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Mom and dad dropped me off at JFK for what turned out to be the teariest goodbye yet. When we landed in LAX, I thought Stan deserved a special treat for flying in the cargo bin without any sedatives. Even though he had his ugly doll, and some dog named Buck there to keep him company, he made it clear that he despised the trip anyway. His reward ended up being a burger from In-N-Out, the fast food restaurant that people on the west coast rave about. I had a burger there a million years ago and thought it sucked, but I had eaten it with the high expectations that come from it's reputation. This time I went in with low expectations and, you know what? It still sucked! Five Guys is 100 times better for a fast food burger. In-N-Out's burger seems like it's just a bunch of toppings intended to mask the fact that they are serving you a tiny, dried out piece of meat. I hear that people like it "animal style" but I think that's just more toppings. To be fair, Stanley liked his, so maybe I'm just being picky.
Now I'm in San Diego, spending a few days at Kronks' house and seeing some old friends before heading up to LA for EA's wedding. How does one get a nickname like Kronks? Here goes... Scott Kronkite and I became good friends at U of A in Tucson. For the first year we knew him (the "209 days", for anyone that was there), most people called him by his last name, which was a normal thing to do. On a road trip through Ohio with Bill, we tried looking him up in the phone book, but couldn't find a listing in the town he was from. This was 1996, a time when you could stop at a payphone and use the white pages. It was really the only way of getting a number since there were no cell phones, mobile internet or PDAs to speak of. Upon our return to Tucson, we told Scott that we tried to look him up to hang out, but had no luck. At that point, he advised us that his last name was something completely different and he just never said anything. Had thousands of good times with that kid so it's really great to be here.
Just six more days until the gasoline free adventure begins!
5 comments:
Good to see you bringing some east coast critical taste to that california burger fantasy land. Louie's Lunch, yes.. Five Guys, ok maybe... InandOUt.. don't believe the hype.
Be safe.
I think I came across your blog via Facebook. Good luck! I definitely agree with the burger reviews!
I personally really enjoy In N Out Burger. It is not only the burger but the customer service is impeccable. I am not sure what they feed those employees but they are always so happy. Good luck Toady!!!!!!!!!!!
Sooooo...what the hell is Scott's real last name???
I don't think you should compare a chain like Five Guys, which doesn't exist in SoCal (at least not when I lived in SD), with the In N Out.
The thing I always loved about In N Out was how their food was not frozen and reheated like most chains. Check out their commitment to quality: http://www.in-n-out.com/freshness.asp
And, dude, if you're not having a "Double-double, animal style," you're not doing it right! They'll also forego the bun, for carb-conscious eaters - instead, they wrap the whole burger in lettuce "protein-style."
Really, it's all about expectations...
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