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A simple, plain, unadorned burger please This 'n That Lately, I’ve become extremely annoyed with some places that sell hamburgers. When I was a child, I could buy a hamburger, and I had two choices, plain or deluxe. Plain meant nothing but the meat and the bun. Deluxe meant onion, pickle, tomato and lettuce. I think we put our own ketchup or mustard on if we wanted it. There was no cheese on a hamburger. If you wanted cheese, you ordered a cheeseburger, duh? Pretty simple and life was nice. It got a little crazy when I went to college and waiters started asking if I wanted a burger “dressed.” No place I had ever lived had ever referred to a “dressed” hamburger. I soon learned that’s northern talk for “deluxe,” but couldn’t resist asking if I wanted a plain hamburger, if I should order it “naked” instead of “dressed.” Nobody but me thought that was funny. It’s bad enough to have to listen to the person on the other end of the speaker ask us if we want to try this or that – never what we are planning to order. It just irks me to no end that they waste my time with that nonsense. Then if I say I want a hamburger, I have to make sure I call it the right thing or I might get a paper thin piece of beef on a bun, or enough beef to feed me and two other people with leftovers. As if it isn’t bad enough they’ve messed with the simple hamburger, now there seems to be a race to see who can offer the most beverages and the most ways to order them – you can’t order a simple hot chocolate or cup of coffee anymore. You have to tell them if you want regular, diet or decaf, whole milk or no-fat milk, cream, sugar or diet sweetener, etc. I can’t even pronounce some of the drinks that are now served both hot or cold, in fat and no-fat varieties and with or without a wide choice of flavorings. All these choices have made a mockery of any sign that says “drive thru.” You’re lucky if you can crawl thru as it takes more time to get a “to go” order than it does to park your car, go inside a restaurant and be served at a table. And, in Harrodsburg, where we pay nine cents tax on restaurant food, I think I’d rather be served at a table. At least there, I can sip on my beverage while waiting for my food. Be creative: What can we do for the good of all? On My Mind I've been thinking a lot lately about initiatives local government could take to benefit all citizens. At the forefront of my mind is an experience I had over the weekend. My mother and I were driving on some narrow country roads in the dark, which normally scares me to death. I'm 26 years old, and I have very good vision. However, I can hardly ever see where the shoulder of the road stops and where the unpaved area begins. I figure that if I have this problem, and it prevents me from travelling at night, then lots of other people also have a hard time seeing at night. I've heard people blame it on their age or vision, but I think that's not always the case. On that particular one-lane, hilly, Laurel County road, highly reflective white lines were painted on each side. I could see, with great accuracy, where the edge of the road was. For some reason, it struck me as the best thing a county could do for its citizens. Why? Because if people don't feel comfortable driving at night, they won't. They're not able to have supper with family, go to an evening event and so forth. Those restrictions significantly lower their quality of life. Imagine comfortably driving at night, or on a dim rainy day, and not having to worry about running off the road because you can't see where it stops and the ditch begins. Imagine how many people would benefit by such an initiative. Lives could be lived more fully and safely – and some lives could even be saved. I urge everyone to think about things that could benefit everyone on a daily basis. This is just one thing I believe, if it came to fruition, would benefit all citizens, every day, for many years to come.
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