In 1938, The New York Times Thought Cheeseburgers Were a Weird New Food Fad



People love to make fun of The New York Times trend section, but while their pieces aren't always exactly timely, they will certainly make for interesting reads in a few decades — just like the piece they published in 1938 on a new California food fad called……….cheeseburgers. When the cheeseburger was first mentioned, it was in a long list about the "whimsy" of California eateries. Then, nine years later in May 1947, The New York Times revisited the fad, writing, "At first, the combination of beef with cheese and tomatoes, which sometimes are used, may seem bizarre." Now, more than 80 years after the paper with "all the news that's fit to print" took notice of the trend, you can not only ask for gourmet cheeses like brie, goat, or Gorgonzola on your burger — or spend upwards of $300 on one — but there are many burger chains where you can order stacks on stacks on stacks of cheeseburger patties. What The New York Times considered a little West Coast fad has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and cheeseburgers are practically our national food.