The Big Shots of Big Hollywood

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Driving Through

I'm at Sonic, in Alabama, and I order a cheeseburger.

Disembodied Drive-through Ladyvoice:
What would you like on that?

Me:
What are, what can I, I'm sorry, I, ummmm, what are my choices, I guess?

Disembodied Drive-through Ladyvoice:
We have Ketchup or Mayonnaise, or you can go *beat* All the Way?"

Me:
Huh! Wow! What's All the Way?"

Disembodied Drive-through Ladyvoice:
All the Way is Ketchup, Mayonnaise, and…Mustard.


Huh??? All the Way is Ketchup, Mayonnaise, and Mustard??? What's All the Way about that? It's just one more thing, and the one thing isn't special, and usually just comes in a packet in case you change your mind. All the Way needs to be a Final Burger Solution, like In 'n' Out's famed "Animal Style" where they THROW ALL THE VEGETABLES ON THE GRILL - there's no coming back from that. You've gone All the Way.

Weird? Yes? But perhaps odder still is that when my All the Way Burger comes out, there's pickles and onions on it. I have a witness that at no time were either of these items mentioned in our discussion of what can and can't go on a burger. There was no failed English student, outsourced order taker, technically glitchy speaker to obfuscate meaning, cause culinary confusion, or just fritz out. There were three very clear choices, and I took the last one on the list, and pickles weren't involved. Neither was onions.

Peter

2 comments:

Gretchen Enders said...

I hate condiments...does that mean I'll be a virgin forever?

T said...

... I've got one word for you that explains everything: "Alabama"