It has been my understanding that McDonald's stopped using beef tallow to appease vegetarians and other non-cow eaters (for religious reasons). Yes those were some damn good fries back in the day.

I have tried Whataburger many times. I've tried their burgers. I've tried their chicken. I've tried their fish. And every time I cannot understand why so many people like Whataburger! It is horrible! And nothing makes me change the channel faster than that southern old guy who does the voice-overs for their commercials.

I'll take Whataburger over Mickey D's any day of the week. At least one of my 36,000+ ways to make it would be freshly prepared and hot, and whould not have sat under a heat lamp for an hour prior to my order.

BTW - Is the old guy that does the Whataburger voiceovers the same guy that does Big Tex at the State Fair? Sounds just like him/it.

Just had Whataburger...much much better than McDonalds. I like that they more or less make it to order. Don't know if any of the non-burger stuff is any good...but double with cheese is a good. Can't have them too often...Damn iPhone app with calorie and fat gram counts.

Actually, I was the guy who threw away that cardboard box that Dave enjoyed so much. I did so in order to get at the contents: Tallgrass Beef Burgers (sundried tomato and gruyere cheese). These are really tasty meat! The moo-cows are grass-fed (no McD fries, notice) and have no hormones administered or animal byproduct fed to them.

I eat them 'coz they taste beefy. Especially with a slice of Costco Dubliner (pseudo-cheddar) and bacon all seasoned with lots of pepper (Heston Blumenthal trick). Just heat the assembly in the microwave for one minute. Why go out when it is this good at home?

Oh, and if this were the Eats Blog I'd add

"Yummy"

and ask:

Do you ever eat cardboard?

I have been wating Whataburgers since the 1950s and I am mystified how TLS can describe them as "horrible". Compared to what? Prime rib? Hard to beat the double with cheese AND jalapenos (try getting them on a QP). For taste and for value. Maybe Stephen Pyles and Tim Love make better burgers, but you can't get them at the drive-thru at 2 AM.

The 'Y' word, Worzel? Did you have to drop the Y-bomb? We were having such a good day...

The last whataburger I had was absolutely disgusting, if it wasn't the only opportunity to get something in my stomach that night before a 13 hour flight the next day, there's no way I would have even come close to finishing it. As it was, I believe I threw out the last third of the patty - it was so hard and rubbery (like, super ball rubbery) that I haven't able to bring myself back.

So I'm with TLS on this one. I'd definitely rather eat at Wendy's if I was on the road, at home I'd simply stop at Walmart and get something - anything. And it would be better than a Whataburger.

ps I heard Costco's cardboard was to die for..

luniz for President.

Sorry, luniz--I'm going to use that postscript to ruin your presidential chances.

I've known people who moved or transferred out of Texas, and when they returned for a visit, had to get a Whataburger as soon as they got back. Maybe Whataburger doesn't try to appeal to everybody, unlike McDonalds, which seems to be focused on not offending anyone. For a purist like myself, it's the "Justaburger" (like a regular 99c McDonald's hamburger that they put in Happy Meals), except that it's "just" Onions and Mustard and Pickles on the meat. Well, I guess you can add cheese. For 99c, I'll eat 2 or 3 of them. It's like an old-time, small-town hamburger stand burger. Maybe better.

I ain't no foodie but, good god, how can anybody eat at either of these joints? The food is absolutely disgusting. This article is like an argument over whose fart smells better.

For the vegetarian record, though McD's cooks the fries in vegetable oil now, the seasoning spray they use has beef extract in it. It was a big thing a few years ago, though any vegetarians regularly dining at McD's probably got what was coming.

Indeed, Willie, but people do--and therefore it is fair game. By the way, we don't use the "F word" (the fourth word in your post) on City of Ate.

your study is useless. it angers me.

Damn. And we wrote it for you, Hughes.

Oh--it's not a study.

Dairy Queen?

I generally like Whataburger better, particularly their evilly delicious drunken weekend night fooder: the breakfast taquito, but my favourite thing to get is a grilled cheese dressed like a burger at Whataburger and Burger House. I have found that most of what I like about the burger is the chopped lettuce, pickles, onion, tomatoes, and mustard. It is particularly delicious at Burger House where you can get that addictive salt.