Chow Time: Bun 'N Burger

I have fallen off the "Healthy Eating" wagon so often that I've determined my best bet is simply to tether my cankle to the wagon and just get dragged behind, hoping for the best.  Predictably, the knot in the rope seemed to slip a little when I saw the neon wonder of a short-order cook proffering a hamburger in one hand and a piece of pie in the other.

Situated on a bustling corner of Alhambra's Main St, is an under-appreciated institution of Southern California's wartime gastronomy.  Looking from the outside like something straight out of a Hollywood movie's "Main St," Bun 'N Burger (est. 1941), is just shy of its 75th anniversary of serving America's greatest taste sensation, the burger ('n the bun too).

Bun 'N Burger - Alhambra, CA

The angled corner entry, the awnings, and that marvelous signage are all so wonderfully stereotypical of a burger joint of its vintage.  After countless disappointing, after-hours drives-by (why am I always in Alhambra after dark???), I was excited to finally get a chance to experience what lay beyond the locked doors of Bun 'N Burger.  

The obligatory red booths and counter stools are set solidly in place before formica tables and countertops.
I immediately fell head over heals for the gleaming, stainless-steel fixtures including that monstrous exhaust hood.
I would thrill to see the two-tone green color story of the exterior brought under foot in the form of linoleum tiles.

Quiet, quick, and courteous, the service at Bun 'N Burger is top notch.  I was so lost in snapping photos that the waitress finally had to snap me out of it just to take my order.  

Oh darn, I just missed menudo....

Convinced that I was making a healthy choice by ordering a grilled chicken sandwich with no cheese and no mayo (I might be the last person on Earth that foolishly does not consider bread the enemy), I realized that the waitress probably felt sorry for me and brought my sandwich with a side of guacamole (healthy fat and omega something something, right?) AND a side of fries.

Waffle-cut fries!!!
There would be no saving room for pie...

As well as "Professional Waffle-Cut Fry Connoisseur," one of my many dream jobs would be "Make-Under Artist."  As frequently and as fiercely as I tout the ideology, "Too much is never enough," I often think that what old-fashioned eateries could really tolerate is a heavy dose of good, old-fashioned decluttering - particularly where totally-unrelated miscellanea is concerned.  When will retro diners/coffee shops/et al. realize that were they all landmarks on old Route 66, the"Mother Road" would've been a highly-circuitous eight-million-miles long!

At some point in its history, Bun 'N Burger created an additional dining room by expanding into an adjoining space - as much to accommodate more guests as to accommodate the growing collection of reproduction Coca-Cola memorabilia, I'd wager.  Is it so wrong that I just want to see the streamlined bones of a streamline-era restaurant?  All Bun 'N Burger needs is a fair bit of curation by someone with a level head and a keen eye.  However, there are definitely a few select collectibles that I think should remain; I mean, who can resist a taxidermied swordfish?!!

And this loving tribute to the King...there's always
room in a wacky tacky environment for black velvet.

"Hot Dog" - Elvis Presley

What goes better together than hot dogs and hamburgers, I ask you?

Bun 'N Burger
1000 E Main St
Alhambra, CA
(626)281-6777


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

This Ain't No Bull!

When surveying the wacky tacky landscape it is nearly impossible to miss the blood on the sand.  No, it's not from all those crazy gladiator movies; it's from the bullfighting.  Call them toreros, matadors, bullfighters or toreadors (if there are technical differences we aren't too concerned), these icons of machismo, in all their velvet, satin and spangled glory, wove their way into the cultural tapestry thereby enriching the wacky tacky lobe of our collective consciousness*.  In fact, bullfighting was one of the most prevalent and enduring themes throughout the formative years of wacky tacky.  Was this phenomenon the fortuitous result of The Good Neighbor Policy?  Was it because we as a society were vicariously purging our hostilities through the matadors themselves?  Was it because we found it so hard to differentiate between the customs of Latin cultures that we balled them all into one so we could exploit that now homogenized mixture for our own entertainment?  Is "all of the above" an acceptable answer?  Whatever the question, the answer makes for some swell wacky tacky - Ole!

Martha Raye as a toreador in the 1938 film Tropic Holiday

Disney's Ferdinand the Bull (1938) - one of our faves!

The arts, both fine and decorative, were a natural fit for capturing the essence (and sometimes anatomical correctness) of the bullfight.

The penultimate example of toreador-tinged wacky tacky is of course the infamous, black velvet painting.

Rather easy to come by and usually surrounded by a rough-hewn, wooden frame, these 

gems are not always executed at the same level of artistry as is clearly illustrated above.

Hollywood was not immune to the Latin craze either.  Really?...Esther Williams?...A Mexican Bullfighter?...Esther Williams...Really???

Fiesta trailer starring Esther Williams (1947)

"Lucy Goes to Mexico" from The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1958)

Don't forget the tunes...

And the toons - even Goofy gets in on the action!

Bolero jackets, toreador pants, satin sashes - a few of a matadors favorite things?  Definitely, but more so the staples of a well-appointed, wacky tacky wardrobe.

A 1950's men's shirt with a matador motif

A 1950's, hand-painted, circle skirt depicting the day of the fight

And last but not least, a few examples of matador mania from the wacky tacky archives:

Embossed tin & airbrushing create this masterwork

A matador statuary

Ironically, at 3x4', this is the biggest piece in the archives.

Maybe one day we'll figure out how to use a camera!!

 Another velvet painting, this one enhanced with glitter. 

Do you see what we mean about attention to anatomy??!!

*Please don't get all PETA on us and view this as the waving of a red cape.  This posting is neither an endorsement nor examination of the cultural significance of the act of bullfighting.

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny