When I was a child, my mother never let me eat at the famous Burger King. This chain restaurant is "king of burgers" and known to serve 'em up greasy and in a quick and timely manner. But why was I never allowed to eat at this popular burger joint? My mother was against her children consuming burgers, but I was determined to find out what I was missing out on.
The Backstory
I cannot explain to people how many times I was told, "If you have not eaten a burger, you have not lived!" I felt un-American and that I was not living my teenage years to their fullest. I found comfort in eating veggie burgers, turkey burgers, and even quinoa burgers, but never eating ground beef patties. My mother had watched various health and food-related documentaries, which resulted in never encouraging her children to order burgers off the menu, nor cooking them for dinner. I think because of this, I honestly never had the urge or the craving to try one.
The Experience
Let's just say, ya don't know until you try! I remember going on a road trip with a previous boyfriend and his parents. It was lunch time and my stomach was growling, so we pulled off the road to the only fast-food restaurant in sight: Burger King. I was feeling nervous and unsure of what to order. When his mother found out I had never eaten a burger before, she repetitively encouraged me to order one to try. Of course, in my attempt to be polite, I took her word for it and ordered one.
When my burger was ready, I loaded it up with lots of ketchup to mask the taste, in case I absolutely hated it. Additionally, I got a side of fries that could hold me over if things went south. However, I was so pleasantly surprised that I finished every last bite. I could have gone for another one, even!
The Consensus
After my first burger at Burger King, I could finally say that I was actually living the American dream. Well, not actually, but I felt more confident that I could say that I had actually eaten a burger.
In fact, I was such a fan I had to tell myself not to make going to Burger King an everyday thing, but something that I could do once in a while as a treat.
The Reaction
I was anxious to see what my mother's reaction would be, but to my surprise, she was more concerned that I did not include her in my burger tasting experience. She realized that she had gone a little overboard with this whole health-frenzy, and thought we needed to live life more carefree. Fortunately, this meant trying all the burger joints in our town together and then deciding which burger we liked the best. Let's just say, I never complained once about this delicious opportunity!