Consistency isn't always a good thing

McDonald's
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

In planning for this post I thought it was kind of ironic. Ironic because invariably at the mention of burgers and fast-food the golden arches always come to mind. Maybe it's because it was so iconic growing up, that it was inevitable. The irony of it all is that most people I know that go to McDonald's (myself included) don't go, and really haven't been going to this establishment for the burgers. I know some go for breakfast, some go for the dollar menu, some go for the coffee, some (used to) go for the fries, or chicken nuggets, or something like that, myself, I go for the sweet tea. I was half tempted to have the McChicken sandwich be the "recommended burger" for this one just for kicks.

With the advent of side salads, chicken sandwiches, breakfast items, and of course the newly introduced McCafe, it's pretty hard to think of McDonald's a strictly a burger joint anymore, in fact, it's pretty hard to think of McDonald's as a burger joint, period. Nonetheless, this was kind of their claim to fame, and so yes, they still have burgers, well, at least something that looks and tastes moderately like one. I didn't really intend for this to be such a burn on McDonald's but honestly, I can't really beat around the bush and feel that this post is a quality product that I put out. Nonetheless, when you go to McDonald's you've got a pretty good idea of what you're going to get, there's not a lot of deviation, you can't really go wrong, but by that same token, you can't really go right either.

Invariably I believe that there are really only four types of burgers available for purchase: the basic hamburger (with or without cheese, of which the double cheeseburger and quarter pounder are simple reiterations of), the Big Mac, the Big 'n Tasty, the Angus Third Pounder. Generally there's a signature flavor to all McDonald's burgers, and I think it's in their "beef". Honestly, I think McDonald's patties are as close to real beef as Spam is to real ham, but for all extensive purposes, we'll call it that. I can't really define the flavor other than describe it as "extremely processed". The patties are universally dry, but not flavorless like overcooked beef, but rather, salty like it was always pre-processed.

Generally speaking, everything else runs generally along the same lines, the fixings, the buns, the condiments, they're really nothing to brag about. With the Third Pounder and Big 'n Tasty you generally notice the fixings more, but that's how they were designed, to be the "balanced" burger. The Big 'n Tasty originally came out as a rival to the Whopper from Burger King, and then with the advent of Angus beef burgers they decided to take a hand with their Angus Third Pounder. Honestly speaking, the Big 'n Tasty is passable, but because the Third Pounder is a bigger patty, it's just more processed flavor per bite, and honestly, it's just that much more distinctive, and not in a good way.

The Big Mac, the original burger that started it all, is two patties, lettuce, pickles, diced onions, and a special thousand island sauce on basically three buns. The sauce gives it flavor, and honestly, everything else is just something to have the sauce on. Overall, it's probably the best and most original burger of the lot. In terms of the quality of everything, you've already read about the meat, the buns are generally those generic enriched buns you get at like Safeway or something, meaning, the do the job, but they're nothing special, as for the fixings, they're not fresh at all, but I understand that they do sit around for a while, but still, there's a patented quality difference, you can tell, this stuff is really not that great or fresh, condiments like the buns, are what they are, aside from the special thousand island sauce, not much to say about it.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: D
Bun: B-
Fixings: C
Condiments: C+
Sides: B
Price: $1-$9
Overall Grade: C-
Recommended Burger: Big Mac