Sunday Tabs
Reuters, “US senators make new push to make daylight saving time permanent.” Headline self-explanatory. Keep scrolling for more of the obligatory stories explaining what DST is that appear twice every year.
Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, “America’s Loneliness Epidemic Comes for the Restaurant.” tl;dr: While the industry has almost completely recovered from the pandemic shutdowns, “American restaurants are shifting from independent operators to chains, from slow food to fast(er) food, from east to west, from city centers to suburbs, from lunch and dinner to breakfast and late night, and from eat-in to takeaway.”
NYT, “Toyota’s Hybrid-First Strategy Is Delivering Big Profits.” tl;dr: Long criticized for being slow to get on the electric bandwagon, the automaker is doing bang-up business taking the middle ground.
WaPo, “That one last phone call Joe Biden always needs to make.” tl;dr: Delaware Senator Chris Coons is consulted on most of the hard calls. Biden trusts his staff but understands most have never had to stand for election and needs a sounding board with the pulse of the voters.
POLITICO, “The Mystery Social Media Account Schooling Congress on How to Do Its Job.” tl;dr: A 20-year-old British econ student knows more about Congress than just about anybody.
CNBC, “The job more parents are taking to get a discount on their kids’ college tuition.” tl;dr: At least three people have taken jobs working for colleges to take advantage of employee discounts. (The story is presented as a trend analysis but offers no data, only a few anecdotes.)
Today Show, “Five Guys customers say its prices are ‘out of control.’” tl;dr: It costs upwards of $20 for one person to get a burger, fries, and a soft drink at the chain. People aren’t happy but, somehow, they’re still in business.
A Double-Double meal (Double Double burger, Fries, Medium drink) is under $10 out the door here in Los Angeles. Why would anyone go to Five Guys if they have access to In N Out?
Does. Not. Compute.
Never understood the appeal of Five Guys. It was always overpriced and now it’s just stupid.
After seeing MTG at the SOTU, I find myself almost as shocked as Captain Renault (insert snarky pearl clutching emoji here).
I mentioned the other day authorities favor DST because there are more hours of daylight later in the day, which stimulates commerce. it seems permanent standard time should be better, as it afford more daylight in the morning. It’s easier to wake up and get started with daylight than without.
So how about a compromise: permanent DST, but also all school and business start one hour later permanently.
That way there’s more daylight later in the day year round, but also less need to wake up and/or drive to work/school while it’s pitch black.
With our current MSM that statement seems redundant.
@EddieInCA:
For the same reason I wouldn’t go to Chick-Fil-A: because In N Out is directly funding right wing political extremists including anti-vaxxers and anti-queer organizations.
@Stormy Dragon:
I’m a vegetarian so I get to avoid all the burger culture wars. But if I was eating meat, I’d be a Shake Shack guy.
I remember when Obama was running, there were all the stories about how Biden agreed to be VP on the condition that he always get to be the last person consulted.
I saw this article a few days ago, and thought it was a passive-aggressive hit piece on Harris, targeted towards people with long memories of minutia.
It’s Lounsbury, isn’t it?
@EddieInCA:
There’s a sucker born every minute.
All the crying about inflation, but Americans do not get that greedy corporations are gouging us because…we keep buying. Materialism and consumerism are a helluva drug.
DST in winter in horrible. I commuted through Nixon’s ’73 experiment. Driving in the dark in rush hour after a heavy snowstorm is no way to start the day.
@EddieInCA:
My favorite is Elevation Burger, but there’s only 40 of them in the whole country, so you can’t find them most places.
In-N-Out is good but overrated and their fries are made of styrofoam. Five Guys is better across the board, except for price and speed. But the best burger I’ve had in the last few years was, believe it or not, a room service burger at the Proper Hotel in DTLA.
@Michael Reynolds:
I mean yeah, there’s a lot of full service places that have burgers far beyond what you can get at a fast food place, but that’s like apples to oranges. =3
The last time I had a burger, Reagan was president. I do hit Taco Bell from time to time for a bean burrito.
@DK: Yeah. I dunno about Five Guys living in the PNW. The last three 5 Guys restaurants I drove by up where I live had “available” signs from commercial realtors in the windows.
While I was living in Korea, I came back to visit a friend who asked me to go to 5 Guys with him. I had a burger, said “meh…” and have never been back.
All this talk of Five Guys makes me want a burger today. Five Guys is alright. Expensive, but I’ll take it.
What I really want is a mid priced mid styled burger. Sometimes the McDonald’s/Wendy’s/Culvers burgers are fine. Low tier, but cheap.
Then there’s the expensive tier which Five Guys seems to want to be, but is just pricy. I frequently want just a good solid burger and a non-obnoxious price.
But, alas, tonight I might see if I can go get us burgers from The Butcher & The Burger. Pricy as hell. Blow your doors off pricy (it’s a burger), but it’s tasty. They don’t deliver down to us and burgers don’t seem to do will with the dashers. Too much lag.
I’ve never understood the fascination with DST. Given the width of our time zones, whatever shift we come up with that will make some people happier is going to make people at the other end of the time zone less happy. All this talk about driving to or from work in the dark? The Northern US is going to do both, regardless. What I hate is changing the clock. Just pick a dang time and stick to it.
I have known about this particular perk for decades as a friend who worked at SLU got her husbands degree for damned near free* Unfortunely her 2 eldest sons weren’t college material and her youngest went to Kirksville (and is doing very nicely thank you very much).
*I say “damned near free” because I don’t believe “free” actually exists. Anywhere. In this universe or the next.
@MarkedMan: Speaking as one who worked outside all his damned life, it ain’t that simple for some.
@OzarkHillbilly:
Yup. “Beat the heat” strategies. Start at the very break of dawn to dodge the hottest part of the afternoon.
Five Guys started in the Baltimore/DC area. No In-N-Out around here, so that comparison is moot. Five Guys fries are stunning, and plentiful. The burgers are greasy, and expensive, but tasty and fresh.
I’ll second the votes for Shake Shack (and Smashburger). But honestly, you could get a better burger 50 years ago at Bob’s or DQ — but not fast.
There was a drive thru burger place in Nashville called Fat Mo’s on Franklin Road. It was run by a bunch of guys from the Mideast, possibly Kurds. They made a fantastic burger as big as your head. One could feed four people. Mushrooms and jalapeños were available with all the normal burger toppings. Onion rings to die for and huge milkshakes. The place was set back off the street, a funky old cement block box and a hand painted sign. I doubt it’s still there, but it was a real Twang Town treasure back in the day.
@Just nutha ignint cracker:
Agreed. Daughter and SIL took me to one when they opened. Meh+.
Do miss me a Dag’s Beefy Boy every once in a while. Not enough to drive to Seattle, but hey…
@Stormy Dragon: Seconded on the Elevation Burger! Prefer it to the exactly one time I had Five Guys (it was fine, just not worth the price).
My Cali friends take me to In-N-Out, but sorry it’s kind of gross. American cheese? Please, anything else would at least be edible.
@EddieInCA:
Shake shack has multiple veggie/vegan options.
One of the many food options I miss after leaving Seattle is a big bag of Dick’s (burgers). Tasty, great value, and they treat their employees right.
@Flat Earth Luddite: Me too. Not enough to make the drive, either, though.
ETA: Had a Shake Shack burger in Korea. Recognize the secret to the flavor — salt and grease.
@Crusty Dem: It’s where the saying “eat a bag of dicks” came from, and it’s damn good.