How To Properly Eat a Burger?

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I have to say with complete honesty that if someone took the same bun that I use on my burger and deep fried it, I might not think it was a traditional burger, but I'd still be okay calling it a hard burger or something. Also, I honestly assumed everyone knew the authentic shell was the soft one.
But it's not really just the shell (which is way different that just a fried tortilla anyway, the taco bell shells I've seen are more like reconstituted dorito-like U-shaped stuff, not fried tortillas) it's the entire content. And not even with all those differences is there something used to differentiate them, that's what I was trying to point out. I think.
 

fade

Staff member
Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that Taco Bell invented the hard taco shell by deep frying the tortilla on a mold, for the sole purpose of speeding up the assembly line. I seem to remember they used soft tortillas at first, but the hard shell fit nicely into grooves on the assembly line, which meant they could get custom tacos out to you in seconds. I mean, they've changed the formula by now, but originally, they were just fried tortillas.[DOUBLEPOST=1359301227][/DOUBLEPOST]This seems relevant, since the Italians have had this same rant about pizza: http://download.lardlad.com/sounds/season13/furious3.mp3[DOUBLEPOST=1359301826][/DOUBLEPOST]
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that Taco Bell invented the hard taco shell by deep frying the tortilla on a mold, for the sole purpose of speeding up the assembly line. I seem to remember they used soft tortillas at first, but the hard shell fit nicely into grooves on the assembly line, which meant they could get custom tacos out to you in seconds. I mean, they've changed the formula by now, but originally, they were just fried tortillas.
I thought that Taco Bell was doing fried tacos, but they fried them with the filling inside, like (I think) Burger King and Jack-in-the-Box still do. The innovation of a pre-fried hard shell at Taco Bell meant that they didn't have to fill them, then fry them before serving. But, yeah, either way they were using different corn tortillas then than they do now.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
They're literally salt drenched tater tots. Each one saltier than the last.

http://www.tacotimecanada.com/en/menu/mexi-fries-page.aspx
Mexi-Fries Deluxe sound pretty tasty...[DOUBLEPOST=1359383377][/DOUBLEPOST]
Or how about fine Albertan Mexican dining, JULIO'S BARRIO!

http://juliosbarrio.com/edmonton/menu/
Vegetarian, chicken and prawn "fajitas"... what the hell? Fajita is a cut of beef! You cannot, by definition, have fajitas that are not beef! </Faux Rage>

Actually, I tend to like chicken fajitas more than I like beef.
 
I generally dislike Mexican food that I do not make myself. Either it too hot or tastes like shit.

Thus I conclude that this is a cultural thing in either you have to make it as hot as fuck to appease the fucks who enjoy this type of food or it is a competition to make the worst tasting food to win some type of horrible trophy.
 
Vegetarian, chicken and prawn "fajitas"... what the hell? Fajita is a cut of beef! You cannot, by definition, have fajitas that are not beef! </Faux Rage>

Actually, I tend to like chicken fajitas more than I like beef.
"Fajita" just refers to grilled meats served in a tortilla. It is not necessarily beef. This does mean, though, that the vegetarian fajita is a contradiction.
 
I generally dislike Mexican food that I do not make myself. Either it too hot or tastes like shit.

Thus I conclude that this is a cultural thing in either you have to make it as hot as fuck to appease the fucks who enjoy this type of food or it is a competition to make the worst tasting food to win some type of horrible trophy.
Ever been to Mexico and had REAL Mexican food?
 
Ever been to Mexico and had REAL Mexican food?
You know, there are real Mexican restaurants up here. We're not all the Taco Bell-eating idiots you seem to think we are. It's entirely possible he had real Mexican food and didn't like it, and going to Mexico won't change that.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
You know, there are real Mexican restaurants up here. We're not all the Taco Bell eating idiots you seem to think we are. It's entirely possible he had real Mexican food and didn't like it, and going to Mexico won't change that.
I want to agree with you, but I have a hard time imagining "real" mexican food restaurants in Quebec. I mean, they were rare enough in Maryland.
 
Grasp the burger firmly, with thumb and pinky on the bottom, and three fingers on top. Use pinky and ring fingers to compress the side away from your gaping maw preventing toppings from spilling out. If burger is too large to correctly hold in this manner, place on plate and press firmly with palm until burger size is adjusted. Allow toppings and sauces to spill during this process, do not be timid.

Once the correct hold is achieved, move the forefinger and thumb away from your gaping maw, exposing some of the remaining burger for consumption. Apply moderate pressure with the forefinger and thumb to prevent burger toppings from sliding further into the burger during the next step. Continue to apply pinky and ring finger pressure to prevent topping spillage from the back of the burger.

Place exposed portion of burger between front incisors. Close lips around the burger, then apply sufficient biting force to cut, not rip or tear, but cut through entire burger, bun, toppings and all. While pulling remaining burger and unharmed fingers away from face, close lips and commence chewing. If you are unable to close lips fully, consider adjusting your bite size in subsequent iterations of this process.

Your previous bite has likely created a prominent portion of burger that is more exposed than others. Move your thumb and ring again to further expose this spot, and consume this portion. You may rotate the burger a few degrees each bite, but you should be consuming the burger from one side to the other, not in a rotary manner. Your pinky and ring finger should be constantly guarding nearly the same edge throughout the entire process, until too little remains for them to come into play.

You will find that many prefer to use their dominant hand for this process. This is acceptable, particularly while learning, however experienced burgermeisters use their non dominant hand, which leaves their dominant hand free to consume beverages and the traditional french fries inbetween bites. They keep the burger in hand until it is consumed in order to prevent any loss of toppings during the repositioning process that would be required if they placed the burger back on their plate. This is generally acceptable, as meals containing a burger as the main dish usually consist entirely of food meant to be eaten by hand, however a fork may also be handled with the dominant hand without having to place the burger back on the plate. At no point should a knife be necessary. If you gesticulate while eating, be sure your grip on your burger is sufficient to prevent flinging some or all of it on adjacent patrons.

Particularly large burgers may require two hands, and those with small hands may find two hands more comfortable than the typical singlehanded grip. In this case one hand replaces the function of the pinky and ring fingers, and the other replaces the function of the forefinger and thumb.

It is the rare exception to see someone in the US consume a burger with utensils, but it is not frowned on or offensive. Indeed, many parents cut up burgers into small pieces for very young children who are unable to grasp the burger as normal. It may then be consumed carefully with fingers or using a fork. One may use any method of consuming the burger that feels comfortable to them when using utensils, but they should be aware that it is the combination of ingredients in the proportion as prepared that provides the full flavor of the burger.

Removing a bun, for instance, may also remove some of the sauces present, and certainly increases the meat to bread ratio of successive bites. Some may prefer this, but they should be aware that they are altering the texture and flavor of the food. You may see burgers served in the US with one bun off to the side - this is a convenience so the consumer may alter, apply, or customize toppings before putting the bun back on and consuming the burger as normal. Some advertising also shows burgers with the bun removed in order to showcase the toppings, but again the burger is rarely consumed in this manner.

There is no wrong way to consume an amican style hamburger, but we do hope that these tips improve your future burger eating experiences.

Dig in!
That's an awfully long-winded way to say "stick it in your mouth and like it".
 
You know, there are real Mexican restaurants up here. We're not all the Taco Bell-eating idiots you seem to think we are. It's entirely possible he had real Mexican food and didn't like it, and going to Mexico won't change that.
There's a striking difference. No matter how good your real Mexican restaurant is anywhere but actual Spanish countries, it's not 100% the same. However, if he doesn't like the base food/flavors, then he probably won't like it anyway. Considering his complaint is that it's all too hot because they can't have real flavor, it strikes me as he hasn't had it really authentic, as most true Mexican food uses hints of spice,and not overpowering ones.
 
Honestly Calleja, your shit is getting annoying in this thread. People can have different opinions. I don't know why you seem to struggle with that simple concept.
 
Honestly Calleja, your shit is getting annoying in this thread. People can have different opinions. I don't know why you seem to struggle with that simple concept.
Because he's explaining how there IS a difference in food quality and ignorant responses are keeping him explaining.
 
You know, there are real Mexican restaurants up here. We're not all the Taco Bell-eating idiots you seem to think we are. It's entirely possible he had real Mexican food and didn't like it, and going to Mexico won't change that.
Unless you can import fresh ingredients every day, I really, really doubt the "authentic" Mexican restaurants manage to be 100% authentic. You've seen how people say thay can't even get decent soft tortillas, imagine having to deal with that every single day, besides fresh chiles, fresh non-fakey cheese, etc etc. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying it'd be so expensive, niche and rare that I doubt it's common enough to be compared with taco bell's widespread recognition.
 

fade

Staff member
Eh, everyone thinks no one else can properly make their cultural food. I laugh when I see people from the north on TV making "southern" food. (Hint: it isn't genuine if it has 40 ingredients in it--the real stuff is fairly simple.) Then again, if I sit down and give it a chance, usually it is pretty close. And if it isn't, you can definitely trace the lineage back.
 
Honestly Calleja, your shit is getting annoying in this thread. People can have different opinions. I don't know why you seem to struggle with that simple concept.
Dude, read my fucking posts, I've said several times that I LIKE taco bell and chipotle... as junk food. If I keep fucking posting is because you keep fucking giving me reasons to. Fucking hell.

"have you considered this?"
"yeah, but.."
"AUGH, HONESTLY YOUR SHIT IS ANOOYING"

Right.
 
One big difference for Mexican food here, and in the valley of Mexico are what's available in the markets.

That's why Tex-Mex is so different, until recently no one could get the same types of food. That's why enchiladas have velveta or cheddar cheese here and not any of the different queso blancos, etc...
 

figmentPez

Staff member
"Fajita" just refers to grilled meats served in a tortilla.
Well, that's what it means now, but originally fajita (meaning "little sash") was a reference to the skirt steak cut of beef used to make the fajitas. The original fajitas were made from a specific cut of beef; anything else would technically be fajita-style, though I'm not about to demand the hyphenated addition.
 
Fajitas is one Tex-Mex food that actually did become widespread in Mexico (although you don't find them in "typical food" places,obviously), and they're fucking delicious but not mexican either.
 
So, if you were going to serve a "typical" Mexican dinner to someone who had never eaten authentic Mexican food, what would it consist of?
 
Well, that's what it means now, but originally fajita (meaning "little sash") was a reference to the skirt steak cut of beef used to make the fajitas. The original fajitas were made from a specific cut of beef; anything else would technically be fajita-style, though I'm not about to demand the hyphenated addition.
Fajitas started because there is not enough goats for cabrito, I don't recall the actual name.
 
So, if you were going to serve a "typical" Mexican dinner to someone who had never eaten authentic Mexican food, what would it consist of?
Huh. Does it have be "typical" ala what a mexican mom prepares every day for dinner, or can it be more 11pm in the streets of Mexico City?
 
Well I don't think anyone can visit Mexico without experiencing true tacos al pastor, which have actually moorish/arabic origins which you notice in the similarity to shawarma/kebabs:



They're entirely different by now, of course , and yes, that's a huge slab of pineapple you see on the bottom left, they're usually on top of the meat thing and taqueros have this showy tradition of loping off a bit of pineapple and catching it with the already meated tortilla. That being said I'd say a good 60% or more of us take the pineapple off or just order them without. This is the same dish I linked to earlier.

This hypothetical foreigner would also HAVE to try an original, made-for-hours-and-hours mole:


I know you guys can now get "canned" or "bottled" concentrated mole (we can too in Supermarkets) but please believe me when I say those are pale, pale shadows of a real one made with like 40 fecking different ingredients by a little old lady who got up at 4am so it'd be ready by 2pm. Mole is the sauce ("mole", is actually the original word for "sauce" in nahuatl, but the meaning has changed now, kinda like "curry") and it usually covers a nice piece of chicken, but I swear the best part is the end when you grab a piece of tortilla and just clean the plate up of mole with it. Damn, I'm hungry now.

Also, I'd have to introduce you to an actual marketplace Tlayuda:


Which looks kinda ugly, (i've heard people call it the "Mexican pizza") but I swear it's nirvana made food, you can't really tell in the picture but it's giant sized, usually one is more than enough for a full grown man.

Then at night we'd find a tamal vendor with a long line, but not normal tamales (I find those kinda dry), but oaxacan tamales:


which are wrapped in banana leaf instead of corn husk thing, and are square and juicy and oh god my mouth is watering.


But, I don't know, this is just off the top of my head, I'd have to think about it.
 
Well I don't think anyone can visit Mexico without experiencing true tacos al pastor, which have actually moorish/arabic origins which you notice in the similarity to shawarma/kebabs:



They're entirely different by now, of course , and yes, that's a huge slab of pineapple you see on the bottom left, they're usually on top of the meat thing and taqueros have this showy tradition of loping off a bit of pineapple and catching it with the already meated tortilla. That being said I'd say a good 60% or more of us take the pineapple off or just order them without. This is the same dish I linked to earlier.

This hypothetical foreigner would also HAVE to try an original, made-for-hours-and-hours mole:


I know you guys can now get "canned" or "bottled" concentrated mole (we can too in Supermarkets) but please believe me when I say those are pale, pale shadows of a real one made with like 40 fecking different ingredients by a little old lady who got up at 4am so it'd be ready by 2pm. Mole is the sauce ("mole", is actually the original word for "sauce" in nahuatl, but the meaning has changed now, kinda like "curry") and it usually covers a nice piece of chicken, but I swear the best part is the end when you grab a piece of tortilla and just clean the plate up of mole with it. Damn, I'm hungry now.

Also, I'd have to introduce you to an actual marketplace Tlayuda:


Which looks kinda ugly, (i've heard people call it the "Mexican pizza") but I swear it's nirvana made food, you can't really tell in the picture but it's giant sized, usually one is more than enough for a full grown man.

Then at night we'd find a tamal vendor with a long line, but not normal tamales (I find those kinda dry), but oaxacan tamales:


which are wrapped in banana leaf instead of corn husk thing, and are square and juicy and oh god my mouth is watering.


But, I don't know, this is just off the top of my head, I'd have to think about it.
Fuck yes to everything there.

ECPVe - Imgur.gif
 
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