Untitled Document

Places: McDonald's and Burger King
Items: Big Mac and the Whopper
Price: $229 and $1.99

Our stomachs were ready to ruuummmble for the burger fight of the century. At this corner, the McDonald's Big Mac. On the other corner up the street, Burger King's Whopper. Why did we order these classics? Because amid the flatbread-salad-99-cents craze, these are still the three patties that two empires were built on. But which is better? There's no easy knockout here—this thrilla is going the distance.

Tom: Ordering a Big Mac seems so '70s. Not a bad thing, especially when a flashback hits the spot like this. But that catchy jingle makes me take stock of each item, and sadly, none hold up. Two all-beef patties: all bland. Special sauce: a salad dressing I'd never order. Lettuce: so shredded it would be more at home at Taco Bell. Cheese: more about color than taste. Pickles: lost in the sauce. Onions: little bite. Sesame-seed bun: just a place to put your fingers. Take away the song, and this sandwich never would have survived the 35 years it's been on the market. Now the Whopper'singredients hold their

American. I feel like a defector at Burger King, the loser of the Burger Cold War. Yet if I were forcibly injected with truth serum, I'd have to admit that the Whopper is a better burger. The backyard grill taste, tomato, pickles, onions and dripping mayo are worthy of their own song. But which place gives me the spunk to tackle the second half of the workday? My buddy Ronald's joint.

Tom: Your summers working behind the arches left you somewhat biased, Chris, if not downright brainwashed. There's no denying BK has a bigger, bolder, better-tasting burger — and thus, a better sandwich with the whopping Whopper. The king is dead. Long live the King.

Chris: If lunch were only about taste, I'd be happy to buy a hibachi for your desk, Tom, and grill you up a fresh burger. But I want comforting sights, sounds and smells, because I deserve a break — and a Big Mac — today.

Rating: The Whopper in a close decision, 4 sporks out of 5 to the Big Mac's 3 sporks.

E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com

own. The flame-grilled burger tastes flame- grilled. The shredded lettuce was manageably sized so it wasn't a nuisance. The condiments condiment, which is what happens when a condiment perfectly complements. The Whopper is infinitely more a burger-lover's sandwich. She may be the perennial bridesmaid to the Big Mac, but she's the one you want.

Chris: Three high school summers I spent squirting out Thousand Island Dressing, rehydrating diced onions and topping off my leaning towers of Big Macs. I have seen how the sausage is made, and yes, I still gladly sup on it. The Mac Daddy's taste is like no other in fast food. It's not quite a burger, not exactly a salad, yet the ingredients meld together better than anything this side of a White Castle. And when I eat at McDonald's, I feel proud in heartand stomach to be an