So you want a burger?
Feeding a toddler when the only response involves burgers.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Itās now part of the nightly routineā¦ itās 5:00, my wife is still at work and Iām in charge of dinner. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do and as the hours go by each day, I jot down ideas on post-it notes on my desk with ideas for dinner. What will Sullivan (Age 3) eat today? Could I get him to take a bite of food that doesnāt involve pasta or ground beef? How far would he throw a piece of chicken across the room tonight? Would it hit the TV? Would it hit his sister? What if his fascination with throwing things could be a sign that heād be a strong athlete? My mind wanders as I should be working on 2022 budgets for work but instead, Iām thinking about dinner. Itās hours later, and itās time to decide. What will we do?
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āSully, what would you like for dinner? I made something delicious!ā Before I even finish my sentence, I notice him jump up from his seat as he screams āBurgers!ā At this point he starts to rattle off his favorite place in the world, In-N-Out-Burger and their famous Double Double. At this point I know Iām in trouble. At this point I know what weāre doing. At this point the Tupper wear comes out and in the car we go to get a burger before mom gets home and I get busted for getting burgers again.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā What makes a good burger? Is it the bun? Is it the seasoned meat patty? Or the toppings that could include lettuce, tomatoes, or onions?
Ā EatThis.com calls out 17 things on the secret menu that you can try from protein style, a flying dutchman, scooby snack or a grilled cheese. For us, itās the following:
Sullivan ā Cheeseburger ā Meat, Cheese & Spread with Fries.
Isaac ā #1, Double Double No Onion, Fries Well Done and a Lemonade. 2 Extra things of spread.
Brady ā Puppy Patty and french fries.
Now what makes In-N-Out a delicious burger? For me, itās the simplicity of the whole thing. For the most part you have 3 options. For Sullivan, itās easy to understand. We sit through a drive-thru for 10 minutes and as a reward we get a delicious and salty snack with his favorite foods, meat, cheese, potatoes and spread. Is it the healthiestā¦ No! Do I care? Not really. This kid runs a million miles a second and seeing him smile as he hoards his French fries always makes me laugh.
Is this the best burger in the world? No. But for me, itās spending quality time with my son with the understanding that itās those little moments in life that make all the difference. Itās funny how itās the little things that make a toddler smile. Thereās something about the color and shape of the building that makes him yell, āYay!!! Burgersā every time we pass a location.Ā
With his next birthday fast approaching, it might just be time to introduce him to a vanilla shake and maybe, just maybe heāll dip his French fries in them too, just like his dad.