Cheese, please: A no-meat, all-cheese burger debuts at Burger King Thailand
Is there such a thing as too much cheese? If you ask the patrons at Burger King in Thailand, their answer might just be yes — or no, depending on who you ask.
On Sunday, the Thai operator of Burger King launched the “real cheeseburger” — an offering that sees up to 20 slices of processed American cheese stacked between two sesame hamburger buns. The sandwich is entirely bereft of other toppings, sauces or ingredients; it’s just cheese, only cheese.
“The real cheeseburger is full of flavour for those who love cheese,” Burger King Thailand wrote in Thai, hammering home that the new menu item is not for the faint of heart.
The “real cheeseburger” costs a currently discounted 190 Baht (C$4.15). The regular price is 380 Baht (nearly C$14.50).
Following its launch, the cheeseburger quickly reached viral status, with many Thai citizens flocking to the fast-food chain for a curious taste.
On TikTok, one Thai user shared video of the outrageous sandwich and said he at first thought the menu item was a joke. In Thai, he said he counted about 20 sheets of American cheese on his burger.
He described the burger as “greasy” but “pretty delicious.”
On Sunday, Burger King Thailand assured their customers that the “real cheeseburger” is as legitimate as any other menu item.
“This is not a joke. This is for real!” the royal burger franchise wrote on Facebook.
Still, the adventurous eaters who’ve tried the “real cheeseburger” have described the menu item as being simply too much.
Richard Barrow, a travel guide and popular blogger in Thailand, wrote on Twitter that he “struggled eating even half of this ‘burger.’”
Eric E. Surbano, a writer at Lifestyle Asia who claimed to try the “real cheeseburger,” described the sandwich as “dry, a shock to the digestive system, and literally a thousand calories worth of unnecessary processed cheese.”
The cheese market in Thailand is reportedly worth over US$110 million (more than C$145 million) in 2023, but the food is far from a staple. The average Thai person is expected to eat only 80 grams of cheese this year.
Still, while not a common ingredient in Thai cooking, the fatty food has become trendy with younger Thai citizens.
In comparison, the average person in Canada — one of the largest cheese-producing countries in the world — is estimated to consume around 13.5 kilograms of cheese in 2023 alone.
Perhaps the King should take his “real cheeseburger” to Canada instead, but the lactose-filled menu item might just grate on folks here too.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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