Burger Before Fries, Or Fries Before Burger?

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who start by eating all the fries and those who start by polishing off the burger.

I learned how to eat fast food with my grandma. As kids, whenever my cousins and I would visit, right around lunch time she'd march us over to the nearby McDonald's where even the pickiest among us could find something enjoyable. We were able to order whatever we wanted and then run around the Playland to our hearts' content as long as we followed one rule: Eat your burger before your fries.

At the time, my grandma's logic was that she wanted to make sure we were getting the "nutrients" that came from eating the heftiest part of the meal, whether that be nuggets or a burger or a fish sandwich. A balanced meal isn't made up of just french fries and ketchup, she would tell us, much to our dismay. The result was a bunch of kids competing to see who could scarf down their meal the fastest to get to the good stuff (fries), which might have the opposite health-forward effect my grandma was after. Still, old habits die hard, and I'm still a burger-first gal with my own reasoning for taking that stance.

Why you should eat the burger before the fries

When this question was posed on Reddit, users seemed divided in the comments, with plenty of folks saying they simply alternate between bites of burgers and bites of fries. When you're hungry, who has the time?! You have to commit to one or the other first for more efficient dining.

This is in part why the initial bite should be the burger. French fries are a snack. A burger is a meal. If you're sitting down to satiate your appetite, you have to go with the heavy hitter before nibbling on those little potato sticks.

And nothing against french fries—I love french fries! In fact, the burger-first method is one of the ways I try to enhance my fry-eating experience. Especially with a particularly messy burger, you're losing a lot of sauces and toppings that drip out with each bite. Eat the burger over your fries and you've got some ready-to-go loaded potatoes to finish up the meal. While it may sound monstrous, taking a bite out of a fry that's smothered in special sauce and stray pickle is delicious. Don't knock it till you try it.

What's your preferred order? Is it the result of a childhood habit or a long debated technique? Let us know in the comments.

 

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