McDonald's versus Wendy's - Who Has the Better Burger?

Burgers! Sizzling red meat, fresh off the grill. When we were riding motorcyles and reading magazines on the subject, a favorite column was one beret wearing older guy, who would frequently comment on burgers. It became a common conversation..."we've got to try this burger joint!"

Being a Californian, nothing beats In N Out Burger. A great meat mix, freshest preparation, happy staff, always clean locations, and retro 1950's styling (an homage to their founding). Yes, we'll drive to find In N Out, even turn around. Best of all, they offer a "protein style" which perfect for those on low carb or on Gluten Free diets. They wrap the burger and topping lettuce leaves, leaving off the bun. We absolutely love it.

Sorry Five Guys Burgers. Imitation is flattering, yet you don't even come close with your bizillion ways to top your burger. And you cost nearly twice as much for a lot less flavor, a tougher patty, and music so loud you have to yell at your companions to be heard.

Back to McDonald's and Wendy's.*

Both of these restaurants are national, and McDonald's does own more real estate than anyone else. However, you don't have to drive too far to find a Wendy's. Ray Kroc vs Dave Thomas. Ronald McDonald the clown vs a Raggedy Ann version of Wendy. Ray, a visionary and highly organized, even owned a ball team. Big Dave from orphan to mogul. Talk about opportunity and drive.

So who has the better burger? McDonald's features the Angus Burger, and Wendy's has returned the
Hot 'n Juicy Burger campaign, popular 35 years ago. Angus took an advertising beating from Jack in the Box (highlighting ignorance of letters in words) and the Hot 'n Juicy campaign terminology has always been titillating, even 35 years ago.

Both burgers are advertised as freshly made. Hot off the grill. McDonald's has a lot of press about pre-made burgers. I personally don't know, but I can ask my good friend Terrence Hawkins.

McDonald's Angus burger is a thicker patty - 1/3 pounds of "juicy flavorful...100% Angus Beef"
They add a sesame bun - kudos! Ever since Bob's Big Boy platters (California-Style for you Midwest Frisch's fans) I love sesame buns!
The Angus burger is served in an enclosed box. The photos on the box indicate red onions and Swiss cheese. Perhaps those are for the speciality Angus burgers? The standard one is topped with white onions, mayo, mustard, sliced red tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and American cheese (although Wiki says it should be red onions. They were definitely white, sharp and strong like white onions can be.)

Wendy's Hot 'n Juicy 1/2 pounder is two 1/4 pound patties (there is a 1/4 pounder sandwich available), with a buttered toasted (always a nice flavorful touch!), and 'premium' toppings like crinkle cut pickles, sliced  red onions, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sliced red tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and American cheese.
The onions were red, and gave that sweet gentle flavor of red onions.

The first taste was of the meat itself. Wendy's meat (no toppings) definitely tasted better.

Overall, Wendy's sandwich tasted cleaner. Was it a better combination of toppings? Better meat? Wendy's has always proclaimed a superior meat product, from the (renewed) 'Where's the Beef' campaign to the many links on their website for Better Beef and It's All About the Beef. They also freely proclaim that your order is made fresh when you place it, and you can still modify the toppings if you desire (this was once a advertising campaign and mainstay). The website home page states "fresh never frozen beef," "no warming drawers," and "from the grill, to the bun, to you."

Sorry MickyD...the Angus has impressive size, but it just stand up to the superior flavor of Big Dave's Hot 'n Juicy. Go Wendy's!

And don't forget the Frosty!



*Disclaimer: my first job was at Wendy's Restaurant, at Turfway Road & US 25, Florence, Kentucky.

Aw! I'm Blushing!

My Darling Daughter and I went to the Gem Faire today. She's very creative with her beading (subscribe to her blog at http://www.styleandgraphite.com/ as she is certain to post her creations either featured or on her person), and needed to restock.

It's a small show (the largest of the OC Fair's Cavalcade of Crap, oh, I mean of Products buildings and the breezeway between the two buildings), and she's wisely frugal. She knows who charges the same prices at the show as their stores, and who charges less. ("Smart girl!" says her mother proudly.)

We discovered again (it's been years since we attended) that the best prices were in the back of the house (isn't the fun always there?). At one of our last vendors, a young man had joined his mother to assist with sales.

As he was verifying my ID (CA Driver's License) he commented how much younger I looked. I was stunned - the photo is only 3 years old. The picture on this blog is a year or two more than that. He kept going on about it, and I laughed that it must be the new products I'm using (more on that later). With a joyful step we headed home with our purchases.

What a way to make my day!

The Importance of Vetting

Usually when we hear of vetting, it has to do with political candidates or with high level employees.

Yet vetting is important in all kinds of areas. As Brie Vandekamp (of ABC's Desperate Housewives) says, "Perfection is in the small details."

vettingpresent participle of vet (Verb)

Verb:

Make a careful and critical examination of (something). Investigate (someone) thoroughly, esp. in order to ensure that they are suitable for a job requiring secrecy, loyalty, or trustworthiness.

While we were in Northern Kentucky last month closing up mom's home, my daughter found some items that belong to a high-school friend of my mother, Colonel Maynard 'Dusty' Rhodes, Ret.

Dusty quit Sarasota High School in his Junior year (perhaps exaggerating that he was older than he was) to join the Army Air Corp, which became the Air Force and retired 30 years later. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew in World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam wars.

And he's still alive!

We shipped back a number of boxes of important things, including his cross, one epaulet wing, and photo. I found him (through his campaign contributions!), and had several conversations with him. From his conversation I picked up information about his son, Clifford. Cliff is an attorney in Florida, and oversees his father's care. Cliff and I also had some pleasant chats.

Now you can already see how I've vetted the Colonel. It gets better...

Since I'm causing him to wait for his things (neither of then knew the materials were with my mother!),
I started their family tree in Ancestry.com.

For the longest time I struggled with the information about Maynard's mother. I was sure from the censi reports that she was much older than she reported to be. But how can you lie about be 18 years younger than you say? Perhaps for a while, but eventually your age will show...especially as a woman and with child bearing.

When his parents married, the census 'overview' stated that his father's "Mother In Law" lived with them. When I looked at the original document, the census-taker had written "Grandmother In Law." YIKES! There's another generation that has been skipped!

And then I found it...when his mother was born, his maternal grandmother died from the birth (and she was only a teen). His mother was raised by her grandmother (his great grandmother) her entire life. When his parents married, her grandmother came along.

WOW. If I had never vetted the details from the original census document, we'd never known that there was a missing member of the family.

Even when I asked Maynard about his mother, he said he knew very little about his parents (and he was one of youngest in the family).

He has, BTW, one of the most interesting trees I've seen. They are Southerners, and had several members in the Civil War. After the war one of his relatives, a war widow-turned-seamstress with young children, lived in all-black neighborhood in Florida.

Now that's community.

New Guy!

A new guy (Jonathon Sams) was at worship today, and a group of us hung out in a pretty little park afterwards.

The sun was very bright, and these were taken with my phone, which isn't the best camera for these conditions, lol.

Great conversation! Hope to see you more, Jon!

One World Tree

Ancestry.com has something called One World Tree, where members have submitted their best work. I have found some errors there, which is sad. I think it comes from 'borrowed ladders' when the 'lender' hasn't documented the individuals fully (vetting is so important!).

I've found some info that fits in our family tree, yet I know it is wrong (based on documentation I have found). And the person who created the website isn't a member anymore and/or doesn't use/check the email they used when they created the tree. No way to find them, no way to compare notes, no way to make corrections.

{Sigh.}

For instance, my maternal grandfather is a mystery to me. Morgan C Griffith (b. Apr 1903 in North Carolina), AKA 'Jack', of Glenolden, Pennsylvania. His parents were Wilmer C Griffith, and Frances Miniva Morgan. (Morgan is his mother's maiden name and his middle name might be Cooper, after his paternal grandmother's maiden name. Cooper might also be his father's middle name.)

Morgan/Jack married my grandmother Helen Gladys Zimmerman at her parent's home near Chicago (according to family records), took his bride by train to his parents home in Glenolden, PA, and then....? After my mother was born her parents (Jack & Helen) divorced, and she lived with her mother's parents outside Chicago until she was about 6 (1930).

By then, my grandmother had become a nurse, and traveled with wealthy families to Florida as a nanny/nurse. There she met George Perry Lord, and they married. Mom moved to Sarasota, Florida to be with her mother & step-father. Her name changed (informally) from Lola Mae Griffith to Lola Mae Lord.

What happened to her father Morgan/Jack? At some point (since I've lived in California) she told me all about the death of a family member on his side (a paternal grandparent?). She went to the funeral in Pennsylvania from Cincinnati (which means this happened after her arrival in Cincy in 1944), saw her 3 half-sisters, other family members and was introduced as a distant family member.

That means that Morgan remarried, had another family (at least 3 girls) and _____?


There is a politician, (Howard) Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, Virginia, and is a U.S. Representative (VA's 9th District). Are we related? Mom says he does look like Jack (does she clearly remember him?). In the photo on Wikipedia, I can see a family resemblance in the cheeks, head shape and eyes. Mr. Griffith was born in Philadelphia (Glenolden is near Philly) before his parents moved to VA.

I did reach out to Mr. Griffith, but have not heard back.

I hope I do. I'd love to fill in the blanks!

(See update: Morgan Griffith)

The Importance of Friends

Look for the silver lining.

As my mother's health began collapsing in May, I was surrounded by hospital staff. I was there a lot over a two week period, and got to know several of the staff. Through them I met Jonathan Sams.

Tonight, we caught up with Jon, and he met the rest of the family.

I really like this picture for several reasons. One is the look of interest on his face, and the other is "the letter C." That isn't was being discussed, of course, yet it makes for an amusing photo.

Jon has eyes full of expression. I'm glad the light was low enough that he had taken off his sunglasses!

Ancestry.com

I joined Ancestry.com tonight.

Mom and I are home now (in California, that is). We had a great flight into Long Beach, an airport so small you walk out to the plane and up the steps. Since dinner she's been answering my son's questions about his ancestors.

I figured I'd better capture the gems I didn't know. I set up a recorder and let them talk.

I know a lot about our 'near' history. I've always been interested in my parent's families and what was happening. When we were younger, all of us were much closer. I miss it.

Ancestry.com is interesting. It's facebook for dead people!

The real interest seems to be finding the live ones, so you can find out history you don't know, but AC makes that rather difficult. You only see "Living ______" (fill in the last name of the father above them) for anyone living in a tree that you view. (It is cool how AC finds other trees that resemble yours, which helps you build your own genealogy). Unless you want to chat with the tree builder (and some of them have stopped being members, yet the tree remains), and they are willing to give you the contact info of their relative (very, very rare), you only find dead people!

Ancestry.com:   facebook for dead people.

It should be their advertising campaign.

And yes, I want credit!

(c) 2010 S. McClintock