QUARANTINE BLOG # 485

July 28, 2021

Yesterday was National Hamburger Day and I mentioned that the origin of the hamburger has a number of claimants.  No conclusive argument has ever ended the dispute over the invention.  An article from ABC News sums up: “One problem is that there is little written history.  Another issue is that the spread of the burger happened largely at the World’s Fair, from tiny vendors who came and went in an instant.  And it is entirely possible that more than one person came up with the idea at the same time in different parts of the country.”  Here are some of their stories.

Louis Lassen:  According to this account, the hamburger, a ground meat patty between two slices of bread, was first created in America in 1900 by Louis Lassen, a Danish immigrant, owner of Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut.  Louis’ Lunch, a small lunch wagon in New Haven, is said to have sold the first hamburger and steak sandwich in the U.S. in 1900.  A customer ordered a quick hot meal at a time Louis was out of steaks. Taking ground beef trimmings, Louis made a patty and grilled it, putting it between two slices of toast.

From Louis’ Lunch

Charlie Nagreen:  Nagreen in 1885 sold a meatball between two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair.  The Seymour Community Historical Society of Seymour, Wisconsin, credits Nagreen, now known as “Hamburger Charlie,” with the invention.  Nagreen was fifteen when he was reportedly selling pork sandwiches at the 1885 Seymour Fair, made so customers could eat while walking.  The Historical Society explains that Nagreen named the hamburger after the Hamburg steak with which local German immigrants were familiar.

The “Hamburger Rundstück” was popular already in 1869, and is believed to be a precursor to the modern Hamburger.

Otto Kuase:  According to White Castle, Otto Kuase was the inventor of the hamburger.  In 1891, he created a beef patty cooked in butter and topped with a fried egg. German sailors would later omit the fried egg.

Oscar Weber Bilby:  The family of Oscar Weber Bilby claims the first-known hamburger on a bun was served on July 4, 1891 on Grandpa Oscar’s farm. The bun was a yeast bun.  In 1995, Governor Frank Keating proclaimed that the first true hamburger on a bun was created and consumed there in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1891, calling Tulsa, “The Real Birthplace of the Hamburger.”

Hamburg steak has been known as “Frikadelle” in Germany since the 17th century.

Frank and Charles Menches: The brothers claim to have sold a ground beef sandwich at the Erie County Fair in 1885 in Hamburg, New York.  During the fair, they ran out of pork sausage for their sandwiches and substituted beef.  This story notes that the name of the hamburger comes from Hamburg, New York not Hamburg, Germany.

A steak burger with cheese and onion rings

By the time you’re done reading this sentence, McDonald’s has probably sold about 2,250 burgers.  Worldwide, McDonald’s sells about $50 million worth of burgers a day, which is about 750 burgers sold a second.

The Big Mac

No matter who made it first, Americans eat an estimated 50 billion burgers (and 20 billion dogs per year).  That’s about 156 burgers and 70 dogs per person (I ate 2 dogs at the ballyard last night, and will again tonight – that’s the beauty of it).  156 burgers equals about one every other day.  Someone is eating a lot of hamburgers!

👉  Some comic strips from Pickles:

👉  Today’s close is by Neil Anderson.

“My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ).

Adam and Eve were created spiritually alive. The attributes they experienced before the Fall became glaring needs after the Fall.

Acceptance was replaced by rejection, therefore we have a need to belong. Ever since Adam and Eve’s sin alienated them from God and disrupted human relationships, we have experienced a deep need to belong. You will never understand the power of peer pressure in our culture until you understand the legitimate need to belong and the fear of rejection we all share.

Innocence was replaced by guilt and shame, therefore we have a need for a sense of worth. Many psychologists agree that people today generally suffer from a poor sense of worth. Your worth as a person is not an issue of giftedness, talent, intelligence or beauty. Your sense of personal worth comes from knowing who you are: a child of God.

Authority to rule over creation was replaced by weakness and helplessness, therefore we have a need for strength and self-control. There is no one more insecure than a controller. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control, not spouse- or child-control.

Only Christ can meet the most basic needs of humanity such as life, identity, acceptance, security and significance. These needs are eternal, unlike our physical needs. If we present Christ as meeting only our physical needs, we will have stiff competition from every humanistic organization.

Prayer: Father God, I reject any counterfeit fulfillment Satan offers me. I will live by every word that proceeds from Your mouth. Amen.

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