# Cheeseburger hegemony **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066 "2018-06-14T02:14:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [June 14, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/41 "2018-06-14T18:17:27Z")
American cheese is the only true cheese for a cheese burger. Cheddar doesn’t melt, it just sweats and turns greasy. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/42 "2018-06-14T18:23:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I have no religious objection to cheeseburgers. I’m not lactose intolerant. I just prefer my burgers without cheese. As hardships go, ordering a cheeseburger without the cheese is pretty far down the list, but it does make me feel like I’m in a Jack Nicholson movie. Is there some reason I have to jump through hoops just to get a hamburger? I feel your pain, although I prefer cheese on my burgers. My cross to bear is that I can’t stand ketchup. Try that at McDonalds, BK, or the like Yes, they say they’ll do it, but 50% of the time, it’s wrong. (Actually Wendy’s has never screwed it up, but the others routinely do) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/43 "2018-06-14T19:06:46Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Thread moved, okay; but I thought Great Debates, surely. Cafe Society is where threads about food go. Hamburgers may not be _huate cuisine_, but they certainly qualify as comestibles. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/44 "2018-06-14T19:37:28Z")
Cheese is an upsell. I get it, the boss requires you to offer cheese To everyone who does not order a cheeseburger, just in case they don’t know that you have cheese available for your burger. I often order a “hamburger with no cheese.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/45 "2018-06-14T19:50:33Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Cheese is an upsell. I get it, the boss requires you to offer cheese To everyone who does not order a cheeseburger, just in case they don’t know that you have cheese available for your burger. > > I often order a “hamburger with no cheese.” So do I, but they still put “cheese” on it. Even when I say multiple times “no cheese.” ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/46 "2018-06-14T20:03:10Z")
what I think is weird is McD’s put cheese on a fish sandwich and 90 percent of the time my cousin says no cheese its still there ………………. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/47 "2018-06-14T20:45:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Count me in the “No cheese!” cohort. And I have noticed the OP’s complaint myself. I was just never motivated enough to post about it. Yeah, I wasn’t all that keen on starting a thread either, until I thought of the title. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/48 "2018-06-14T20:47:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Cafe Society is where threads about food go. He knows that, it just cheeses him off. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/49 "2018-06-14T20:53:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > So do I, but they still put “cheese” on it. Even when I say multiple times “no cheese.” I have the opposite experience in that when I order a _cheese_burger and say what I want on it and omit the cheese they then have to verify that I want cheese on it. Well duh, otherwise I’d order a hamburger. And if I specify “cheeseburger with pickles, lettuce, and cheese” then they have to verify that I want the meat, and it seems silly to say “cheeseburger with pickles, lettuce, cheese, and meat” and when I do I know it is just a matter of time before someone asks if I want bread. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/50 "2018-06-14T21:04:43Z")
In the early 2000’s Burger King had a promotion–maybe it was 99 cent double cheeseburgers. So we went in and ordered 4 double hamburgers, fries, drinks, and the cashier told me an amount that was way too high. So I said, “the burgers are 99 cents each, right?” Her reply: “No you ordered double hamburgers–it’s double cheeseburgers that are on sale.” I really could not get through to her that it was ludicrous to charge me MORE because my burgers had no cheese on them. When we called the manager over, he refused to amend the charge, so we just left, and never ate there again. In fact, we started a ritual of saying “F you burger king” every time we drove past. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/51 "2018-06-14T23:15:24Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I hate cheese on a burger. It is an abomination. > > The very rare times I order a Big Mac- without cheese- I still get cheese. They say just take it off. > > Um, you know what happens to processed cheese against a hot patty??? What I find mind blowing is that you actually got a patty hot enough that could cause any type of melting to occur!! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/52 "2018-06-14T23:44:34Z")
I never understood why a hamburger and a cheeseburger have two different names and separate entries on a menu. Is a hamburger with tomato a tomato burger? Is a hamburger with lettuce a lettuce burger? Is a hamburger with onions an onion burger? It’s just one food item with a choice of toppings. ---
**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:** [June 14, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/53 "2018-06-14T23:49:44Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I never understood why a hamburger and a cheeseburger have two different names and separate entries on a menu. > > Is a hamburger with tomato a tomato burger? Is a hamburger with lettuce a lettuce burger? Is a hamburger with onions an onion burger? > > It’s just one food item with a choice of toppings. By that reasoning, a hamburger with cheese is a hamburger. So if you order a hamburger, it may come with cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/54 "2018-06-15T00:11:04Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > By that reasoning, a hamburger with cheese is a hamburger. So if you order a hamburger, it may come with cheese. Yes. But when you order a hamburger you get to say which standard topping you don’t want and which optional toppings you do want. Cheese should be one or the other. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/55 "2018-06-15T13:15:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I never understood why a hamburger and a cheeseburger have two different names and separate entries on a menu. > > Is a hamburger with tomato a tomato burger? Is a hamburger with lettuce a lettuce burger? Is a hamburger with onions an onion burger? > > It’s just one food item with a choice of toppings. The cheese is not considered a topping but a main ingredient. E.g., you can have a grilled cheese sandwich. In a cheeseburger, the cheese and the burger are equals. The lettuce, mustard, etc. are hardly at the same level. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/56 "2018-06-15T14:21:38Z")
I know people who eat tomato sandwiches, so I don’t consider cheese to be any different than tomato. And in fact a lot of menus do simply list cheese as an optional topping as part of a unified hamburger menu item. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/57 "2018-06-15T14:54:12Z")
Just order the cheese to go. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/58 "2018-06-15T20:20:14Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The cheese is not considered a topping but a main ingredient. E.g., you can have a grilled cheese sandwich. In a cheeseburger, the cheese and the burger are equals. The lettuce, mustard, etc. are hardly at the same level. I wouldn’t say that the cheese is equal to the burger, but it is often applied at the end of the cooking phase so it melts a little. That does distinguish it from lettuce, pickles, and the other burger accoutrements. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/59 "2018-06-16T05:56:29Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Something about cheese on a burger…it’s just not…kosher. Sounds like bacon. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2018, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066/60 "2018-06-16T08:13:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I wouldn’t say that the cheese is equal to the burger, but it is often applied at the end of the cooking phase so it melts a little. That does distinguish it from lettuce, pickles, and the other burger accoutrements. Melted lettuce is baaad. Melted pickles - unsure. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheeseburger-hegemony/816066.md?page=4)