The Humble Cheeseburger

I'm a burger fan, a big burger fan. I could, and have done, eat them every day for a week or two (I'd like to point out that this was while on a road trip in the US. I feel that excuses me). But to be more precise, I'm a simple food fan. I like the basics, the basics done well. You know what I mean; real food, hearty food, food that fills me up. I'm not too bothered by what it looks like as long as it tastes good. You'd think the cheeseburger should fit in here quite well, yet the problem today is that it so rarely does.

I've been trying to find a great burger place in the city I live in (Copenhagen, Denmark) but I'm yet to find it. Sure, I can find some decent restaurants, but nothing that has made me go back for seconds solely based on how good it was. The best cheeseburger I've ever had in my life (so far) was at Slackers, a burger place in Page, Arizona. I had a ½ pound cheeseburger and it was so good I could have cried. Succulent, simple and incredibly tasty. If you're anywhere remotely near Page, go. Here's a picture of it. It's a thing of beauty.

Of course you can find succulent burgers in every city, you can find tasty burgers, but simple? That's where it gets tricky. 

A good cheeseburger should be a good, juicy beef patty, a lightly toasted but still soft sesame bun, a slice of cheese (Swiss, American or Cheddar - nothing too powerful), a leaf or two of lettuce, pickles (you can put tomatoes in if you want, but I find they make it too wet) and finally, a dollop of ketchup (and maybe mustard). Simple and straightforward. So why is it that restaurants today seem to be more focused on what they can do with the burger rather than just making a good one?

You get cheeseburgers with fried eggs in them, or Applewood smoked cheddar and jalapenos, deep fried cheese, truffled liver parfait, caramelised onions, fois gras, and cheeseburgers that you can't eat with your hands - and what's the point of that? Is it even still a cheeseburger? A 'cheeseburger' that needs a wooden stick through the centre to keep it from falling over is not a cheeseburger. I don't want a cheeseburger than has so much filling that I have to dismantle it to eat it with a knife and fork. I don't want a cheeseburger that has mounds of various sauces inside it which dribble out all over me. I don't want a cheeseburger that has a name I can't pronounce, and I certainly don't want a cheeseburger that has a bun so crunchy I might as well suck on some razor blades. 

These are not cheeseburgers. They are some twisted form of beef...cake, created in the minds of people who think the humble cheeseburger is not good enough. Don't get me wrong, I understand the need to experiment, and all those fillings/toppings/etc probably taste great, but we're missing out on is, in the simplest terms, a cheeseburger. What happened to just making the simplest thing, really, really well?

If there is good burger to be had in Copenhagen, tell me. But don't say Halifax. Or Cocks and Cows.

Brain Food and a Job

Internet, I need your help. 

I recently chose to leave my job, and am now am part of the population that is able to spend all day in our pyjamas if we want. But I don't. I get up at 6.30am determined to make use of the day. It's been pretty cool. I've done lots of things that I've been meaning to do (I've even sanded and repainted furniture) but now I find myself at a loss. 

What I need you to help me with is finding things to do. I want to learn. I've already found a couple of SEO, AdWords, and Analytics courses I hope to take, but what else can I do? Suggestions are welcome (one thing I do want to do is to skydive, so if anyone would like to join me, let me know!).

More than all of this, I'd like a job. So hit me up. Online communication, project management, community manager - all that jazz - so if you know of something, don't be shy. You can have a peek at my CV here. I'll just be here trying to stuff my brain with new information so that when that fabulous new job comes along I'll kick some serious bottom.

Spread the word, keep eyes and ears open, suggest things to me, and if any of what you suggest works out, the drinks are on me. 

Thank you.

P.S. I'm really very serious about the skydiving. 

Back from the Road

So, the two weeks on the road are over. The roads of the US, to be precise. Or somewhat precise. The roads in the South Western US to be more so. I'd not been since 1999, so was expecting some changes and I wasn't disappointed. Luckily, I was never dismayed at the changes. I suppose 13 years is a long enough break to accept from a distance that there is no way things would be the same as they were. Besides, over 13 years you also change a lot as a person. 

It was a super two weeks and I've no doubt I'll be back. Next time I plan to do some hiking in Yosemite and Bryce Canyon, as well as some serious rafting on the Colorado. This was my third time in the South West so I think I need to start seeing things from another perspective. I've also still to go back to New Orleans and the South, but that's for the time after next. 

We went from San Francisco to Las Vegas, through Yosemite, Bodie and Death Valley. Then on to Zion Canyon and then Bryce Canyon. After that we hit Page and Lake Powell, then down to The Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. From there we went a little more east to see the Meteor Crater, then headed back west through Jerome, Prescott and on to Kingman. From Kingman our last stop was Lost Hills before making it back to San Fransico. It was a busy trip - we covered approximately 2000 miles (or 3200 km), but I loved every moment.

The things that really struck me were the adverts on TV - fast food ad, heart surgery ad, fast food ad, followed by latest-diet/exercise-fad-to-loose-wait-without-really-trying. No wonder the second thing that struck me was the size of people. There were some seriously, seriously obese people - whole families - all over. When did that happen? How did that happen? The price of fresh fruit also shocked me. How can this happen? The whole country is going to explode. Las Vegas was also a slap in the face. Everything (and everyone) seems to have tripled in size since I was last there. Over indulgent, decadent, excessive and enough to make you sick to your stomach. But we had a blast.

I loved it all the same, much as I thought I would. But then, it's the actual country that I love. The views, the nature and the beauty of it all. I'll never get tired of it. Never. It's a wonderful country full of wonderful people.

Here are some Instagrams. You can see all the photos here, if you want. 

It got hot in Vegas.

Arizona sky.

The best burger I've ever had. If you're in Page, Arizona, find Slackers and have the ½ pound cheeseburger. You won't regret it.

Meteor crater.

More than happy to tell all if anyone's interest in our route.