Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Meal of the Day

I’m grinning ear to ear. Or at least I was. Yesterday.

I need to get into the habit of telling you right away about all these good things that happen to me while I’m still floating through cloud nine. I had lunch at McDonald’s yesterday – I do this regularly, not as frequently as when I was younger, but often enough that I can’t be entirely honest with you.

I always order a Big Mac meal, Combo number one. Everyday there’s a different meal of the day special but because of my dietary restriction, I can rarely take advantage of this. The craving hits unexpected and always very suddenly – I will leave the office at noon often fully intent on going to Subway, only to find myself veering left through the golden arches. . .

I loathe it. I love it.

Yesterday, Combo number one was the Meal of the Day. Fully expecting to pay $5.97, just imagine my delight when told that Tuesdays it’s only $4.27 including GST! That’s a discount of 29%! There’s a one-in-seven chance, so most trips end with the sour tasting disappointment of “please try again”.

Elation.

Food always tastes better when served as a complement to a wonderful event.

I hit the one-in-seven. I imagine this feeling must be similar to the euphoria that overcomes you after winning a lottery. I don’t know because I’ve never won a lottery, but I’ve read about it, and I just feel unbelievably awesome. People find deals all the time, bigger savings and for more money, but only after a degree of research, or seeing an ad, reading about it, or shopping around a little. By the time you get to buying it, you already how you’ve gotten the best deal or a discount – there’s no surprise just waiting for you. The actual motion of buying is really anti-climatic. What a chore it is indeed.

You would think by now that I MUST know what day’s the Big Mac special, but I don’t. I can’t give you a reason – I just never remember. I know that Wednesday’s $1.69 Whopper day at Burger King. So, why does the mind always retain useless information? If you know anything about psychology, I want to speak to you.

For many years I worked in headquarters of a major chain of burger franchises. I used to fashion myself an “expert” on hamburgers. That was a passionate time in my life. Part of another company today, I can’t even pronounce the names of many of the products we sell.

But over time and inevitably, passion will wane and one will then decide to leave.

There was a period of a few years in which I abstained not just from Big Macs, but all chain burgers. When I came here (this company), my friend Bob (since departed) asked me for the nutritional content of the veggie burger offered by my ex-employer. A “veggie burger” at top of mind?! It was incidents like this that killed any passion I used to have. Salads at Harvey’s, Wendy’s and McDonalds? And deli sandwiches? That’s just meat on a bun – at least on a burger, the meat is hot. I just don’t understand the new wave.


Burger King is the last of the grandstanders. They don’t pretend to be healthy, just pure junk, sick burgers and sicker burgers – I admire them for staying true to their roots.

So why did I still walk away? I cannot embrace BK. A good burger is not a Great Burger until it comes with Great Fries. And BK has the worst fries. So unless this changes, the Whopper will always be to the Big Mac, like Pepsi to Coke.

I came back about two years ago. A new McDonald’s franchise was built a block from where I work and one day several months after it opened, I ventured in unexpectedly and had a Big Mac. Time away solves everything.

That was the best Big Mac I’ve ever had. You always come back to those things you truly love.

A few months ago before Bob left, we went to Dangerous Dan’s for lunch (www.Dangerousdansdiner.com). Four years. The journey from veggie burger to Dangerous Dan’s; we can all change if we try.

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