Amsterdam between two buns
Burger culture in Holland
This is a rare example of food-related article for this site. I wrote it for Ymag.
One of the first things that struck me when I first came to Amsterdam – once I accumulated enough expertise to find my way beyond the deadly tourist triangle of Damrak/Kalverstraat/Red Light District – was the way the city is so open and globalized, but at the same time manages to keep its own relatively-homogeneous feel. Since one of the symptoms usually associated with globalization are fast food chains, I was also surprised to find several local reinterpretations of the standard McDonald's burger stand. Maybe I'm paying more attention to it because I come from Italy, where burger culture doesn't really exist, but I think Amsterdam burgers can be an interesting allegory of the way the city is allowing the world in, while keeping the door keys at hand. The following examples represent a partial depiction of Amsterdam through the greasy lenses of burger-eating.
Have you ever bought hot food from a wall? I hadn't before I went to FEBO, which might not necessarily be the lekkerste as they advertise it, but it's sure a killer solution when it comes to late night hunger. Relatively cheap and moderately tasty, FEBO can be spotted anywhere a desperate need for a burger might arise, especially but not limited to touristy neighborhoods. If you take a look at the wide range of croquettes they offer you'll realize FEBO is no McDonald's parody, but it's got some Dutchness of its own. Its yellow brightness clashing with the red logo makes it stand out like a searchlight, a call for the drunk and hungry which doesn't need any subtlety. And did I mention the vending machine formula? Well, I just did.
Basically, the anti-FEBO. Expensive and culinary versatile, this burger chain serves excellent burger variations of several ethnic cuisines, from sushi-inspired tuna burgers to thai-flavored chicken ones. And you can even suggest them recipes on their website, with the thrilling chance of having them become the Burger of the Month. With diner-inspired furniture washed-up in modern Dutch slickness, Burger Meester is an hybrid fast food/restaurant experience, in terms of both waiting time and price range. It's not a surprise you can only find them in strategic hip and gentrified neighborhoods like the Jordaan, Plantage, and the Pijp.
My favorite so far, this fast food is discretely sitting a couple meters away from a humongous Burger King in one of the most touristy areas in the center of Amsterdam. We might see it as a good compromise between FEBO – location-wise – and Burger Meester – quality-wise. But really, it doesn't really matter. In terms of variety Burger Bar gives you a lot of freedom, at the obvious condition that you pay the price. Not as ethnically curious as Burger Meester, you can still choose between Irish beef, black angus and the more pricey wagyu beef, with the possibility of a good burger+fries+drink combo for less than 10 euros (which is kind of impossible with Burger Meester). I should add both their medium-well done burgers and their fries are worth the expense. As for the bar itself, it looks clean and designer-Dutch without depressing you with the morgue-style lighting so typical of McDonald's and Burger King.
Albeit different, all the examples I made share something: they are a local declination of a global formula, conjugating the typically Dutch attention for design – or extreme openness to tourist needs, in FEBO's case – with the need to offer globally appreciated and recognized food. As for me, I'm happy to eat and I'll be even happier to share more as I progressively put up weight in Amsterdam.