Persuade me to choose Burger King...

[LaMuerte]

Fastfood...Pure trash in a paper bag, or a blessing for those in need of time?

I never had to ponder this question. Guess us Belgians have to thank our former Burgundian and Spanish overlords ,as well as the catholic church for that. The Burgundians, for introducing their opulent cuisine and its lifestyle when they were our overlords. The Spanish for pushing back the Reformation north when they were our overlords. And the Catholic Reformation for making sure it's spiritual o.k. for Belgians to enjoy their opulent meals. Carpe Diem!



For centuries these values were ingrained into the people who would one day make up the population of Belgium. Values unchanged by cataclismic events like a pair of world wars. But alas, by the late 60's/early 70's American culture got a foothold on this continent, and in its wake came the inevitable fast food culture represented by the first McDonalds. A decade later and most of the fast food market is either being represented by McDonalds or Quick (Quick being the 'Belgian' version of McDonalds)

Fast forward to now and today we learn Burger King is gonna open up 40 restaurants in Belgium. Our market is being 'opened up' it seems. Our calory starved nation is finally getting a much needed boost. My question to you now is , what would I need to order? What is their nec-plus-ultra? I mean , burgers we can get in a lot of places, so what's up with their burgers? What makes it so good that people choose the experience shown below as to the one above? Persuade me to choose Burger King!

[lolIsuck]

There are no Burger Kings in Belgium yet? I presume the fairly prominent role the frietkot has has slowed developments of this kind in Belgium as well as the "Burgundian" attitude to eating as something you actually take your time for. I think the benefit of chains like Burger King and McDonalds is that they're kind of familiar, you know what you will get there, and they're faster than the regular snackbar and those more hipster "we use like real ingredients dude" places. It's very easy for people, people choose to eat at a fastfood chain faster than a restaurant because you can be out within 15 minutes or so as opposed to sitting in a restaurant for 2,5 hours. You're hungry, you don't want much of a hassle> McDonalds. I presume that kind of spirit is slowly replacing Belgium's Burgundian lifestyle too, everything needs to be faster in the modern world.

[Roma_Victrix]

If you're looking for a quick bite for lunch and something cheap, sure, Burger King is fine. If you're looking for quality American food, I'm afraid you won't find it in Belgium. You'd have to actually come to the United States and visit a restaurant like Sweetwater Tavern. Or just get someone to make a home-cooked meal for you, especially if they have a giant smoker for American-style barbecue.

[skh1]

Your new overlord …



Fun fact - a few years ago Burger King actually marketed a cologne called Flame: the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat …



That in itself makes them worth a try.

[Påsan]

Burger king got slightly better burgers but mcdonnalds got mcflurry. So its a toss up. They are both trash and too expensive. If you actually want fast food buy a hot dog. Want a resturant, then Im guessing Belgium got as many Kebab shops as the rest of Europe. Its faster and wont leave you with the feeling of having betrayed your body and everything you stand for.

Ironically, here in norway Kebab shops are filled with Norwegians and McDonnalds are generally filled with immigrants for no reason.

[Condottiere 40K]

You can eat like a King.

No waiting time.

[Ἀπολλόδοτος Α΄ ὁ Σωτήρ]

I wonder how no one didn't reply to Persuade me to choose Burger King... with I can't in good conscience.

Good Heavens! What is that? It looks like a wool ball after a cat attack.

Fun fact - a few years ago Burger King actually marketed a cologne called Flame: the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat …

Truly, a poignant scent...

You can eat like a King.

Finely crafted paper crown is alone worth the visit.

[Roma_Victrix]

Good Heavens! What is that? It looks like a wool ball after a cat attack.

It's an American blue crab fritter dish, merely an appetizer for the main course. In the pic above, the balls of spiced, shredded crab (and shrimp) meat are soaked in a creamy, buttery garlic/ginger sauce and covered in a stringy, crunchy "katifi" pastry coating (similar to the stringy "phyllo" pastry in Mediterranean/Balkan desserts). It's also complemented by a roast corn salsa. Here's a closer look:



Here's another example of an American blue crab fritter recipe.

[Ἀπολλόδοτος Α΄ ὁ Σωτήρ]

It's an American blue crab fritter dish, merely an appetizer for the main course. In the pic above, the balls of spiced, shredded crab (and shrimp) meat are soaked in a creamy, buttery garlic/ginger sauce and covered in a stringy, crunchy "katifi" pastry coating (similar to the stringy "phyllo" pastry in Mediterranean/Balkan desserts). It's also complemented by a roast corn salsa.

Sounds interesting. I rarely eat fried food, but I'll try some this week after finding a good restaurant that serves it. By the way, we have Kataïfi pastry in Greece so I know what it is, although it's been years since I had some. The previous picture didn't remind me at that pastry at all, I thought it was some shredded meat or vegetable.

[LaMuerte]

Does it come as a surprise no-one has been able to convince me yet? Didn't expect the cologne though. To be honest I didn't expect Roma_Victrix to make the opposite point. If I ever want to literally taste the American Dream, I will prefer one of his options, except for those furballs, of course. And as Pasan already pointed out, we've got a lot of Pita/Kebab places that serve tasty, healthy and very cheap food.

What is kinda new here in Belgium is that the last two years our traditional fast food , fries with a variety of fried meat, has turned into hipster food. A few television chefs have 'rediscovered' our traditional fries, are 'redesigning' the concept and are opening up some real fancy fries restaurants.

So stuff like this:

Which is usually getting sold in places like this:

Has been turned into a hipster experience like this. And yes, that's a picture of the owner holding a potato giving us the eye.




But , back on topic. People can still try to persuade me. This thread is still not locked down. I'm still vulnerable to the mighty power of your suggestion. Persuade me to choose Burger King!

Good Heavens! What is that? It looks like a wool ball after a cat attack.

My first thought exactly...

[Roma_Victrix]

My first thought exactly...

I take it you're not a big fan of pastries then, or things that are crispy? To each his own, I suppose. I think it goes well with crab meat. On that note, Burger King is junk food. Crab fritters are something you eat in a nice restaurant (or on rare occasion, a home cooked meal).

[Condottiere 40K]

Franchised fast food is a last resort, if you don't have anyone to cook for you at home, don't want to do it yourself, or don't have the time for it and don't want a teevee dinner.

[Condottiere 40K]

[Roma_Victrix]

That's propaganda, Condottiere! Some food for thought:



McDonald's is inferior to the King. This is the future that McDonald's fans want:

[skh1]

Does it come as a surprise no-one has been able to convince me yet?

Well, you'd have to eat quite a lot of it before adult-onset diabetes becomes a concern. Beyond that, I've got nothing. Besides, you've got Belgian beer. What do you need to eat for?

[Roma_Victrix]

Well, you'd have to eat quite a lot of it before adult-onset diabetes becomes a concern. Beyond that, I've got nothing. Besides, you've got Belgian beer. What do you need to eat for?

I know, right? It's all the liquid bread he could possibly need, all at his fingertips!

[Påsan]

Hairy Balls.

[LaMuerte]

And thus this thread has reached its logical conclusion...

To be honest, I didn't really wanna bring up the beer topic. That would be a little too obvious for a Belge or an Irishman. I really hoped (Yes, I know , it's pretty naïve..) someone would have presented a good argument to go visit a Burger King. As it stands, the whole worlds seems to say 'Carry on, lad, you're doing a great job'. I can live with that.

I am pretty sure this guy would have been proud of us all...



If there's one thing I have learned from this thread, is that Euro's don't like hairy balls somehow... Antropologists should jump at the chance while this field is still unresearched...

[Roma_Victrix]

If there's one thing I have learned from this thread, is that Euro's don't like hairy balls somehow... Antropologists should jump at the chance while this field is still unresearched...

That's because you Euros are clean-shaven down there, whereas we Muricans prefer our hairy balls and doing things au naturel. It's the same dichotomy encountered by Benjamin Franklin when he visited the Ancien Régime of France as a diplomat representing the new nation of the United States. To the French at the time, Franklin was like a wilderness prophet, an austere philosopher who was far more in touch with nature and the ways of the wild than the pampered aristocrats and urban rabble of the Old World. That being said, Franklin probably wouldn't like Burger King very much.

[Condottiere 40K]

Did you know that the turkey is the national bird of America?

In it's honour, there's no fast food franchise that specializes in serving it.