Our second stop in this journey is Carl's Jr., today on 02/01/2020. I was headed home and noticed a familiar smiley face in pain on a star that was the Carl's Jr. logo, so I made a detour and walked right in. I told the lady at the front this would be one of my first American burgers, so she immediately pointed her finger to the Original Burger on the menu. "What a thick landwhale" I thought. There were two options for this burger: the 1/3lb thickburger and the 1/2 thickburger. You know me - I ain't a pussy, so I got the 1/2lb thickburger with the criss-cut fries. Once they were done I threw them into my backpack and went home.
It was getting dark as I walked into my house, set the burger down on the table, washed my hands, and opened up the cardboard box hiding that juicy greasy deliciousness. I poured the criss-cut fries into the box and made myself a salad to go with this deceased cow, cheese, lettuce, and tomato recipe they call the 1/2lb thickburger.
Greasy patties of beef layered generously with American cheese filled my eyes with joy. This was the American burger I had dreamed about.
Look at this monstrosity. The pickle hanging on for dear life, screaming "help me, help me!" as my muscular hand held onto the thick burger with a vice grip. Those buns, those buns, THOSE BUNS! Perfectly baked soft buttery buns screamed "EAT ME" as I took my first bite... and was surprised. Out onto the table dripped water from the watery lettuce.
IS THIS WHAT AN AMERICAN BURGER IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE? I felt so betrayed in that moment, as if my own brother had backstabbed me. The Chick-fil-A burger had me feeling like a British royal, dabbing away the occasional grease on my lips with a napkin. But eating this burger felt like I was braving a tsunami, wave after wave hitting the table as the lettuce just keep dripping water. This is not how a burger is supposed to be like! As I kept chowing down on the burger, trying desperately to make my way from one end to the other without drowning, the dry beef patties came in for the final blow. I couldn't get past a third of the burger before needing to raise a white flag and get a glass of water. If the Sahara Desert were a person, it'd be impressed with how dry these patties were. I could feel myself asphyxiating as I finished the burger. "Never again", I thought to myself. 6/10 experience.
But wait. There's hope! As my burger was finished and I moved onto the criss-cut fries, I could hear the crispiness of the fries and the resistance of that outer shell as I took a bite. And another. And another. These are what fries are supposed to be like, ladies and gentlemen! It's a shame they only gave me one potatoes' worth of fries, but man it was worth it. I can't imagine what the Chick-fil-A sauce would've been like with these fries. 8/10.
Overall, Carl's Jr. is great for when you're having a depressing day and want to feel what it's like to be backstabbed by the smoking hot girl next door. It's eye candy for sure, but eating a burger that looks that good is a trap. Just get the fries next time.