The burger as the new international ambassador

My recent rounds of trying out the hamburgers isn't rooted in a particular love of this sandwich. Perhaps because most hamburgers are boring. It's a slab of ground meat on a bun; a testament to this old 1950s idea that a meal isn't a meal without meat. But there is hope yet - this recent article about the experimentation going on at the Hubcap Grill demonstrates some of the things being done. From what I can tell, they see the burger as a blank slate on which to draw new ideas.

So here's one idea - the UN assembly of burgers. Perhaps we should try it the next time at the Great Western Casa McBardo. The late South African restaurant "Out of Africa" here in Houston did the piri-piri burger - allegedly good, but I won't know now.

Hypothetical (some real) burgers and nationalities:

1. Korea - bulgogi burger, kimchi burger, banchan sliders

2. Belgium: the waffleburger

3. Germany: The wurstburger

4. India: the Masalaburger (and I will use beef here)

5. Philippines: adoboburger; tinapa burger

6. Malaysia: rendang burger; belacan burger

7. Thailand: green curry burger (ooo, that actually sounds quite good)

8. Mexico: the tortaburger (well, we already have those here in Houston); the posoleburger

9. Ecuador: the cuyburger - that may be a little difficult to do here

10. Argentina: chimichurri burger

11. Morocco: bisteeyaburger

12. Ethiopia: kitfoburger. On injera buns, of course.