A Tale of Two Mamas
Trying to keep someone IN timeout
February 11, 2006 at 9:09 pm
· Filed under Food
We were lost…hungry…tired. A momentary lapse of reason as we crossed the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn led us on a wild goose chase through the projects until we saw it, like a beacon in the night: WHITE CASTLE. We instantly disregarded the quest for the BQE and drooled thinking of the wafer-thin beef slabs draped in oozing jalapeno cheese and reconstituted onions. Oh and those damp, airy bun halves…
Shawna had only experienced the fluffy goodness from the frozen section of the grocery store. I had only heard of the praises of the jalapeno cheeseburgers, a delicacy to be savored only directly from the source, from an online friend. We pulled up to the drive-thru and resisted the temptation to order a Sack of 10, and instead opted for two jalapeno double cheeseburgers. We eagerly told the drive-thru attendant that this was our “first time,” like virgins. We paid our $2.93 and drove off in search of the BQE.
Opening the bag we could smell the rehydrated onions. Good thing Graem was asleep, or we would have had to share with her! I popped open the first cardboard shell and handed the sandwich to Shawna. She took one bite and extolled the praises of the hot, steamy burger. I had to have mine. I took one bite and it brought me back to the only White Castle I’d been to, somewhere in the Bronx. It isn’t there any more.
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Can’t believe that I had to register to post on your site…
Anyway, as a long time aficionado of Slyders ™, I certainly appreciate your experience. The castle-shaped sign in front of the home of the meat-product goodness does offer up its light as a guide for wayward cravers who may be otherwise distracted by the offerings of a clown or a supposed meat-pattie “king.”
As a fan, I feel I need to spread the word about one of the better ideas I have ever encountered in my 31 years on this earth. With our uber-cranky newborn, a Valentine’s Day outing was out of the question, so I had opted for carryout from a local soul food joint. Kerry had been craving some catfish for over a year (Detroit and seafood don’t seem to mix well…), so, with recommendations from quite a few people, I trekked to ‘Beans & Cornbread’ for 2 fried catfish dinners with sides of mac & cheese, red beans & rice, green beans and collard greens.
On my return trip, I passed by White Castle, and in my hungry state, gave in to the temptation (even though I had copious quantities of food within arm’s length). A quick trip through the drive-though provided 2 mouth-watering White Castle cheeseburger morsels and a glimpse into a wonderful, bizarre and beautiful phenomenon. White Castle, in a moment of marketing genius, had embraced Valentine’s Day by providing, for one day only, candlelit and flower adorned tables with servers in suits and dresses. I’m not sure how many of the 45 Metro-Detroit White Castle locations participated in the dining experience, but I did hear radio reports that all locations had been reserved for the evening and the nearest available dine-in White Castle was in Toledo (some 60 miles away).
Your affinity for White Castle settles any debate — you guys have to come visit. There are no fewer than 5 White Castles within 6 miles of our house and 15 within 10 miles. We could take you on a driving tour of the White Castle buildings of Metro Detroit…
I have a friend who lives in Oklahoma. Every time she visits (both when we lived in Indiana and now, in Detroit), her first trip out of the house is to White Castle where she wolfs down about 8 original White Castles. She always tells me that, even though she had to come see me to get them, the White Castles were worth it…
Margot wrote @ February 18th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Mmm… White Castle with a soul food chaser!
You’ve just sweetened the deal on the invite, that is if you really want us to visit with Screaming Bad Baby, which is the translation of her Chinese name.
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