I visited Louis Lunch for their world famous hamburger on Ash Wednesday, of all days. For those raised Catholic, Ash Wednesday means eating no meat, only fish. Well, I forgot. I dragged a coworker to go to Louis with me. We went at 1:30, supposedly after the lunch rush. Well forget about it. The place was packed. The “joint” is only about 9×12, so having people spilling out into the street was expected. There was quite an eclectic mix of people, kids, parents, construction workers, office workers, a minister (I’m assuming he wasn’t a Catholic priest since it was Ash Wednesday), teenagers, you name it. It took a while to get the burgers. But it was hamburger in its purest form…toasted bread…big, fat burger…grilled onion. No condiments, no fixin’s, no fuss. Although a Cheese Whiz like product was available if you wanted a cheeseburger. No fries, just chips, and NO KETCHUP. Only ask for ketchup if you want to be abused. Definitely a place to go if you have a lot of time and you want to refill your quota of “character.”
This is a really informative article. I am from the area yet have never been to Louis Lunch. I even mistakenly thought the name was “Louie’s” lunch. The hamburger sounds great but I’m worried about the ketchup issue. I wonder if this is a prejudice that harkens back to the days of The Great Produce Rebellion, in which hundreds of grizzled little Italian men rampage through the farmers market, pelting each other with tomatoes and other overripe produce, instigating a harsh repression by the chubby beef guys in ill-fitting, blood spattered coveralls over at the other end of the food terminal. It smacks of a political and cultural cover-up to me.
Comment by Prof. Umbrage — February 28, 2007 @ 6:24 pm |
I think of it as more of political repression than cover-up. Just like Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi…NO KETCHUP FOR YOU! You would think that in a place that serves the All-American food it would let you behave in the All-American way… my way or the highway…and “lettuce” have the burger the way we want it.
Comment by Anita — March 1, 2007 @ 12:04 pm |