The Remedy for America’s Woes: Eat More Hamburgers!
Travel Blog • David Farley • 01.09.09 | 2:20 PM ET
Photo by “Nightline” recently took a break from covering important stories like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama’s cabinet appointees and the Bush Administration’s quiet attempt to roll back a legion of environmental laws. Instead, they gave some quality airtime to the hamburger. Yes, the hamburger. More specifically, “Nightline”—one of America’s most august news shows—did a “news” segment based on this hypothesis: in correspondent John Berman’s words, “everything seems to be failing in America right now ... except for the burger.” The hamburger, apparently, is the recession’s filet mignon. Everyone’s eating hamburgers now. And to get to the bottom of this mystery, they turned to Josh “the feedbag” Ozersky, citysearch.com restaurant editor, professional hamburger eater and future candidate for coronary bypass surgery.
The hamburger “will always boom because the burger is omnipotent and irresistible,” Ozersky says to Berman between bites of their “omnipotent” $17 hamburgers at the Spotted Pig in New York’s West Village. “It can never be weakened. It can never be slowed down.” Ozersky’s inflated proclivity for hamburger hyperbole didn’t stop there, however. He adds: “For Americans to turn away from the hamburger would be to abrogate everything that makes us American or even human” (my italics).
Uh, OK. But the news item wasn’t all fluff and exaggeration about the hamburger’s role in the current economic downturn. There was also bad advice. When asked how he’d advise Barack Obama with turning the economy around, Ozerksy gives us one word: “Hamburger-ize.” Fortunately, there’s now someone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with enough of a brain to sort through this visual junk food and, let’s hope, change the channel.
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David Farley
Eva Holland 01.09.09 | 4:14 PM ET
“The burger is omnipotent and irresistible.”
Wow. Just wow.
All your base are belong to Big Mac?
Lola A 01.10.09 | 12:30 AM ET
“Omnipotent”?! Really?!
What will they come up with next? Probably revive the “Patriotic Freedom Fries” madness that (once common sense reemerged) died down.
Michael Yessis 01.10.09 | 10:33 AM ET
Unbelievable.
Love the post, Farley. Almost did a spit take at this little bit: “But the news item wasn’t all fluff and exaggeration about the hamburger’s role in the current economic downturn. There was also bad advice.”
Ling 01.10.09 | 10:38 AM ET
And what did Obama eat on the plane when he left Chicago behind permanently and headed for Washington? Burger and fries. If its endorsed by the President, don’t see why anyone else should have a problem with it. :)
Jenna Schnuer 01.11.09 | 10:11 PM ET
Nice piece, Farley.
Oh, for a man to suck the joy out of the simple act of eating a burger. So wrong. Please just tell me that no burger bits went flying as he spit out his analysis. I can’t handle watching it to find out for myself.
henri bocuse 01.12.09 | 3:28 PM ET
The only person sucking joy out of the room is this Farley clown. Jenna, Josh Ozersky is the most generous and joyful eater on the planet. But you wouldn’t know that because “you can’t handle watching it for myself.” So you let Farley miss the point for you. Very evolved.
DocChuck 01.12.09 | 3:36 PM ET
Oh come on now, Mr. Cutlets (Josh Ozersky) means well.
He’s just trying to help out some of his fellow New Yawk City friends (the LaFreida Boys) sell their over-priced, over-hyped, ‘Black Label Blend’ hamburger meat - - - made from left-over aged beef which they can no longer peddle to the unemployed Wall Street boys and to Bernie Madoff’s investors.
You can’t fault a fellow like Ozersky for stickin’ up for his meat-grinding buddies, can you?
I know that Josh gets a little carried away now and then, but to KNOW him is to . . . . well, I’m not sure . . . maybe to . . . never mind!
Marilyn Terrell 01.12.09 | 3:49 PM ET
Speaking of burgers, this photo of one took a prize in our Foodie Challenge, winning a big basket of primo chocolates from around the world. Can’t argue with the Elvis Burger: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/01/foodie-challenge-featured-winn-1.html#more
Jenna Schnuer 01.12.09 | 4:14 PM ET
Oh Henri, while your “very evolved” snark is a bit much, I do agree that it was unfair of me to comment without checking out the goods myself. So, over the comfort of a bowl of homemade chicken soup (the secret is loads of extra carrots), I clicked through to watch the 8 min 27 second hamburger report. Though, at around 2:46, I wanted to pull my face off, I kept going to the end. (But the length of it was Nightline’s failure—they kept a one-liner going way too long.) Yes, it is clear that Ozersky takes great joy in what he does and what he discusses—but I find his joy over a pricey burger being a “status symbol of conspicuous consumption” mildly offputting.” I also found his “nobody cares” about the social, environmental, or health impact of burgers to be a bit much. Overall burger consumption may have gone up but that doesn’t mean that NOBODY cares about those issues. I think the piece started as some ha ha sort of jokey idea in a Nightline story meeting. It went too far and I don’t think it reflected well on Ozersky. It’s too bad.
DocChuck 01.12.09 | 4:55 PM ET
WOW, my URL link went awry somehow and I certainly do NOT want to link to someone’s MySpace inadvertently.
Hopefully, this link will work: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=432352292
Sorry (to whomever the mixed up URL may have sent my messages).
DocChuck
Christian 01.14.09 | 1:01 PM ET
The piece was suppose to be over the top. There was Mordor reference in there, that should give you your first clue. Loosen up, lose your too-cool-for-the-room attitude and enjoy yourself a bit. Besides, hamburger-ize is great, albeit obvious, concept. Find cheaper ways to enjoy the things you love.