Written by When I went to lunch with my work team today, they all got hamburgers so that was the sandwich on my mind for today’s prompt. It was Restaurant Week so there was a special menu, and I opted for a celery root soup and braised rabbit gnocchi. I was pleased with myself initially and my oh so civilized adult choices, but the entire time I was eyeing those hamburgers like a hungry wolf. My portions came out tiny and sensibly sized while they were served a platter of food complete with french fries. My dish was exquisite, but my inner child was frothing at the mouth and wanting to tear into those burgers sitting next to me with reckless abandon. In a word, I felt a bit primal in that moment. In truth, we rarely eat meat at home, but years of childhood burgers came flooding back to me in that instant and I just wanted to take a bite. Granted, I’m a decade or sometimes two older than my lunch companions, so that doesn’t help much. These days, most of what I crave is something that’s only in my dreams.
When I was a kid, we’d have hamburgers only on rare occasions. Perhaps that’s what makes them so special in my mind. Hamburger night was quite an event and made even better if it came with thick cut steak fries. Those were always my favorite. I actually love potatoes so it was nice to be able to actually taste a bit of the interior. The tiny fries are all just fried outer crust. As an adult, I soon learned that if you don’t eat red meat a lot you’ll lose the enzyme to actually digest it properly. This translates to having a burger only a handful of times of year for nostalgia’s sake and having bits of pineapple nearby afterwards to aid in digestion. This is a trick that Philippe found for me, which surprisingly works. Yes, it’s quite a bit of effort for a food I should probably simply avoid, but it’s a hamburger! I can’t possibly believe I’m so old that I can’t enjoy a touch of what brought me here in the first place. Wonderful memories of being happy at the simplest of inventions.
Other equally calorie-unfriendly sandwiches of my youth consisted of grilled cheese and my personal favorite, the grilled cheese and fried bologna sandwich. This was amazing. You had to cut the circular bologna slices before frying them or they’d pop up like a little hat. This was combined with melted American cheese and squashed between some toast. A culinary nightmare that would make Philippe cringe, but it was so delicious! While I’m pleased that I’ve grown up when it comes to food choices, as there are so many wonderful dishes that don’t cause heart attacks, I’m still fond of remembering the tastes of my youth. I was a bit chubby in those days, and looking back it’s quite easy to see why, but I still have fond memories. Those were the treats that made ordinary nights special. The ones that came out of the blue and make me feel thrilled and happy. Life is simply about having a bit of balance in the end. At each end of the seesaw there’s something decadent and wonderful to grab for just a moment before returning to life as usual. So, today, I’m grabbing out with my imagination and traveling back to a time when life was nothing more complex than hamburger dreams.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Quinacridone Red, Leaf Green, Yellow Ochre, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
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Ooh! That hamburger looks delicious even though I could never get my jaws wide enough to bite into it! I’m like you, seldom eating hamburgers any more – much more likely to have ground beef in a chli where I can balance things a little better.
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 hehe… yeah… we’ve moved to stage of all balance now. lol But it’s wonderful for other reasons!
Oh, Charlie, I am drooling over your hamburger! Great job on the lettuce, too. We don’t eat much beef, but will have “turkey burgers” sometimes.
Aww thanks so much, Ruth! 😃💕 hehe… turkey burgers are delicious! I love veggie burgers as well… really anything with the word burger in it! lol
This makes me want to order hamburgers for all the meals today! 🙂
Great art in here. 🙂
Aww yay!! Thanks so much! 😃💕
I just had dinner and I’m already craving a burger. Yum!
Yay to that! Thanks so much! Glad you liked this! 😃💕
Good sketch of the drool-worthy hamburger, but I would love to see a sketch of your delicious -sounding choices!!!
Thanks, Jansi! 😃💕 My choices were a bit less photogenic, but they were really delicious! hehe
The seasame seeds on top of the burger looks great…Yes.. we feel nostalgic remembering our good old childhood days..without being so calorie conscious…
Thanks so much, Anita! 😃💕 Yeah… being a kid was the best way to eat!
Great detail in the painted burger. Next time, go ahead and order the hamburger! Life is short.
hehe… thanks for the permission, Sharon! 😃💕 I almost went back there today and got that burger! But opted for a slice of pizza instead. 😊
Looks good enough to eat! With my family history of diabetes, I imagine that someday I’ll be enjoying chocolate only in paintings too. I rue that day.
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 Awww… yeah… I have the same, so I’ve already cut out a lot of things. That’s why most of my desserts are dream paintings.
Looks scrumptious! OMG, I haven’t thought about fried bologna in years, and haven’t eaten it in many, many years. However, I do have a burger occasionally, without a bun – at least it makes me feel like I made somewhat of a good choice 😋
Thanks, Carol! 😃💕 Hehe… fried bologna was the best!! Yeah, I haven’t had it since I was a kid though. Would love to try it again sometime.
Yummy! Mouthwatering Hamburgers. 😃
Aww thanks so much, Amit! 😃💕
That’s a mighty fine burger you built there, Charlie. It does look tempting. As a kid, my mom didn’t make burgers either. They weren’t part of her Orthodox Jewish culture and she wouldn’t have had any idea how to do that. Actually, the only thing my mom really loved to make (and still loves to eat) is spaghetti and meatballs. One of my (now) favorite foods is poke (sort of undressed sushi rolls) but my mom wouldn’t touch those either. (She did learn to make hamburgers eventually and I did learn to make spaghetti and meatballs eventually.)
Still, I’m really wondering about celery root soup and braised rabbit gnocchi – they make that sort of stuff? And you eat it? I’ll have the cereal and milk, thank you. While staring at your tempting hamburger.
LOL… yeah, they make that stuff! And it’s sooo good! 😃💕 Love spaghetti and meatballs as well by the way. This restaurant serves duck tacos and pig ear salad, so it’s really mainly meant for the adventurous eaters. hehe
You gotta have maple syrup on those fried bologna sandwiches…
and they have to be fried until the bologna is dark around the edge
not quite burnt but almost. That painting has my mouth watering
and I don’t eat meat at all.
Oh my gosh! Maple syrup?? Really? hehe… I probably would have LOVED that as a kid. Why did no one ever tell me? 😃💕
Am supposed to be on a diet after a sinful festive binge, but now I’m craving for a burger! 😀
Oops… sorry about that! hehe 😃💕 But glad I made you crave one with this sketch!
great job, I like everything as a painter, and to eat, except tomatoes, I don’t like this at all.
Thanks, Lieve! 😃💕 Not a tomato fan? really? I love them… but as a kid I wouldn’t go near them! lol
Wonderful rendering of what looks like a delicious burger.
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕
Excellent
Thanks, Pamela! 😃💕
Delicious looking burger!
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕
Celery Root Soup sounds tasty…. along with that huge burger you painted!
Thanks! 😃💕 Even though I skipped the burger part, the celery root soup was divine!
Sigh now I really want not only a hamburger, but a fried bologna sandwich. Lol, I actually don’t eat many hamburgers these days either, my body feels much better if I make healthier choices, but hamburgers do br back so many childhood memories. 😃
They do, don’t they? I do love hamburgers, but they really don’t love me anymore so I stay clear. Haven’t had the courage to try fried bologna and cheese again yet. 😊
Funny story! Glad you not only have a great chef around, but is also knowledgeable about healthy diets. If you ever come to CA, you guys HAVE to go ti In-N-Out. I think they’re world famous for their hamburgers. Your hamburger looks like their double cheeseburger! 😀🍔
Thanks so much! 😃💕 Yeah, without Philippe I don’t think my choices would be near as healthy! lol And yes… I have totally heard of In-N-Out, but in all my trips to California I’ve yet to try it! I’ll make it a point next time!
Oh, yes, you have to try it! And good for Philippe! 👍❣️
Hehe… thanks so much, Miste! 😃💕