By Mallory Legg
Because of the nature of social media today, trends are simply a part of day-to-day life. They come as quickly as they go and are filed in the backlog of our easily inspired little brains. Some trends are worthy of virality, while others should be banished at conception, never to be seen again. I am here to discuss a trend that I wholeheartedly support, one that I hope graduates from the trend list and earns its rightful place in the perma-memory of social media or perhaps even earns its place on the pub classics menu. If you haven’t guessed it (or read the title), I’m speaking of the Flying Dutchman burger.
Photo: Ninjacue
Inspired by the notorious In-n-Out secret menu, the flying Dutchman rose to popularity a few months ago, with thousands of videos of people raving about it. The burger is simple: a beef patty with cheese on both sides sandwiched between two faces of grilled onion (no bun). The videos of those engaging with the In-n-Out drive-through are mouthwatering and, for an American living in the UK, they are also disgustingly unfair. The burger's worldwide virality has excluded those who are not In-n-Out locals. Lucky for us, food influencers have taken to the scene to ensure that everyone can have a bite. There are now thousands of videos that provide recipes and cooking demos, which have gone even more viral than the initial drive-through vlogs.
Nearly every food influencer I follow (a lot) has engaged with the Flying Dutchman as either inspiration or to construct a straight-up replica. I am no different. The other day, I used one of my favourite online chefs as inspiration (Thomas Straker) and partook in the Flying Dutchman trend. It was a huge mistake. Not only do I think about it every day, but so does my flatmate, meaning our household has been cursed by a permanent hankering for greasy, cheesy burgers that change the trajectory of one’s life after the first bite. Though I simply couldn’t ditch the carbs for my Dutchman-inspired take, it opened a new world for me, a seasoned burger chef, that showed how simple adjustments to classics can elevate them to an entirely different realm of flavour, texture and excellence.
Photo: Ninjacue
While some trends should leave the meta space far faster than they rose to popularity, that is a different conversation for a different article. The Flying Dutchman is one of the better contributions pitched not simply for the food influencer scene but to the entire social sphere. On a deeper level, the trend has brought the world together in a shared craving to circulate recipes, share the wealth, and hope that every burger-loving human connected by social media might indulge in the same gloriousness.
My take on the Flying Dutchman here
Comments