Meal Fit For A....

I really need to cut down on my eating.  I've put on some weight of late.  But since yesterday was the last Monday of the month I decided to have a cheap lunch.  Of late Burger King in Canada has been advertising their $4.99 King Meal Deal.  You get a small fries, small drink, and your choice of two cheeseburgers, 2 Chicken Jr. chicken burgers, or one of each.  I took one of each.

The Chicken Jr. is the equivalent of A&W's Chicken Buddy Burger, with lettuce instead of pickles.  I think it's a better tasting chicken patty than A&W's offering, although both are skinny.  BK didn't skimp on the lettuce on mine, and I ended up pulling some of the bigger chunks out.  The cheeseburger is the typical BK cheeseburger, and I think the size of the patty they use in this and some other sandwiches has shrunk over the years.  If you've had one before you know the taste.  I actually didn't mind the small fries here, but would prefer a larger drink.

All in all it was about what I expected.  It won't set the world on fire, but it's sure to appeal to BK regulars.

On the other hand I think I prefer the competition, in Saskatoon at least, for a five buck combo.  Various Dairy Queen restaurants here(I'm not sure all do) offer a five dollar double cheeseburger lunch special between 11 AM and 2 PM , with fries and a regular size drink.  I like their burgers better these days than BK's, and you get more fries and a larger drink.

Subpar Sunday Sundae.

Last night I had some food from Burger King for supper.(Cue someone's overwrought gasp of horror.)  I decided to get a caramel sundae to go with it.  I'm afraid I have to give it a thumbs down.  The ice cream(or perhaps to be technically accurate, soft serve) was alright,  but the caramel sauce largely sank to the bottom of the cup, and it tasted bland.  It definitely comes in a very poor second to McDonald's version of the same product, and I won't be ordering one again.

BK Chicken Fries.

Chances are you've seen the ads for them if you're a Canadian.  After being bombarded by them for several weeks I decided to try some today.  I don't think I'll buy them again.  They weren't horrible, but they were kind of tasteless, and the chicken seemed a bit rubbery.  Perhaps my package sat on the warming tray too long, and I suspect the amount of chicken in each one is a bit too little for good flavour.  On the other hand a combo with medium fries and medium drink was $6.30, which is a nice price.

Another Choice, But Not For Me.

If you're a poutine fan you now have another choice.  McDonalds is now offering poutine.  I tried some today, but I don't think I'll buy it again.  The bigger fries Burger King uses seem to work better for poutine, and I think the serving size of the BK version is bigger.  Not to mention BK's poutine can be ordered with bacon.  On the other hand the paper container McDonalds uses might be better for the environment than the plastic one Burger King uses.

Those Things, Those Whatchacallems.

If you've watched even a bit of US TV lately you've probably seen the ads for Burger King's new SatisFries.  They're a crinkle cut style French fry that apparently have less fat and calories that other fast food fries.  But you won't be eating them in Canada.  Here you'll be eating GratiFries(and MagniFrites in French speaking Quebec).  "But they look the same," you might say if you've seen both Canadian and American ads. And they are the same.  But apparently the different branding is because focus groups found Canadians liked the GratiFries name better.  Go figure.  They're a product developed by Burger King with Canada's McCain Foods, who make one third of the world's French fry products.

I haven't had any yet.  I did have some of BK's Poutine With Bacon today for lunch.  No, you don't want to know what my blood pressure is.

And speaking of fast food differences if you're an American looking for your Popeye's chicken fix keep your eyes open if you're in Southern Ontario.  Ads during the Major League Baseball playoffs alerted me to the fact that the chain, which I've seen ads for a lot on some US TV channels, has set up franchises in Canada.  Only in Ontario at this point, so I won't be making their spokeslady happy and chowing down on some anytime soon.  Their Canadian website is here.

Not A Russian Politician.

We tend to associate fast food restaurants with a sort of cultural imperialism.  The perception is that the food at one in the US will be the same as the food at one in Tokyo.  But that often isn't the case.  Fast food chains often regionalise their menus to reflect local cultures.  For example in Canada Burger King offers poutine.  A dish originally created in Quebec poutine is french fries covered with brown gravy and cheese curds or some other form of cheese.  A few days ago I tried out BK's version with bacon added.



Given the plastic lid I assume this stuff is made elsewhere for Burger King and just heated up at the restaurant.



As you can imagine a combination of these ingredients tastes quite salty.  I like salty, but eating this stuff probably upped my blood pressure for a while.  I'm sure someone who has eaten poutine made in a Quebec restaurant would turn up their nose at this stuff, but I liked it and may try it again someday.