Hamburger Horror

Today is my father's birthday. It's one of those big, important, decade birthdays, but because of unfortunate family conflict, we aren't scheduling a party. There's no way that everyone can be at the same place right now without it being difficult and uncomfortable for the parties involved.

So, instead of having dinner with my father and other family members, he's leaving work to meet us for lunch at his favorite hamburger joint.

Now this particular hamburger place isn't just any hamburger restaurant. This place specializes in burgers, and offers a menu of 26 different choices. These guys make the best burgers I've ever had, and they aren't a fast food chain. They are locally owned, special, and unique.

On Thursdays, they also offer a Swiss potato soup that is out of this world. Imagine a rich, thick, white clam chowder, delete the clams, add a mountain of melted Swiss cheese, and there's your soup. It's almost thick enough to stand your spoon in the bowl.

Yum.

But today I have to go eat some of this delicious hamburger horror because it's my father's birthday. I'm looking forward to it, but it means that I'll be pretty hungry for the rest of the day. I'm going to have an instant breakfast drink this morning, and I'll probably have another at dinner, since the calories for the day have to be cut from somewhere. If I eat a million calories at lunch, it means I have to eat less somewhere else.

Yes, the restaurant does offer salads and stuff that's supposed to be good for you, but it is my father's birthday. This is one of those restaurants where you just have to have their signature food. You don't go to a seafood place to have a hamburger, and you don't go to an Italian restaurant to have French fries. The only reason for going to this particular restaurant is to have a hamburger, and that's what I'm going to have.

And if I'm hungry all day until lunch and hungry at dinner time, then I guess that's the price I'm going to pay.