# Things you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. aka: What's White Castle? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 21, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605 "2005-03-21T18:29:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/1 "2005-03-21T18:29:54Z")
Really. What the heck is White Castle? I hear references constantly such as the reference to their “slider” burgers in another thread. And _Harold and Kumar_. Is it a restaurant? Is it an amusement park? I live in California and have never seen a White Castle. And no, I didn’t see the movie. And I’m not sure about whatever relation to the _American Pie_ movies it has. Its time for me to shed my fear of mockery and ask the question which has tortured me. In addition to answers to my question, does anyone else have a question they really want to ask, but are afraid to? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/2 "2005-03-21T18:36:39Z")
_White Castle_ is a fast food chain. The specialize in small burgers, called sliders. They are I think 4 oz, but I might be wrong. nyways, since they are small, the thing to do is order a lot of them. Some people like to brag about how many they can eat, een (I once ate 30 sliders at one sitting!) I’ve never been, since i’ve never lived anywhere that had them around, and had never even heard of them until I started reading the boards. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/3 "2005-03-21T18:37:54Z")
Yeah, none around me, either. At least not that I’m aware of. But in short, [White Castle](http://whitecastle.com/) is a fast food burger joint. Their gimmick is that their burgers are a whopping 2 inches squared or so. With a big mouth, bite sized. You order them in bulk. They’re nasty and oniony, but damned cheap. So, as far as I’ve been led to believe, great stoner food. I see on preview that I’ve been beat, but will submit anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/4 "2005-03-21T18:39:08Z")
It’s a fast food-hamburger place in the midwest. They sell little square greasy hamburgers with holes in them. Here’s their website. > **[White Castle](https://www.whitecastle.com/)** > > In 1921, it all started out so innocently. A five-cent small hamburger. A Castle-shaped restaurant. And nothing like it before, or since. A humble 100% beef patty with onions, and a pickle. So easy to eat, it was dubbed the Slider. The only thing... ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/5 "2005-03-21T18:39:49Z")
White Castle is a restaurant in the Northeast US, which makes little, square burgers. [Here](http://www.whitecastle.com/) is their website. You can also buy White Castle burgers in the frozen food section of many supermarkets. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/6 "2005-03-21T18:40:56Z")
Forgot to mention, you can also buy them [in your grocer’s freezer section](http://whitecastle.com/_pages/frozen.asp). My dad did this from time to time, so despite having never been to a White Castle, I have eaten these vile little things. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/7 "2005-03-21T18:43:56Z")
White Castle is an American fast food chain. They make a unique burger. Their patties are small (I’d say about a third of the size of a normal burger), pierced with five holes (this allows them to cook without being flipped and for steam to pass through the patty and flavor the bun while cooking), and square. While Wendy’s chose square patties to distinguish its product and create the impression of more meat (the corners of a Wendy’s patty protrude past the bun), White Castle uses square patties to maximize grill space. White Castle burgers, known as Sliders and Belly Bombers, cause extreme reactions. Folks love them, or think that they are an abomination. White Castle is intentionally nowhere near as large as McDonald’s or Burger King. The business model focuses on employee ownership, and being open more hours. A few years ago, White Castle began selling burgers and cheeseburgers as a frozen food line. Most of the supermarkets here in Philadelphia carry them. IMHO, greasy, onion ridden ambrosia. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/8 "2005-03-21T18:44:43Z")
Mmm…White Castle. Haven’t had one since I left Ohio in 1991. Something tells me the frozen ones just wouldn’t be the same. It’s been my experience that people either love them or hate them; there’s no middle ground. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/9 "2005-03-21T18:47:42Z")
Bah. None of those replies were there when I hit submit. But, I stand on my principles. Never surrender, never preview! ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/10 "2005-03-21T18:50:45Z")
Ah, yes, White Castle. (Warning: Flash 6 page). I grew up in Michigan, and we had a LOT of those things. They’re the kind of thing either you love or you hate. I loved 'em growing up. Now I hate 'em. You’ll notice from [this page](http://www.whitecastle.com/_pages/menu.asp) that they call those little burgers “Slyders”. Bowing to the inevitable, I suppose. \ OK, that’s annoying. Practically EVERY single page of theirs requires flash player. Ah, well, their nutrition info pages require you to select your city & state, and from that I can gather that they are available only in the following 11 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Incidentally, on their “slyder secret” page, there’s a picture of something that looks like a big hunk-o-cheesecake with “slyders” parked on top of it, and the whole thing is covered in strawberry sauce. Gross. I mean, even nastier than just Slyders-by-themselves. According to William Poundstone in one of his “Secrets” books, **DocCathode** is right, they’ve got holes punched in them. However, it’s not just for even cooking; the buns are heated on top of the burgers. Also from WP, the unique texture comes from the fact that the burgers are essentially _boiled_ on top of a griddle in some ersatz water-onion mix that’s liberally ladled onto the grill. None of which is causing me to think, “gotta get me some.” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/11 "2005-03-21T18:53:04Z")
Does anybody else to whom the word “slider” means a turtle think that that the idea of “slider burgers” is more than a little weird? ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/12 "2005-03-21T18:57:32Z")
There are two groups of people in the world. Those who love White Castles like myself and those who hate them like my wife. There are no swing voters or within the margin of error.😃 ---
**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:** [March 21, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/13 "2005-03-21T18:59:57Z")
White Castle was founded in Wichita, Kan., 24 years before McDonald’s started up. They’re absolutely delicious. No one seems to know definitively where teh term “sliders” came from for White Castle burgers. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/14 "2005-03-21T19:02:21Z")
> [@DogMom](#): > > According to William Poundstone in one of his “Secrets” books, **DocCathode** is right, they’ve got holes punched in them. However, it’s not just for even cooking; the buns are heated on top of the burgers. Also from WP, the unique texture comes from the fact that the burgers are essentially _boiled_ on top of a griddle in some ersatz water-onion mix that’s liberally ladled onto the grill. I thought I mentioned that the buns are cooked on top of the patties. I had no idea that cooking process was secret. It’s detailed at length in one of David Feldman’s Imponderables books. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/15 "2005-03-21T19:11:45Z")
I had my first (and only) experience with White Castle a few years ago when we went back east on a business trip. As others have mentioned, the burgers are tiny and are covered with onions. I asked for one without onions and the guy looked at me like I was from another planet. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/16 "2005-03-21T19:15:09Z")
> [@Fat Bald Guy](#): > > I asked for one without onions and the guy looked at me like I was from another planet. Were you? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ring)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/17 "2005-03-21T19:15:18Z")
I grew up in Detroit Michigan and now reside in South Carolina. I can truthfully say the only thing I miss from the frozen tundra is the delectable White Castle slider. Every time if visit Iceland I drive to Gratiot and 8 mile and eat them until I blow up. There is a certain price one must pay for this however. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/18 "2005-03-21T19:16:22Z")
Alex, I’ll take “restaurants I never once missed after moving from Illinois to Texas” for $100, please. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/19 "2005-03-21T19:20:04Z")
> [@aahala](#): > > There are two groups of people in the world. Those who love White Castles like > myself and those who hate them like my wife. There are no swing voters or within the margin of error.😃 I beg to differ - I tried sliders for the first time last year, although I’ve lived in Indiana for over 20 years. (My 12 year old daughter loves the things.) I had avoided them after all the various horror stories about belly bombs & the like. I ate a couple (after removing the pickles) and said, “so what’s the big deal?” I thought they were tolerable. Kinda blah, but didn’t actively dislike them. I don’t know that I’d go out of my way for them, but I wouldn’t necessarily avoid them anymore. I prefer White Castle’s chicken rings, though. So, it _is_ possible to be in the middle. Sorry to burst the “extremes” bubble. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605/20 "2005-03-21T19:38:48Z")
I thought they were nicknamed “sliders” because the grease made them slide right through ya’. as in “… through a goose.” I’ll take In-N-Out Burgers over Whit Castle any day! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-youve-always-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask-aka-whats-white-castle/295605.md?page=2)