavor to the beef; the actual flavor often comes from the toppings, which is quite disconcerting. There's exceptions, of course, but you need to find them.

I do occasionally get a burger from a small local chain, "Swing Kitchen", which does quite nice soy-patty vegan burgers.

[Barrister]

I do think there is a difference between fancy burgers and fast food burgers.  Fast food burgers are about putting a scorched meat between pieces of cheap bread, and drowning that scorched meat with as much crap as you can find.  Fancy burgers are more focused on cooking the meat in a way that leaves if flavorful, and not distracting from the meat with other crap unnecessarily.  Obviously it's a matter of taste;  fast food burgers taste like shit and fancy burgers don't, generally speaking.

I've had a lot of fast food burgers that are just meat and maybe cheese on a bun...

[Valmy]

They were really nice when I was young, and they more a hometown/regional chain. 

The failure of growing into excessive mediocrity.

There is this kind of weird issue as a consumer that you want your favorite businesses to be successful...not not too successful. Becoming huge tends to degrade quality and warp priorities of the company, at least from a consumer perspective.

I don't think it's an effect of bring "too big", but rather inevitably a business goes out of the hands of its original founder and falls into the hands of the bean counters it does change its priorities.

Right. It is the process of going from a hamburger (or whatever) business to an investment product that happens to make hamburgers.

[DGuller]

Over here, a lot of "fancy" burger places serve the burgers well done, with nary a flavor to the beef; the actual flavor often comes from the topics, which is quite disconcerting.

Oh.  Well, at least you guys have less Covid deaths.  That's something, I guess?

[The Brain]

Today I had nice raw beef.

[Syt]

I miss Zwiebelmett in Austria.

(Kind of like beef tartar, but from pork, and with onions on top)

[Valmy]

Today I had nice raw beef.

I hope it was as good for you as it was for the beef.

[The Brain]

Today I had nice raw beef.

I hope it was as good for you as it was for the beef.

Certainly.