The newest in McDonald’s Big America Series of US themed hamburgers, the Broadway Burger has been released amid much confusion over its name.  No one can really understand what’s so “Broadway” about this thing.

Anyone who has been to Manhattan knows it’s the home of some of the finest restaurants in the world.  Only on Broadway can you see a world-class play and then walk up the street to a plethora of restaurants for your choice of international cuisine.

Since none of this can be found in a Broadway Burger, we turn to McDonald’s for the official explanation:

-       Broadway Burger

The Boradway Burger is represented by the almost musical harmony between its thick slices of juicy bacon and creamy cheese sauce.  Each with their unique appearance and ability, the colorful vegetables, carefully selected pastrami bacon, and cheese sauce mixed with a zesty mustard sauce all come together to give a breathtakingly delicious performance just like the various talents who converge on Broadway.”

The original concept of the Big America Series was to showcase the local flavors of various American cities.  However, they seem to stretching with their choices of location recently.

Take the Grand Canyon Burger.  Now think of all the delicious gourmet food the actual Grand Canyon is famous for.  McDonald’s explanation is that the toppings remind us of the crooks and crags of the landmark crevice.  This same sideways logic is what went into making the Broadway Burger, saying “hey, aren’t all these great toppings exactly like all the great talent that comes together to make a hit musical on Broadway?”

Well, no, not really.

And sure, mustard and pastrami are readily found in delis around Manhattan, but if you spend a few minutes along Broadway you’ll notice that it’s the mecca of chain restaurants.

An authentic Broadway burger would have a combination of toppings from Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut.  Or if they want to go a little more high-end they could sample the tastes of the Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, and the Olive Garden.

I asked someone who stayed over a month on Broadway what they thought of the burger and they said “It’s good but I don’t know why they call it that. It’s kind of a BS name.”

McDonald’s should be ashamed of themselves for appealing to the ignorance of some Japanese people by passing this burger off as a part of American culture.

Now that I got that off my chest, the burger itself is not too salty and has a mellower taste than the rest of the Big American Series. The mustard and pastrami do mix well.  And so, despite their total razing of cultural awareness between Japan and New York, you can still enjoy McDonald’s latest offering for what it is – a tasty burger.

Photo: RocketNews24
In Cooperation With: Gourmet Food Critic, Kujo Norisuke
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