Behold The Majesty Of A “Cheeseburger In A Can!”

Yes, my son Jeff got me the greatest birthday present of all: the hilarious – and hilariously REAL “cheeseburger in a can” – designed by a German company for people who want to go out into the wilderness, but STILL need to be close to a cheeseburger at any time!

A “Trekking” Burger!

Here’s how this all began: I came across a review of a “cheeseburger in a can”
a few years ago, and I posted some of the hilarious reviews – more on those in a minute. I showed them to my son, who then secretly located the real product form Germany and had it shipped to me – so I can easily hold one in my hand and read the ingredients!

The ingredients are all listed in German, but it really doesn’t matter, does it? The gauntlet had been thrown down, and now I had to live up to my parental responsibilities and enjoy his gift – so time to make – AND CONSUME – a “cheeseburger in a can!”

Time To Cook!

I assumed that, since this product was developed for campers, the best thing to do was to imagine I was out in the woods with a pot of water and an open fire.

The idea is to put this can in some hot water, let the burger inside warm up, then pop the top and enjoy!

I wanted to follow the heating directions – or what I assumed were the proper heating directions – so that I could experience this food in the same way a German hiker would – and I’ve always wanted to be a German hiker:

Once we let it cool, it was time to dig it out of the can:

OK, as you saw from the video, the bun got a bit torn up as we wanted to make sure it would come out of the can…and as the video showed, it was “WELL CEMENTED” TOGETHER!

So my original plan of adding mayonaise and pickles wasn’t going to happen – instead, we cut it open and got a look inside…

As you can see, it was glued together with some sort of “ketchup and pickle meet thousand island dressing by way of Siberia” dressing – the bun was literally glued to the meat from both sides…nothing to do now but to eat it!

The Review!

First, let me say that everyone I told about this told me I was a fool to try one – but I had to do it, and guess what?

IT WASN’T BAD AT ALL!

First of all, as you can see, there was plenty of “meat” between the bun – and it had the flavor and texture of meat – since I can’t read the label, I have to assume that it IS meat, and it does have a “perfectly acceptable” meat flavor!

The “Secret Sauce!”

The strange sauce was actually flavorful, a slight bit of tanginess and some pickle slivers that were noticeable. If there was cheese on this, I didn’t see it, but that could have been due to the “compressed” nature of the meat and bun – but again, it tasted fairly good!

It didn’t have the flavor of a “grade school” burger, it actually tasted fine – the bun was a bit yeasty, but not in a bad way – it was just a canned cheeseburger that would do just fine in a pinch so bravo to Kraft and their “Trekking Burger” for a job well done!

I was originally intrigued by this product when I saw this picture on the internet:

Yes, it’s one of the funniest reviews ever posted – thanks to The Onion, which purchased the same style of German “Cheeseburger In A Can” that I did for their own taste test:

The review includes comments like this:

• “I cannot swallow this. It will not go down.”

• “It’s not quite meat, is it? It looks like freaky airline food.”

• “It tastes like beef-flavored something. Beef-flavored matter.”

You can see more of this hilarious food review here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/06/25/hilarious-canned-cheeseburger-review-wacky-food-reviewed/

Thanks to my son Jeff for the gift – he knew that we’d have some fun trying this out! It’s all part of my obsession with food in a can:

I found this “hamburgers in a can” ad – and can only imagine how popular these were at one point – and how quickly people learned to buy them fresh!

I am a fan of “canned food” because it is so unique in our history:

This “potted meat food product” for example – it’s “everything but the oink” from a pig, turned into a “canned food product” that you can put on crackers, I guess. Here are some of my favorite “canned foods”:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/12/22/a-meal-in-a-can-can-this-potted-meat-food-product-canned-brains-armadillo-cheeseburgers/

Some of you also know that I recently tried “weasel coffee” – thanks to my friend Sabrina Miller, who brought me THIS from Asia:

It’s th world’s most expensive coffee, because it goes through a real live Weasel first! See more about his delicious and unique “premium Weasel product” here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/05/22/worlds-best-weasel-coffee-bring-on-the-kopi-luwak-yes-its-poop-coffee/

Let me know your favorite “canned” food!

Happy 80th Birthday Spam!

Yes, food lovers – and food historians are nothing that it was 80 years ago today that Spam was introduced to foodies!

As the UK’s Independent newspaper reports:

“The instantly recognisable chopped pork and ham food made its first appearance on US plates in 1937, its launch coinciding with the end of the Great Depression (1929-39). Nowadays its appetising oeuvre includes burgers, bubble and squeak, omelettes and sushi.”

Leave it to the Brits to use it for “Bubble and Squeak”!

So how and why was Spam invented? Well, in the 30’s, the Hormel Food company was making a lot of pork products, but found themselves with too much leftover pork shoulder…what to do?

How about mix it with some ham and lots and lots of spices and turn it into a national treasure – look how many variations of spam exist today!

Slice off a piece and make a nice sandwich – or look at what enterprising Chefs are doing with it!

That’s right, two slice of grilled spam make any burger better! And when I was in Tokyo, I found THIS:

Tokyo loves their spam as well! In fact – and please do not judge me – but I found this once and ate it:

SPAM SUSHI!

Trust me, it tastes good! In fact, the concept of “canning” food has been with us for almost a hundred years, and it has allowed people to preserve their favorite foods to consume anytime – so it’s time to celebrate great food

THAT COMES IN A CAN!

Get ready to surprise your food fanatic with some of the most unique tastes they’ve ever experienced – you’ll not only get a big hug, but perhaps a look like this as well!

Time To Celebrate Food In A Can!

Yes, it’s time once again to bite down hard on some of the strangest stuff that comes CANNED!

Hungarian Canned Bacon!

Yes, our good friend bacon is also available in a canned version. And I see why it works so well – just stand it up on end, roll it up and slide it in! Now you have the goodness of bacon whenever you want it – just pop the top and unroll some deliciousness!

You know what you could use that bacon on? Yes, you do know – but in case you are trying to forget, I am here to remind you:

The Cheeseburger In A Can!

The greatest invention ever – a canned cheeseburger that you can take hiking – just heat and serve, which I did – remember?

While it may not look all that appetizing, it actually tasted OK!

You can see my entire taste test here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/06/25/hilarious-canned-cheeseburger-review-wacky-food-reviewed/

OK, time to edge into wacky territory for canned food, and here’s an idea for you: canned sheep tongue!

Many cultures eat tongue, so it is something you will find on more progressive ethnic menus…beef tongue is eaten like bologna, so it’s not THAT unusual:

Well, after looking at ten pounds of sheep’s tongue, maybe it IS UNUSUAL:

Armadillo Meat!

Now, from the wacky to the bizarre, let’s take a look at other mystery meats coming out of a can soon:

Yes, you can keep a can of Armadillo at the ready, just in case you have the need – now you have the ability as well!

Creamed Armadillo On The Half Shell!

I can only imagine that if you want some Armadillo, but don’t have the time to “cream” it yourself, this is for you…and speaking of strange “creamed meats in a can”:

Creamed Possum!

I almost wish this was a joke – unless I am missing something, Possum doesn’t come to mind as a meat to eat in any way, especially creamed.

But, just in case this sparks some sort of cooking frenzy in you, I actually found a website that is all for you – here is a possum recipe!

http://southern.food.com/recipe/stuffed-roast-opossum-107969

Finally, here is one of the greatest – and most honest – food products of all:

“Potted Meat Food Product!”

Hey, talk about “truth in advertising!” It’s a potted meat food product – there are many on the market, and this is NO knock against the quality of Libby’s version: it’s a product, much like spam, that uses lesser parts of an animal, and adds seasoning and spices…it’s mostly used on crackers as a sort of pate:

Among the ingredients: Mechanically separated chicken, pork skin, partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue, partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue, vinegar, less than 2% of: salt, spices, sugar, flavorings, sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite.

Again, there is no knock against this type of food – it’s just a unique packaging style to be sure! And, to end on a very pointless note, I leave you with this:

STILL not enough for you? I told you about Spam Sushi, but what about this new way to eat sushi!

Yes, sushi poppers! Sushi in a tube is close to food in a can, right?

Click HERE to read all about this amazing new food product!

https://johnrieber.com/2013/03/19/the-future-of-sushi-behold-sushi-poppers/

Enjoy all of this unique food goodness – and remember to bite down hard!
There you go – and remember, Happy Birthday Spam!

OK everyone, you know I love love love all things Japan. Well, here we go again!

The new Instagram trend in Japan is to go to a McDonald’s and post a photo of a cheeseburger – with a soft drink straw impaling it to the lid!

Our friends at SoraNews24.com have posted a story about this wacky new Japanese food trend – no instructions on how you are supposed to eat the burger, but I guess “aggressive nibbling” would be in order – and how did this get started and more importantly, WHY?

Well, no answer to that question, but Japan is known for wacky food trends so add this one to the list!

Thanks of course to SoraNews24 – click here to see more pics and tweets about this new phenomenon!

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/07/24/the-latest-japanese-twitter-craze-sticking-cheeseburgers-through-soft-drink-straws-【pics】/

SoraNews24 is the new title for the classic “RocketNews24” website – a terrific source of all things Asian – and who shared this other food trend going around a couple of years ago:

French Fry Parties!

That’s right, in S. Korea, the kids take over an entire table at McDonalds and fill it with fries – for the ultimo french fry party!

See more pics of that madness here:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/03/02/mountains-of-fries-potato-parties-a-super-matomeruko-easy-fast-food-follies-from-asia/

Since I love to share food trends from Japan, remember this one?

Pancakes On A Stick!

What a great way to fix breakfast for th kids – or the kid in all of us! Silver Dollar Pancakes on a stick, with fresh fruit and toppings – see more pics here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/03/16/breakfast-pancakes-on-a-stick-the-hottest-new-japanese-food-trend-puts-breakfast-in-your-hand/

Let me know if you plan to eat your next cheeseburger this way!

Get Ready To Turn Your Cheeseburger “Inside Out?”

I need a break from bad news…here is some breaking food news from Japan!

J.S. Burgers Cafe in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district offers up a wild wild take on a cheeseburger – by turning it inside out!

Bite Down On “The Super Cheese Burger!”

As always, “RocketNews24.com” has the delicious story – a burger that uses cheese as a bun, with more cheese and meat inside – and it’s a very unique type of cheese as well!

The Camembert Burger!

Here’s how RocketNews24 describes this unique “inside out” burger:

“The Super Cheese Burger uses two types of cheese, cheddar and camembert. But rather than slather both of those on the patty, where they’d mix together into a single hybrid cheese, the restaurant’s chefs came up with a revolutionary way to let both types of cheese keep their distinct flavors: by putting two thick wedges of camembert on the absolute top and bottom of the sandwich, where the halves of the bun would ordinarily be.”

Looks good to me!

As you can see, when RocketNews24 did a taste test, they got a juicy, delicious cheeseburger served in a wrapper, so your hands stay clean as you dig in to what they called a great tasty cheeseburger!

As always, the entire story can be found here, along with so many other great stories about Japan –

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/08/19/crazy-tokyo-cheeseburger-turns-concept-inside-out-with-cheese-on-the-outside-bread-on-the-inside/

There are many reasons to love RocketNews24, which officially calls itself SoraNews24 – either way, they continually break stories like this one:

Behold the “Impaled Quarter Pounder!”

That’s right, they had the latest food fada mong those wacky kids in Japan – eating their McDonald’s burger impaled on they drink straws!

Check out more pics here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/07/25/impaled-cheeseburgers-on-a-straw-see-pics-of-japans-new-food-mania/

Let me know if you’d eat an “inside out” cheeseburger!