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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1997)
Burgers battle for buyers ■ McDonald’s and Burger King try to outdo each other in size and price. By Gerry Beltz Restaurant Critic The “burger wars” continue. Currently, the war is between McDonald’s classic Big Mac and the new Big King entry from Buiger King. Both icons are battling for the top spot of the patty pile. Although it could be of mild interest to compare just the two, I’ll throw in a local favorite - Sam’s (2136 N. 48th St.) and its Big Samson - just to keep things interesting. It’s the Big Mac vs. the Big King vs. the Big Samson. A winner? A loser? What, are you kidding? 1 Suffice to say, this hype ain’t worth the difference. (By the way, to have some actual dif ferences to consider, I will be grading not just the burgers in question, but the meal deals offered as well.) SANDWICH: As I said, the characteristics of the three sandwiches are very, very close. Unfortunately for the golden arches, I have to leave the Big Mac to the third place. Small patties and a messy burger (too much of the “special sauce”) were the major downfalls, though having the recyclable, folding box handy to dump fries in is a major plus. Second place was close, but eventu ally the Big King did come out over the Big Samson. True, the Samson is a local favorite, but the Big King doesn’t have the extraneous middle bun of the other two sandwiches, thus producing a much more solid, enjoyable buiger. TOPPINGS: Fairly easy call, here. McDonald’s is third because if you do a “special order” on your sandwich at McDonald’s, chances are you end up waiting about five minutes. BK takes the middle of this catego ry; burgers can be made the way you want, but the extra waiting time (if any) is shorter. Although the wait is similar at Sam’s, it takes the top spot for having pickles, onions and tomer to pile on, plus the tomato is included with the Big Samson’s myriad toppings. MEAL DEAL: This was a tough call all the way around, especially because all three restaurants offered the meal deal for the same price, $2.99. Burger King and McDonald’s both offered free refills on beverages, but Sam’s offers onion rings in substitution for fries at no additional cost. BK charges 10 cents, and McDonald’s doesn’t even HAVE onion rings! Still, I’ll give first place to Burger King (overall best deal), second to the golden arches (classic orange drink, best fries of the three) and third to Sam’s (meal deal not always available and pop refills aren’t free). BURGER WARS II: THE ARCHES STRIKE BACK And how did McDonald’s respond to this attack on its classic burger? It struck back by taking a swipe at BK’s signature burger - the Whopper - by releasing the MegaMac, which is basi cally a Big Mac on steroids. There’s nothing really similar at Sam’s, so it’s down to a two-way race: a dash of cholesterol titans. Since the MegaMac has two patties, it has drawn the Double Whopper as its oppo nent. BURGER: The Double Whopper had a much fresher taste to it, but was messier than the MeeaMac. And again, the fold ing box brings McDonald’s up a mm.ii, in this case to the top spot over Burger King. TOPPINGS: BK is a solid winner here. Order as you like it, and the tomatoes a fresh, juicy taste to them. L DEAL: McDonald’s wins this cate gory by a mile. The MegaMac meal deal is only $3.29, while the Double meaH deaHs 20 ^ more and doesn’t offer cheese on the sand wich, to boot! To create the perfect “Big Burger” meal * deal from the above ■ selections, it would require a Burger King burger patty, toppings and free onion ring sub stitution from Sam’s and the beverage from Then again, for some thing radically different, you could eat something healthful. '1 Comedy script relates to present rLAY from page 12 The frenzy increases when a young gunman enters to kill Tarleton for offenses he committed against the gunman’s mother. Director Tice Miller said he chose “Misalliance” for the season because of its aptness to today’s audiences. “It deals with the expectations of young women in society,” Miller explained. “Shaw wrote the play dur ing the suffragette movement, but his ideas are still relevant today. He con trasts the ‘new woman,’ who went out and got what she wanted, with the ‘womanly woman,’ who used her charms to get what she wanted.” The relationship between chil dren and their parents also constitutes a large part in the play. John Snell, who plays Tarleton, explained, “It shows that family val ues are kind of relative. Families can come in all different types.” Eric Harrell, who plays Lord Summerhays, said though Shaw had a reputation for advancing his politics through his plays, his characters still represent modern audiences. “All humans have a duality in themselves. Like these characters. U ... We should (read Shaw) as it relates to contemporary life and not as if its a museum Tice Miller “Misalliance” director they try to balance the facade and correctness,” Harrell said. “I hope the audiences see some of themselves in the characters and are able to laugh at that.” In order to emphasize the moderni ty of the play, Miller said he was will ing to be more eclectic with this show. He added that the technical aspects of the show enhanced the overall tone. “This is a comedy,” Miller said. “It isn't dark and dreary. The sets and costumes are very colorful and lend to the brightness and lightness of the show.” For many of the actors, “Misalliance” serves as an introduc tion to performing Shaw. “It’s been difficult adjusting to the wordiness,” Snell commented. “You I have to craft (your delivery) in such a way that people will want to listen. Otherwise, you’re just bellowing, and who wants to listen to that for 214 hours?” Miller said he hoped the show‘s results invigorate the audiences and kindle a desire to study Shaw. “I hope the play proves that we should read Shaw. We should study Shaw,” Miller said. “But we should do it as it relates to contemporary life and not as if it’s a museum.” Tickets to tonight’s student-only preview performance are $5. All other performances are $6 for stu dents, $9 for UNL faculty, staff and senior citizens and $10 for all others. Call the Temple Theatre box office at 472-2073 for reservations. —,1 ■ Slobberbone (great country/rock) with Caution mi % IT’S BACK | $2 A^’TH” 1 EVER* - .iURSD I THAT’S RIGHT ALL DOMESTIC ^ MICRO & IMPORT BIG BEER v ' : t- ... _^ |__ 9-dose / I H I */vd eomI hteousBros\ * *H'
