TOLUCA LAKE, Calif. - McDonald’s is fattening up its menu, testing the concept of putting one-third of a pound of beef on a bun. It would be its biggest burger yet. The Angus Third Pounder is being tested in California. It tastes like really big, super-sized Big N’ Tasty. The patty is a little bit like a bigger, better Quarter Pounder…. The Angus Third Pounder is being tested at McDonald’s throughout southern California. There are three different versions at $3.99 each ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ the Angus Deluxe, Angus Mushroom & Swiss and Angus Bacon & Cheese. That’s the same price as the so-called “Six Dollar Burger” which Carl’s Jr. rolled out followed by Hardee’s, which are actually a half-pound each. Both fast food chains are owned by CKE Restaurants. The burgers have been a huge hit for that company, and one reason Burger King followed with its own Angus burger.
Man…talk about giving the people what they want. eh? Don’tcha just LOVE capitalism?? If someone wants to commit suicide, you can bet that there’s a company out there that will sell him the gun, another to provide the bullet, and yet another to teach him how to put it to his temple and pull the trigger. And yes, there are even companies out there who specialize in cleaning up the messy aftermath.
This is why I’m so impressed with the trend toward ever-larger hamburgers. it may not be Russian Roulette, but the end result may well end up the same. No matter, because if one customer drops dead from clogged arteries, or arteriosclerosis, or heart disease, you can better there are millions of fat and cholesterol addicts out there willing to step into the breach.
The reality is that healthier food just don’t sell. There’s little money to be made in serving and selling heart-healthy fare. Americans LOVE their burgers, fries, and shakes…and the bigger the portions, the better.
I’m not going to be an elitist about food here. I realize that my tastes are not going to be indicative of anyone else’s. Since I don’t eat beef, it would be easy for me to ridicule McDonald’s, but thankfully, I don’t have to. McDonald’s is nothing if not a self-parody. By serving bad food stuffed with sugar, fat, and a plethora of chemicals (do you REALLY think that’s strawberry in your strawberry milkshake?), McDonald’s (and the rest of the fast food industry) has created a nation of bad food addicts. Ray Kroc may be a role model and even a hero to many, but I view his legacy as being similar to that of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Kroc’s legacy is of a company and an industry more interested in profit than in the health and well-being of it’s customers. The trend towards gargantuan hamburgers and ever-larger portions of everything else is accomplishing little more than assisting Americans slowly commit suicide through gluttony.
Wouldja like fries wi’ dat??
