McDonald's Aussie Burger Fails To Understand Australians
Australia is very far away, it's true, but with the miracles of modern technology, all things are possible, especially Americans learning how Australians take their burgers. The classic burger Down Under is called the Aussie Burger With the Lot. It contains a hamburger patty, lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese, bacon, a tomato-based sauce (so far, so American), a fried egg, pickled beetroot, and (the pièce de résistance) grilled pineapple. Why do Australians eat their burgers this way? Is this question really necessary? These are people who adore Marmite Vegemite. There's no accounting for taste. But according to Andrew Strikis, an actual Australian, "some say it dates back to the opening of the Edgell and Golden Circle canneries in the '20s and '40s which created a cheap surplus of beetroot, but in a far more amusing twist, others suggest it was a joke pulled on American marines that went so far we could never take it back."
Whatever the case, the Burger With the Lot is fully entrenched in Australian culture now, and, as is its wont, McDonald's has decided to woo its Australian customers by creating its own version, which it calls the Aussie Angus Burger. Except it forgot the pineapple! What the hell, McDonald's? (Or, as they call it in Australia, Macca's.) Australians have taken to social media to voice their displeasure, Australia's 7 News reports. "Pineapple... Pineapple... where's the bloody pineapple. That ain't aussie," one dissatisfied customer wrote on Facebook. Another chimed in that a real Aussie Burger With the Lot has a runny egg yolk. Come on, McDonald's! Get it together!
Note: This isn't the first time McDonald's has screwed up an Aussie-style burger. An attempt in Canada last year called the Aussie BBQ and Egg neglected not only the pineapple, but the beetroot as well. "If beetroot juice doesn't drip from your elbows while eating, it's not an Aussie burger," an actual Australian opined at the time.