Posts Tagged ‘Castle Burgers’
White Castle
Sliders, gut bombs, no matter what you call them, the small square burgers cooked on a bed of onions, are a distinctly American tradition. The White Castle chain was one of the first fast food establishments, started in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas.
Americans were reticent to eat ground beef at the time, due to the popularity of Upton Sinclair’s novel of the meat packing industry in “The Jungle.”
Walter Anderson, along with his partner Billy Ingram, made their outlet out of white porcelain enamel on the outside, and stainless steel inside, believing the scheme denoted “cleanliness.”
For a time, as the chain grew, they were cranking out pre-fab versions of the porcelain castle, and one still stands in Minneapolis. (pictured left)
Sliders were originally a nickel until the 1940’s, then 10 cents for a long time after that. Today, a single burger is 68 cents and the menu has been expanded to include breakfast sandwiches, chicken breast sliders, and a couple of very unique items, “chicken rings”, and “fish nuggets.” (pictured below).
Four burgers, an ample size fries (crinkle-cut), and medium drink will set you back less than five bucks, and there are various other combination meals with come with larger quantities of burgers. They even sell a one hundred pack.
Some folks say White Castles taste best when it’s the middle of the night, and one has indulged in too much alcohol. But I’d take exception to that. The only time I ever had Mrs. Burgerdogboy in a White Castle, we had indeed consumed too much alcohol, and while the burgers tasted just fine to me, the stainless steel bench proved the perfect resting place for her pretty little passed out head.
But I’ll even eat them sober. I love ‘em.
There are many ‘clones’, whether Castle Burgers in New Orleans, or Krystal, a chain across the south similar to White Castle, but with a deeper menu
