# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 19, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250 "2023-05-19T03:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 119
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2361 "2023-10-08T20:32:14Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > actual pepetrating power Perpetrating is almost as actionable as penetrating? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2362 "2023-10-08T20:44:11Z")
Decisions are hard. I choose both. 😁 D’oh! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2363 "2023-10-08T22:27:03Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > The baked ones just don’t have the same “Oh, I know this is unhealthy, but my god it’s good!” quality to them. They also don’t have the “OMG, this fried pie has molten lava inside and my mouth is melting!”…but, we still loved them and the cherry version. Burned your mouth 50% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2364 "2023-10-08T22:43:22Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > He asked the White House chefs to replicate the McDonalds menu. He wasn’t satisfied with their efforts, so he made his body man Keith Schiller go to McDonalds and pick up food for him. Trumpie’s problem was that the White House kitchen employs _ **chefs** _, not 16-year-olds flipping burgers over greasy grills. So he had to send out for the real thing. The good news for this classy individual is that he’ll probably love prison food! ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2365 "2023-10-09T00:06:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Trumpie’s problem was that the White House kitchen employs _ **chefs** _, not 16-year-olds flipping burgers over greasy grills. So he had to send out for the real thing. Point of order. When was the last time you saw anyone actually flipping burgers on a grill or griddle at McDonalds or Burger King? I mean, they still do at some chains (Lotaburger of New Mexico fame) and other places to be sure, but McD? That’s probably at least as dated if not more so than the fried pies! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2366 "2023-10-09T00:15:25Z")
I admit to complete ignorance on this subject. It’s been at least five or six years – possibly much more – since I was inside a McD’s, but the last time I was, there seemed to be some sort of creature wielding a cooking utensil in the background, hovering over a griddle. How they do things these days I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2367 "2023-10-09T00:17:34Z")
The McDonald’s website says their hamburgers are cooked onsite at restaurants on a grill. Are you suggesting that job is now done entirely by robots? > **[Beef & Burgers FAQs | McDonald's](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/faq/burgers.html#:~:text=McDonald's%20burgers%20are%20made%20of,all%20that%20great%20beef%20taste.&text=*%20Weight%20before%20cooking%204%20oz)** > > How are McDonald's beef patties made? How is the beef seasoned? Get all your McDonald's burger questions answered today! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2368 "2023-10-09T01:06:06Z")
Times could have changed, but I worked at McRonald’s in the 80s. We were certainly flipping burgers with a spatula. We were also cracking eggs in the morning. Two at a time (one in each hand) if you wanted to keep up with the breakfast pace. Let’s hear it for the McDLT! Hot side stays hot, cool side stays cool! ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2369 "2023-10-09T01:16:04Z")
My understanding (and it may well be out of date, so granted could no longer be accurate) was from a classmate who worked there in the late 80s/early 90s while we were in high school. They reported that the burgers (at that time flash frozen) were taken based on current and predictive need and thrown into a clamshell griddle similar to a panini press to cook them insanely fast (I think they said something along the lines of under 2 minutes from frozen), then depending on order density, added to the ‘ready to serve’ section or handed over to the customer. I have read that they have changed things up around 2018, with an emphasis on refrigerated, not frozen meat for their ‘premium’ burgers, but haven’t eaten at McD since a road trip in 2012? 2014? Around there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2370 "2023-10-09T03:53:22Z")
I liked that burger. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2371 "2023-10-09T06:43:08Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > My understanding (and it may well be out of date, so granted could no longer be accurate) was from a classmate who worked there in the late 80s/early 90s while we were in high school. They reported that the burgers (at that time flash frozen) were taken based on current and predictive need and thrown into a clamshell griddle similar to a panini press to cook them insanely fast (I think they said something along the lines of under 2 minutes from frozen), then depending on order density, added to the ‘ready to serve’ section or handed over to the customer. I worked at Burger King for a single shift in 1996, and I remember putting frozen patties on a conveyor belt that went through some sort of oven. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2372 "2023-10-09T07:17:16Z")
Burger king, claims to “flame broil never fry” their burgers. The burgers do have a smokey sort of taste. I worked at the arches in the 70’s, yes my dears back in the stone age. At that time the burgers were fried, assembled, wrapped, and put in a warmer for whatever time they allowed them to be held. When the hold time expired a buzzer went off, and any burgers not sold had to be wasted. We wasted a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2373 "2023-10-09T14:35:50Z")
I know that in around 2018, 2019, McDonalds started claiming that their Quarter Pound patties were cooked to order, and in my local franchise they sort of were. If you ordered a Quarter Pounder or a specialty burger that used a quarter pound patty, they’d give a “grill slip” to the guy working the grill and he’d cook _your_ burger. It wasn’t like you could specify a temperature so I never considered it really “cooked to order”, but there was a minor but distinguishable improvement in taste. However, it was also one more process that could be screwed up, and I got the wrong burger a few times because the guy at the grill screwed up. I didn’t complain, because the screw-ups always resulted in me getting a more expensive menu item for the price of a cheaper one. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2374 "2023-10-09T15:31:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I worked at Burger King for a single shift in 1996, and I remember putting frozen patties on a conveyor belt that went through some sort of oven. I think that’s still how it’s done. Here is a video showing how some Nieco broilers work: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/n2waJ4crCyM/hqdefault.jpg "Nieco Automatic Broilers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2waJ4crCyM) Burger King still employs them, though I suppose it varies from location to location. Here is an ad from 5 years ago targeting franchisees to advertise their product: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uivBFfDekHc/maxresdefault.jpg "Nieco Energy Efficient Restaurant Broilers - Burger King") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uivBFfDekHc) I’ve watched a couple of documentaries on how Burger King got its start, and the “conveyor belt” system was there from the beginning, though of course it has changed a lot over the decades. But Burger King never flipped their burgers on a grill, they got their start using the “Insta-Broiler” (and the original name of the restaurant, “Insta-Burger King”, was derived from that device). That machine was retired in 1959 according to this article. > **[The Cooking Device Burger King Was Originally Built Around - Tasting Table](https://www.tastingtable.com/1031679/the-cooking-device-burger-king-was-originally-built-around/)** > > Burger King is known for its versatile use of sandwich toppings and for its signature burger taste. Here is more about the device the company was built around. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2375 "2023-10-09T15:38:56Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think that’s still how it’s done. > > Here is a video showing how some Nieco broilers work: That’s like the burger equivalent of the conveyor pizza oven I used to use at Pizza Hut, similar to this one: > **[Log into Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/UsedRestaurantBarEquipment/photos/a.1649743575286076/2735620496698373/?type=3)** > > Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2376 "2023-10-09T15:57:16Z")
The reason McDonald’s was so wildly successful was because they came up with a system to very quickly churn out food with consistency. If you went into a McDonald’s, you could be pretty confident that the cheeseburger you ordered was going to be the same today as it was when you ordered it yesterday, and you can be in and out quick. They had a limited, simple menu, a very efficient kitchen layout, and used tools and training for their employees to ensure that things were done in an identical and fast way each time. Back when McDonald’s got started, you didn’t have that sort of thing yet, and they were the first real fast food juggernaut because they cracked the code. Burger King had the same idea, and deliberately sought to imitate and compete with McDonald’s, but rather than focus on efficient work practices they used technology to achieve that goal. Hence the Insta-Broiler and the other machines that followed it. Rather than have an employee at a grill flipping burgers, you stick them in a machine that does all the work while you can spend your time assembling burgers, preparing toppings, getting drinks, etc. Clearly it worked since they’ve been around for 70 years. Trump however seems to prefer McDonald’s. I wonder if it’s because he has his own Golden Arches on top of his head. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2377 "2023-10-09T16:40:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’ve watched a couple of documentaries on how Burger King got its start,… I saw a similar show on the Discovery Channel, I think. I wish I could remember the exact term they used, but the show described the Whopper as a prestige or flagship burger, something like that. As BK started to experience some success and growth (in Florida, I think), McDonald’s thought they needed their own prestige product to compete. The new burger came from one of their franchisees in Pennsylvania. It took them three tries to come up with a good name for it. Would you go to McDonald’s and order the Aristocrat or the Blue Ribbon Burger? ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2378 "2023-10-09T16:40:47Z")
See, the proper way to do it to pull a Reagan: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left _me._” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2379 "2023-10-09T16:43:11Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I saw a similar show on the Discovery Channel, I think. I think I saw the same one. The Big Mac was the McDonald’s response to the Whopper. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250/2380 "2023-10-09T17:20:26Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think I saw the same one. The Big Mac was the McDonald’s response to the Whopper. Yep. the Aristocrat and the Blue Ribbon Burger didn’t catch on, until the name “Big Mac” was suggested by secretary Esther Glickstein Rose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250.md?page=118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-2/984250.md?page=120)