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When I was a 14 year old, my baseball team was at an out of town tournament, staying in a Holiday Inn (circa 1976), They had an all you can eat, Sunday brunch. Being the miscreants (but excellent ballplayers) that we were, we had engaged in a mega beer-a-thon the night before (long story on the accquisition part), and such, were hung over and hungry come brunch. The 16 of us were eating the buffet line, faster than they could bring it out, so fast, that we were jsut bypassing the chafing dishes and bringing the hotel pan right to our table. Finally, after a half hour, the manager came over and offered us this proposition...if youse (we were in Philly) leave now, we won't charge youse...see ya...but still hungry....peace

The fact of the matter is most people want to get off with as low a tariff as possible. We preach that as a society, except in those rarefied circumstances where overspending is a mark of status. On another blog last week, this same subject came up...and the funniest thing I read was, " Tipping is just ownership's way of paying a smaller wage", totally doing the Homer Simpson on the fact that if the owner had to pay the "tip" as wage that the final bill would be even higher (payroll taxes, etc)...if you can't afford to spend 25% more than the printed menu price (to cover tax and gratuity), go somewhere else where you can afford to be correct.

Like another commentor, I spent alot of time in Australia, and, although 'roo mince (ground), fillets (steaks) and roasts (no translation required) can be found in Woolies (Woolworth's) and Cole's supermarkets, most Ozzies won't touch the stuff, particularly as they are in love with the meat of the cow, most famously the rump steak. My girlfriend, who is from the land down under, and I probably had a 'roo roast once a week...the lack of fat is a hinderance, unless you are a very good, or better, saucier; luckily, I am a professional chef...

@ cobweb...post racial is the glorious phenomenon that is occuring where people view their fellow humans not through the color of the skin, but the content of their being...particularly in the South, where, as we know, so much progress in all phases of life until very recently has been impeded by 'black this' or 'white that', instead of 'Americans us'...at least, that's my take...peace, as always

I remember drinking soju in Korea in the mid 80's...I also remember waking up the next afternoon with a massive hangover...I don't remember anything in between those 2 events...My name is iwannacook, and, for that night, I was an alcoholic....peace

hey everyone..
well Im an Aussie and i eat roo all the time its a family fav.

most ppl make the mistake of cooking roo like beef but u cant due to the lack of fat if u do u dry it out and make it tough and gamy...yuck!

We have too many roos here (to the point the goverment had to cull some near my place a few months back due to a lack of food and dangerous numbers) and they are healthy (less fat more protein)

so hey eat roo eat the bald eagle if u want (i thought it was endangered? and if so please dont.) Im not upset up it and alot of other aussies arent either.

A couple things here:

The video on his website showed him using a chargrill? Are his burgers at BBP chargilled? First mistake.

Then, again, his video. The burgers, they gotta be handled less. They are so perfect and so smooth, and the interior SO DENSE. Meatloaf, not burgers.

Lastly, he's gotta decide if he wants a fast food joint (appearance) or a more high end place (prices) NEWYORKERS might think that 12 bucks of 1 burger, 1 fry and 1 shake is fast food, but for 99% of the country. Nope.

But mostly, I am shocked that IF he chose a chargril, what was he thinking? Maybe, MAYBE , you can make an arguement for wood or charcoal for burgers, but GAS? Griddle, griddle, griddle.

Kaley - delayed reply, sorry! I studied abroad in Italy for a year and developed a serious addiction. What about you?

Hooah sir! Keep your head down and your spirits up.

I have read the comments with great interest. I live in New Zealand and generally there is no tipping. If I take a taxi I round up the amount owing, if the fare is a straight $20, then that is what I give. That is the norm here. There is no tipping of hairdressers for instance, and you might tip a waiter/waitress after having received truly good service and on a special night out. That amount is given as a thank you but it is not expected. The minimum wage here is $12.00 per hour from age 16 and that is before tax. I can't get my head around tipping. I feel that a working person ought to receive a "proper" wage and should not have to rely on tipping (people's mood etc etc) to make a living. Let the price of the meal reflect the true cost of that meal. Having said that, should I travel to the States, I would make an effort to find out how to tip correctly but I would prefer not to have to think about what is appropriate to give and suffer embarrassment through ignorance.