# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 174
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3461 "2026-10-14T23:16:13Z")
In Hokkaido, they go a step further by calling anything on a round bun a “hamburger”. Just yesterday, I had a Chinese Chicken Hamburger. I don’t care what they call it, it tasted great. [![](https://tblg.k-img.com/restaurant/images/Rvw/274902/640x640_rect_18cd29f05aa0242ec0f09accd3ffd88c.jpg) ](https://tblg.k-img.com/restaurant/images/Rvw/274902/640x640_rect_18cd29f05aa0242ec0f09accd3ffd88c.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3462 "2026-10-14T23:25:15Z")
Same. The patty could be ground chicken, or a vegetarian thing somewhat imitating a disk of ground beef. But I expect a disk of something meaty, and not an actual piece of meat. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3463 "2026-10-14T23:33:42Z")
We Americans also say “roommate” even if the person will not be sharing the same room with you. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3464 "2026-10-14T23:44:23Z")
I don’t care much about keeping up with coolness/trends, either, but I thought it was a fun topic for a poll. I mostly like movies, music, and shows from the early 2000s and before. I’ve also never been a bar/club type of person, and I live in an area with a fairly big “football and partying” culture (although this is slowly changing). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3465 "2026-10-14T23:53:22Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > To me, a burger is a patty made of ground meat or ground vegetarian alternatives. If not specified, it’s probably ground beef. Whether it’s on a bun or not, or for that matter on any kind of bread, has nothing to do with it. At a restaurant in Oslo, Norway, I once got an item that was translated as “meat cakes” on the English menu. It was a ground meat patty served with gravy and mashed potatoes (and probably some other vegetables that I don’t recall). It essentially tasted like a really big Swedish meatball that you had to cut up and eat with a knife and fork. Is that a “burger” by your definition? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3466 "2026-10-14T23:58:29Z")
> [@LavenderMagnolia](#): > > I’ve also never been a bar/club type of person, and I live in an area with a fairly big “football and partying” culture (although this is slowly changing). Yeah when I think of Dopers I’m not thinking about the popular kids. I mean some of you must have been. But I suspect “Freaks and Geeks” is closer to the mark, with most of us. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3467 "2026-10-14T23:59:04Z")
In the US, I don’t often see the patty alone called a burger; not in a patty melt or a chili size nor a loco moco. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3468 "2026-10-15T00:05:14Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > At a restaurant in Oslo, Norway, I once got an item that was translated as “meat cakes” on the English menu. It was a ground meat patty served with gravy and mashed potatoes (and probably some other vegetables that I don’t recall). Which, if served in the U.S., would probably be called “Salisbury steak.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3469 "2026-10-15T00:06:37Z")
I eat very little bread, and almost never eat hamburger (and hot dog) buns; but I do eat, and enjoy, burgers. Not sure what buns have to do with the definition either. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3470 "2026-10-15T00:20:52Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > To me, a burger is a patty made of ground meat or ground vegetarian alternatives. If not specified, it’s probably ground beef. Whether it’s on a bun or not, or for that matter on any kind of bread, has nothing to do with it. > > At a restaurant in Oslo, Norway, I once got an item that was translated as “meat cakes” on the English menu. It was a ground meat patty served with gravy and mashed potatoes (and probably some other vegetables that I don’t recall). It essentially tasted like a really big Swedish meatball that you had to cut up and eat with a knife and fork. Is that a “burger” by your definition? Probably. If it was round like an oversize meatball I’d probably call it a meatball; but if it was shaped like a patty yes I’d call it a burger. Think of it this way: if you take a burger out of the bun that it’s in and put it on your plate without the bun, it doesn’t stop being a burger. (Or does it, for you?) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3471 "2026-10-15T00:40:05Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Think of it this way: if you take a burger out of the bun that it’s in and put it on your plate without the bun, it doesn’t stop being a burger. (Or does it, for you?) Well, I wouldn’t call the Norwegian meat cake a burger. Like @kenobi_65 said a few posts up, I’d probably call it Salisbury steak, or maybe a meatball. I will concede that certain bunless low carb burgers are still burgers (e.g. at In-N-Out if you order your burger “protein style” it comes in a lettuce wrap instead of on a bun). I’m not exactly sure where the line is between burger and not-burger other than I’ll know it when I see it, though. If it still has common burger toppings like ketchup, mustard, special sauce, lettuce, tomato, etc., then I’d call it a burger. But once you start putting things like gravy on it, then it’s crossed the line to something else, like Salisbury steak. > [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Not sure what buns have to do with the definition either. Mostly because the British definition appears to base it on the bun rather than the patty. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3472 "2026-10-15T00:46:57Z")
IMO, a burger on a plate without a bun is a hamburger steak. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3473 "2026-10-15T02:02:09Z")
The “x is rude/not rude” poll needs a “none of the above” option. I don’t feel any of the scenarios are rude, exactly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3474 "2026-10-15T02:54:11Z")
Yeah, I agree. Some of the examples could pass over into slightly annoying, but not rude. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3475 "2026-10-15T03:17:20Z")
I honestly forgot to add a “None of the above” option. I beg everyone’s forgiveness. I would edit the poll but I think can’t be after so many minutes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3476 "2026-10-15T03:19:57Z")
> [@LavenderMagnolia](#): > > I would edit the poll but I think can’t be after so many minutes. Indeed; no posts on the SDMB can be edited once 15 minutes has passed from their original posting. And if you edit a poll within that 15-minute window, the entire poll resets, and any responses entered before your edit is made vanish. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3477 "2026-10-15T03:53:57Z")
I never thought it was rude to _not_ set down the divider at the checkout lane for someone else, but I recently saw a meme about it somewhere. I tend to start putting bags into my cart as the cashier fills them. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3478 "2026-10-15T03:57:15Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I have always looked forward to being elderly because you can get away with never going anywhere and doing puzzles and needlepoint. I hate to tell you but you spend a lots of time going to doctors and physical therapy, etc and your eyes probably won’t cooperate about needlepoint nor your arthritic hands or shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3479 "2026-10-15T04:18:54Z")
Asking how you voted is rude. Asking if you voted is not. I hold the door for someone because it lets me smugly congratulate myself for my moral superiority. It does not create any obligation on their part. I always figured the divider stick was my job, not theirs. Under the traditional rules of etiquette, a verbal thank-you is not adequate. A written note is required. I am rude far more often than I should be. If someone does not eat a particular item, that leaves more for those of us that do like it. Not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2026, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3480 "2026-10-15T11:11:51Z")
Asking if I “remembered” to vote implies that I’m irresponsible and is rude. Asking if I voted is impolite and none of your business but not necessarily rude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=173) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=175)