# Eating Hamburgers Upside Down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246 "2014-05-12T05:16:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/21 "2014-05-12T14:31:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I never knew there’s a up or down side to a burger. I open the carton and take a bite. > > I once got kidded about slicing a burger in half. I sometimes do that just like I would any sandwich. you are creating no end of problems for yourself creating two wedges which then are too weak to be supported cantilevers. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/22 "2014-05-12T14:44:12Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Whether you eat a burger convex side up or down is totally irrelevant. What is crucial is [maintaining even positioning of the fingers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrPMTWKLhxA) such that the condiment plies don’t experience interlaminar shear and debond. While the convex shape of the upper bun does help with finger placement, it is neither critical nor intrinsic to the pre-mastication transport of the burger. > > However, a burger should properly be constructed with liquid condiments below the patty (thus mixing with the juices from the meat releasing glutamates to create a balanced taste which contributes to the fullness of the flavor, i.e. umami) while cold ingredients should be located above the patty to moisten the top of the mouth and give the appropriate textile response, preparing the gustatory cortex sufficient time to ready itself for the symphony of flavors. Some well-intentioned people attempt to put a slice of lettuce between the lower bun and everything above in an effort to keep the bun from soaking up juice but this only results in the impenetrable substrate sluicing the meat juice along the channels formed between stem structures and the resulting geyser of grease that escapes and dribbles down onto the hands. > > In grotesque American fashion many restaurants now prepare the burger with a double dose of sauces above and below the patty, with the result generally overpowering the taste of the meat, a tradition started by fast food establishments in order to mask their substandard offerings. This failure to adhere to the long-standing separation between sauce and vegetable is a deplorable state of affairs in the culinary culture of the US and should be brought to a stop by all legal means available starting with an emergency federal injunction via Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution, _United States v. Lopez_ be damned. > > There is also the question of what kind of beverage may be consumed while eating a hamburger, but this is a topic for another day. > > Stranger Thank you, Sheldon. I also eat my burger upside down. For structural reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/23 "2014-05-12T15:11:21Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > In a fast food ad today with the attention to detail, I can’t imagine a commercial director using that. They do get things glaringly wrong on occasion. Not burgers, but I’ve seen many ads for sub sandwiches where the eater is holding the thing vertical, unwrapped, and with one hand. It’s just so obviously wrong that it stands out. I wouldn’t put it past them to screw up burger commercials. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/24 "2014-05-12T15:17:52Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You’re not supposed to cut a burger in half? It’s a lot easier to hold if you have to eat one-handed, that’s for sure. What are you doing with that other hand? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/25 "2014-05-12T15:19:13Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > In a fast food ad today with the attention to detail, I can’t imagine a commercial director using that. Watch a taco commercial sometime. Nobody in the world ever ate a taco the way they do in commercials. That’s because a normal grip obscures all the fillings. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/26 "2014-05-12T15:19:53Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Prediction; the first person to create a “double-top” hamburger bun (both halves domed like the the top of the bun is now) will be a millionare. > > (And no using two tops from a bag of HBBs, that’s cheating!) One time I went to a restaurant and both my friend and I ordered cheeseburgers. They accidentally gave me two bun bottoms and him two bun tops. I felt like I got short changed ☹ ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/27 "2014-05-12T15:32:59Z")
> [@simster](#): > > What are you doing with that other hand? handling his pickle. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/28 "2014-05-12T15:43:31Z")
Might be more like a french fry. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/29 "2014-05-12T15:43:42Z")
> [@simster](#): > > What are you doing with that other hand? Working the mayonnaise dispenser, of course! Seriously, though: typing, writing, holding a book open. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/30 "2014-05-12T15:55:22Z")
Clearly those people are satanists. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/31 "2014-05-12T17:41:03Z")
I often eat burgers upside down. Because the bottom bun often gets soggy from the grease. When I make my own burgers, condiments go on the bottom. Are we getting into shoes/no shoes, Toilet Paper Top/Bottom territory? Oh God!! ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/32 "2014-05-12T18:00:55Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Prediction; the first person to create a “double-top” hamburger bun (both halves domed like the the top of the bun is now) will be a millionare. > > (And no using two tops from a bag of HBBs, that’s cheating!) Tch, simple enough. Make normal buns, then separate upper and lower halves into different bags. Market the top-bun bags under your “double-top” concept, and the bottom-bun bags as “slim” buns. Price both bags 50% higher than a regular bag of buns. As to the original topic: flip or nonflip matters not a whit to me: I eat the burger as I see fit, and let the chips fall where they may. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/33 "2014-05-12T18:17:09Z")
My husband, the usually-reasonable **MaxTheVool** , gave me shit this week for constructing our burgers “upside down” in that the meat sat atop the lettuce/pickle/tomato/onion. His reasoning was, the veggies are sometimes called “toppings” thus should be on top. I just rolled my eyes. What I should have said, I now realize, is, they’re not toppings, they’re fixings. Aw, snap. Also, my willingness to turn burgers around, including upside down when required, is the reason I can finish a burger without it falling to pieces, a skill that others in our household decidedly lack. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/34 "2014-05-12T18:24:52Z")
This thread inspired me to have a bacon cheeseburger for lunch. Upside down. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/35 "2014-05-12T18:39:06Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Working the mayonnaise dispenser Is that what the kids call it nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/36 "2014-05-12T20:37:32Z")
> [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](#): > > Sometimes if a burger is especially messy or the thin, bottom half of the bun is becoming soggy, I will flip it upside down so the contents can be supported by the thicker, stronger top half of the bun. This. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/37 "2014-05-12T21:07:30Z")
Flipping the top bun to the bottom is especially helpful for non-burger sandwiches that are served on hamburger buns. Sloppy joes and pork bbq sandwiches come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/38 "2014-05-12T21:12:42Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I vaguely recall an ad campaign for one of the national burger joints that was something about “So juicy that you have to eat it upside down”…but my recollection is from the late '60s early '70s and I think Madmen is set much earlier than that (I don’t watch the show). Actually, it’s 1969 on the show. And I’ve eaten burgers upside down, and I’m proud! (Soggy bun reason) ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/39 "2014-05-12T21:35:28Z")
I remember that being one of those Household Hints that women’s magazines like to print, and I first read it in the 70s or so. It’s for all the reasons everyone has already mentioned - the top bun is thicker, the toppings won’t squirt out as much, it’s less messy. Since I eat my cheeseburgers plain, it’s nothing I have to worry about, so I’ve never done it. But the idea itself is old, and common. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246/40 "2014-05-12T23:13:02Z")
I usually it them right side up, but besides the issue that sometimes the bottom is too soggy to support the insides, there’s also cases where the burger is in a basket or otherwise hard to gain access to. With the way our hands are shaped, it’s easier to slide your fingers down around the edge of a burger than your thumbs. And if you’ve done that, then it’s more comfortable to flip the burger to eat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-hamburgers-upside-down/688246.md?page=3)