Left: Owner of the Roasted Kombi, Darrin Gibson, with one of his popular burgers. Right: Dianne Burger by BURGER Hub – a saucy favourite!
Burgers have been popular in Australia for some time, but it seems like burgers in Parkes are powerful. Just about every eating establishment in our town has at least one burger on its menu.
If you would walk around town asking people about burgers, most of them would not hesitate to name their favourite burger and where they get it in Parkes.
There are many reasons to love burg-ers, but it seems like a burger is like a good friend. You know it very well, and you like spending time with it.
“A burger is plain and simple food, and you can find them everywhere,” says my burger obsessed teenage son.
Apart from being cheap, burgers are also easy to eat, are some other testimonials from burgers lovers on the internet. “The meat is ground up, you don’t have to do much chewing. Because it’s served on a bun, it’s easy to eat. There’s no cutting, only lifting. And because burgers come with an array of sides, you can build yours to your own taste. That’s appealing too.”
The familiarity factor is a big one for some people. “Sometimes, when we go out to eat, we don’t want to be challenged. We want the taste of the familiar and nothing’s more familiar, than the taste of a burger.”
The seemingly endless variety of burg-ers available catering for every taste and many different diets, allergies and intolerances, also makes it a popular meal. While its base components – lettuce, tomato, ground meat, and bread – are simple and cheap, it has thrived because of how adaptable it is to change.
Burgers also seem to have fight off the rise of the foodie fitness and wellness trend, which has become very prominent in Australian culinary culture. Many cafes now serve kombucha, acai bowls, chia puddings, buckwheat noodles and well-ness smoothies because of its popularity.
“But salty, fatty and sugary burgers have stood up to that threat. They’re the ‘perfect cheat meal’ and really not that unhealthy, if made with top produce,” says one observer of the burger trend.
The burger has also kept up with the trend of photographing food, as it comes to the table in the perfect configuration to be photographed and put on social media.
All in all, burgers are popular because burgers are good. Burgers not only do the job of feeding us when we want to be fed, but can even serve as a comfort food when needed. And for that, we should all be grateful to the burger.
If you have a great burger memory, story or photo, why not share it with us. Send your contributions to editor@parkesphoenix.com.au
Bon Appetit!
By Maggi Barnard