You may not believe this, but McDonald's sold beer in the country I came from, Taco Bell sold…read moretequila there, and Taco Bell was almost treated like a fine dining restaurant, with waitresses standing by and a kitchen preparing food on site, made to order.
I come from a city called Shanghai, one of the biggest cities in China, and not just one of the most modern cities in China, but the most modern one. You may also find this hard to believe, but as far as I remember, there was only one Carl's Jr. in the whole city. And it was considered a high-end fast food restaurant in that area.
Once, we ordered Carl's Jr. with the colleagues in the office, and it felt like a festival, almost like a ceremony.
Shanghai has a lot of McDonald's and KFC locations, and probably more Starbucks than New York, maybe even more cafes overall than New York. But only one Carl's Jr. Interesting, right? And it was not some fake Carl's Jr. using the same name. It was an authentic one.
The city also has several Burger Kings, maybe dozens, but still far fewer than McDonald's. McDonald's is the top fast food chain in Shanghai, not one of the top ones, but the one. Burger King was always much more expensive. Its burgers could cost several times as much as McDonald's. I only had it a few times when I was in Shanghai, not because of the price, but because there were so few locations.
I have said before that I am not really a fast food person. Maybe I am not even much of a restaurant person anymore as I get older. The reason I had Burger King this time was simple: I was too hungry, and there was no other restaurant within walking distance.
How hungry was I? Guess what. I had skipped five meals over two days and lived on water and Jell-O while preparing for a colonoscopy. The procedure was in the morning, just across the street at Huntington Hospital. Actually, I was not starving. I was not even exactly hungry. But after two days of fasting, I had a deep desire to absorb some protein. And the Burger King across the street was practically waving its hands and welcoming me in.
I checked my diary and found that the last time I had Burger King was also at this location, after taking a family member to the same hospital for an ultrasound. The time before that was back in 2011, in Shanghai. A long, long memory, but still fresh.
I ordered a Double Whopper with cheese. I bet I could have finished four patties that day, but I did not dare to eat too much right after a long fast.
The Whopper met all the requirements of a good burger. The bun was warm, plump, and soft, but not too soft. The beef patties were juicy and flavorful. The lettuce, tomato, and onion were fresh, and the sauce was tasty. Sometimes I find it a little confusing: you can say a lot when you are blaming bad food, but only a little when you are praising good food.
Anyway, it was a good burger.
The Cinnamon Apple Pie was hot. Even after I finished the burger, the pie was still hot, and I liked that. It was not too sweet, but the cinnamon aroma was also not as strong as I had imagined. So let's say it was balanced, though you could also call it boring.