...and french fries!
...and a chocolate shake! Root beer! ROOT BEER FLOAT EVEN!!
Okay, but really. You know what, I'm not one of those people who goes abroad and starts looking for McDonald's. In fact, I never, ever look for McDonald's (okay, maybe once), but that's beside the point. Either traveling or living abroad, it's unbelievably hard to resist wanting to find any of the comforts from home to make being where you are seem more comfortable. I think this is only natural, so even though a previous version of myself might have scoffed at anyone who makes a beeline for KFC when they're in Paris or somewhere, I at least understand what's happening. Let me just say, though, that that trip to KFC on vacation should probably be limited to just that one time and then you should go find yourself a colossal eclair and some crepes and some espresso. Anyway.
It's called culture shock! And whether you've just arrived and you're stressed from your bazillion-hour flight or you've been in a foreign country for months, sometimes it's just nice to have something that reminds you of home--or tastes like home.
Even though Edinburgh is chock full of recognizable American fast food joints, I'm not a fast food person. So BK, Mickey D's, KFC go pretty much ignored. However, the truth of the matter is, sometimes I just really. want. a hamburger. And believe me, I've tried hamburgers here. I ordered a really lovely Angus burger at a pub the other day, for example, and while the burger itself was great, the bun was floury and they put unmelted shredded cheese on it. What is with the unmelted cheese on the burgers!!? Another time, I had a really tasty buffalo burger from a stand, with fried onions and some approximation of barbeque sauce. It was fine. The venison burger was sort of the same way... burger was fine, bun was dry, nothing else spectacular. Forget the cheese. I just don't understand the cheese.
BUT THEN. One of my classmates alerted us that there was an independently owned 'American fast food' cafe nearby, all made to order, and whoa. WANNABURGER. Not only do they serve burgers and hotdogs, but their products are all locally sourced. This isn't super hard in Scotland, since it's small, but it's a good feeling to know that you're getting food with a traceable history. And they melt the freaking cheese! They serve skinny fries, root beer floats and the kind of bacon cheeseburger that immediately says to me, 'You are going to crave one of these every day for the next month.'
Which is exactly what's happened.
So anyway. Musing on the little things... as much as I like the fish and chips takeaway places, the stellar Indian restaurants, the baguettes and sandwiches, the coffee shops, and so on... sometimes I just want an American hamburger, and yes: one with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, mayo, every goddamn thing, because you better believe I'm going all out!
Cheers!
Kate xx
