297337 Thu Jun 03 18:21:36 -0700 2004 26 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1640410 An energetic thread has sprouted on the LA Board about a current Carl's Jr. promotion for a ONE-POUND version of their so-called "Six Dollar Burger." "...two 1/2-pound charbroiled, 100-percent Angus beef patties topped with three slices of American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise -- all on a toasted, seeded bun." When I first heard this ad on the radio, I was startled that Carl's would be launching this promotion just as Morgan Spurlock's movie is becoming a minor success at the box office and McDonald's has been embarrassed into dropping super-sizing. Well, Mr. Karcher always has displayed retrograde politics, I suppose. :-) The Moderators have "suggested" that this discussion should continue on the General Board, since it is chain-focused. Below is a link to the discussion to date. So (now addressing the whole international chow community), have we seen any other major purveyors of fast food around the country that are continuing to put their bucks into the "more-more-more" philosophy? Is the evidence that the "less-for-more" trend just a fad, and will the American food industry rapidly switch back to enabling our collective obesity as the Spurlock film fades from memory? Or are we all gonna get healthy as soon as we discover how nasty the one-pound burger at Carl's really is? Your "general" comments are solicited. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/60640#320860 Thu Jun 03 18:21:36 -0700 2004 0 PayOrPlay 1 1640411 I don't know anything about Carl Jr., but I'd give it a whirl. Are their burgers generally good? Thu Jun 03 18:26:44 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Wisco 2 1640452 Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are regional variations of the same chain. I've not tried the six dollar burger, but, the mushroom and swiss is pretty darn tasty. I'm with the rest of you, if I want my meat rare, fix it that way, and, if I want a big ole greasy burger, that is my choice, not the governments, or anyone else's. Like Marco said, common sense isn't that common anymore. Fri Jun 04 07:04:06 -0700 2004 1640411 0 Tennnessee-Whiskey 1 1640426 I used to enjoy Carl's Super star with cheese when they would cook it medium rare, which accomplished two things; It made certain it was made fresh to my order and it was juicy. Once they started down the, "No, we have to cook it to medium well to keep you from harming yourself" or some such nonsense I stopped going. Thu Jun 03 20:47:41 -0700 2004 1640410 0 WLA 1 1640431 Carl's Jr. television ad, which features a guy overstuffing his mouth full of straws, seems to be a direct mockery of the "Super Size Me" movie poster below. I think the Karcher Kitchen Kompany is very aware of the movie, and the ad reflects their attempt to appeal to "rebelious" gen X and gen Y males (who not only want to act like a big ass but have one, too). I'll repeat this for the benefit on the General Topics readers: "100 percent Angus beef" is not the same thing as "certified Angus beef." Don't be fooled. Image: http://www.supersizeme.com/images/main_window/sections/default/supersizefinal_small.jpg Thu Jun 03 21:18:00 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Chris G. 1 1640448 "...topped with three slices of American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles, red onions, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise..." Mustard!!? On a burger!!? This is an abomination!!! Fri Jun 04 03:20:14 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Sharuf 2 1640471 What!? I love mustard on my burgers. I never put ketchup which I think is just gross. Fri Jun 04 11:08:21 -0700 2004 1640448 0 rkn 3 1640474 IMNSHO, mustard is for cured meats and cold cuts. I associate mustard on burgers with truck stops. On the other hand, steaks, burgers, chops etc. fare better under other sauces. BTW, I agree with you on ketchup, which belongs only on french fries. Fri Jun 04 11:18:33 -0700 2004 1640471 0 Sharuf 4 1640477 Interesting...so then what do you put on your burgers? steaksauce? I put either horseradish mustard or dijon, never yellow mustard. Fri Jun 04 11:33:04 -0700 2004 1640474 0 rkn 5 1640532 I ask for thousand island on the side. Or, if the burger comes with the place's "own secret sauce" or "special BBQ sauce" that's fine by me. Fri Jun 04 18:32:36 -0700 2004 1640477 0 Sharuf 6 1640564 In some parts of the country mustard is totally replaced by mustard. I prefer bbq sauce. I love the "special sauce" but dont frequent that establishment much. Sat Jun 05 06:42:32 -0700 2004 1640532 0 Val 4 1640503 "I associate mustard on burgers with truck stops". To me, that sounds like a ringing endorsement! Fri Jun 04 14:09:04 -0700 2004 1640474 0 D 5 1640533 Re truck stop burgers -- "To me, that sounds like a ringing endorsement!" Then you haven't eaten at the truck stops on I-5 north of Sacramento. Fri Jun 04 18:34:53 -0700 2004 1640503 0 Sharuf 4 1640866 Gravy also belongs on French Fries, if you live in Canada Tue Jun 08 12:26:41 -0700 2004 1640474 0 Wiley99 5 1640978 Known as "wet fries" down here. Tue Jun 08 22:11:37 -0700 2004 1640866 0 Chino Wayne 2 1641300 mustard is the only way to go ketchup and mayo are for yankees Fri Jun 11 15:50:16 -0700 2004 1640448 0 MidtownCoog 3 1641334 Heinz steak sauce rules Sat Jun 12 01:28:38 -0700 2004 1641300 0 2chez mike 1 1640450 I care not if Carl's offers a one pound burger or even a five pound monstrosity. Let 'em supersize. I'd give one a try if there was a Carl's close to me. Here's the way I see it, obesity is NOT the fault of corporate America. It is the fault of the person who places the order. There was once a time in this country when people actually took the responsibilities for their own choices...and ordering a monster-sized burger is just that, a choice. Successful restaurants offer choices. Not everyone in the world wants a paper-thin burger served on a lettuce leaf with a side sprig of parsley. This was, last I checked, still a free country and the consumer can still exercise his option to order what is available, or vote with his feet. I'm tired of people placing the responsibility of their own poor choices on businesses that offer them. If you want to make a meal out of a full pound of beef on a bun, you should have that choice without a bunch of whiners trying to spoil it for you with collective chants of "obesity" or "let's limit choices to keep our kids healthy." Of course you have to accept the responsibility of your own choice. It's called common sense and it's getting increasingly rarer each day. Fri Jun 04 04:02:03 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Marco 2 1640488 I will try to be civil in my response, but I don't believe that children who have been bombarded with thousands of fast food advertisements truly have "choice". If advertisements didn't significantly alter most people's behavior in predictable ways, corporations like Carl's Jr, Burger King, or McDonalds wouldn't spend billions of dollars on them. What we have in this country is massive brainwashing by corporations that then refuse to take responsibility for what they've done. Perhaps some adults are sophisticated enough to understand and resist the constant flow of advertizing, but allowing these soulless corporate entities to supersize our children should be criminal. As a society, we have wisely prohibited many forms of advertising for evils like cigarettes, but for whatever reason, we consider children to be fair game for fast food purveyors. ed Fri Jun 04 13:11:54 -0700 2004 1640450 0 e.d. 3 1640497 That's what parents are for. Fri Jun 04 13:34:16 -0700 2004 1640488 0 Pappy 4 1640506 AMEN! Fri Jun 04 14:12:16 -0700 2004 1640497 0 D 4 1640507 Guys, the General Topics board is for discussing non-region specific food only. The fast food vs obesity debate has been done to death already on our Not about Food board, but if you want to discuss it further, post there. Any new posts here that are not on topic will be deleted. Fri Jun 04 14:12:54 -0700 2004 1640497 2 The Chowhound Team 3 1640504 Maybe the parents of these children should learn to tell them "No!" They might also teach them that good food generally comes from home, and never out of a bag. But I guess that we do not have free will, we are all just saps for a catchy jinkle and a stupid catch phrase. Fri Jun 04 14:10:58 -0700 2004 1640488 0 ZipperT 3 1640512 Nonsense. History is filled with heavily advertised products that failed miserably. (Ford's Edsel being perhaps the most famous example.) Advertising just tells people what's out there, it doesn't brainwash them into doing things they don't want to do. For true brainwashing, you need more than 30 seconds -- in fact, full-length books and movies like "Fast Food Nation" and "Supersize Me" appear to work admirably. Fri Jun 04 14:41:48 -0700 2004 1640488 0 David Kahn 1 1640565 We have a "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger" joint here. Im pretty sure if you finish that one-pounder, its free. Hows that for incentive? Sat Jun 05 06:46:19 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Val 1 1640587 I may be one of few that like the Famous Star at Carl's Jr. (I like mayonnaise on my burgers and enjoy their fresh onions, lettuce, and tomato, and ask for BBQ sauce instad of ketchup.) I find I "need" one of these at least three times a year. I did try to $6.00 burger when my friend ordered it. With one bite, the meat seemed bland and mushy (undercooked?) for a burger, and I did not enjoy the flavorless meat or condiments on the burger. I can't imagine that doubling that patty would improve the taste. I would not order one. I can imagine 16 oz of meat is good for the big guys, football players, etc. that need the extra bulk and protein. My brother used a pound of luncheon meats on his triple decker "super sandwiches" for lunch back in the early 70's when he was quarterback AND pitcher (90 mph fast ball) on school teams. So, I can see a growing man's need for that immense amount of meat. But, the flavor! They should add some spices or something in the meat. Their charbroiling just doesn't get any grilled flavor into it. It's shame if those eating that amount of food on regular basis don't exercise big time. And, I would venture to say that some of the high school guys buying those double sixers are doing it to impress more than to enjoy - sort of like swallowing goldfish in the 50s. How thrilling! Sat Jun 05 19:20:14 -0700 2004 1640410 0 kc girl 1 1641357 I do not eat at fast food chains as a rule, but the one-pound burger is not unheard of. I had a very rare, huge burger at a small diner in Manhattan once. I believe they advertised it as a half-pounder, but as I've made burgers at home and have seen what a pound of meat looks like, I think it was more like 3/4 lb. Granted it was too much for me, but having known some young men to have more than one burger in one sitting, I could see this promotion going over pretty well. No one's forcing anyone to do anything. If someone wants to buy a one-pounder at Carl's Jr. and eat it over the course of several meals, or instead, buys a pound of meat at home and makes 4 burgers or 1 burger, what difference does it make? The point of Supersize Me is to take a look at the growing trend of obesity in America and consider that adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to our diets might be a step in the right direction towards curtailing this disease, as well as heart disease and diabetes. Add exercise, smaller portions and stir well. Carl's Jr. probably didn't give the film a second thought, since it's hard to believe that the film is reaching anyone outside its healthy food choir. Even if the ones who need to change their behavior saw this film, I have a feeling that they would feel picked on and even more rebellious against the "elitist healthy wealthy scumbags.." who find this film entertaining and educational. Laughing at fat and ignorant people is fun, apparently. Unfortunately, there may be some truth that being and staying healthy in this country is a luxury that only a lucky few can afford. Oh, and while I love bbq sauce or ketchup, the thought of mayonnaise on a burger makes me sick (sacrilege here in California!). Sat Jun 12 12:12:27 -0700 2004 1640410 0 Melissa