From the Beginning

How did Burger testing begin? Perhaps this story would better be written by another member. It shames me to admit that at the first burger testing, I did not test a burger. Memory fails me now. I will have to open the annals but I cannot recall our first burger test. Krolls West comes to mind but doesn't seem right.

Regardless, we arrived, we ate and we scored, the burgers. My memory is so hazy, I venture to guess it was Sarah's idea to begin burger testing. We often had group lunch once a week and Tom, Karen, Nick, Sarah and I were staples. Let us imagine the Friday before the first burger test:

(Wavy memory lines.)
Nick: Would you rather wear wet underwear everyday or wet socks?
Sarah: Um, I don't know.
Karen: Let me think about that.
Tom: (Laughs) socks.
Me: Socks, wet boxers would be terrible.
Sarah: I think I'd do wet underwear.
Karen: I don't know. Maybe socks?
Me: (To Nick.) What about you?
Nick: Probably underwear. I don't know, I would feel socks everytime I walk. I think I'd get used to underwear.
Sarah: Work sucks, let's test burgers around the Greater Green Bay area.

To the best of my recollection, that is how burger testing began. I don't know if now is the time to discuss last year's winner. But it was very close between Curly's and Champions Bar and Grill.

We changed the scoring this year to give less value to things like atmosphere and waitress, and more value to burger-important categories such as taste and bun. The new scoring should help eliminate close battles between places like Curly's and Champions. And Nick's personal vendetta against waitresses.

The importance lies in that what we do will never change. We will test burgers and go from place to place. Our tests will remain accurate per our scale and only the locale and burgers themselves will change. As for us, we will remain who we are well after all is said and done. A bold move is required to change the state of things and no single person is capable of such a move. We will skitter and frit along the edges of temptation, yet never step over the edge. The constant is burgers for which we will always arrive and intersect at a crossroads, time and time again.