Hospital food BATTLE! Turkey burger vs Veggie burger!

This tasty battle took place at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco. I was a little surprised to see a decent looking cafeteria with a grill, deli, and salad bar. The grill is open from 11am until 7:30pm Monday through Thursday and has a modified schedule Friday through Sunday that I can't remember. They have daily specials like any cafeteria but I was drawn to the grill.

It seems that every time I eat a sandwich I seem to be starving like no other. Above is the turkey burger which everyone around me was ordering and the cook had multiple patties on the grill. It smelled so good and I wanted to see what the whole fuss was about. I felt a little skeptical about the fries as I enjoy mine crispy and smaller cut or large wedges fried to perfection. I figured I would skip on the fries when a woman in scrubs encouraged me to get the fries. What the hell? I was hungry! I sat down and sliced the burger in half and popped open my can on coke. I normally avoid soda but I can't drink anything else but if I am having a burger. It's the American way!

I have to admit I was disappointed in the turkey burger. It was dry, as turkey often is, and I couldn't eat it with ketchup. I should have put more mustard and mayo on my burger but even then I don't know if it would have saved it. I usually avoid turkey just because eating it without stuffing feels blasphemous and brings back memories of painful Thanksgiving dinners I wish I could forget. The fries, too, were too soft for my liking. I sadly have to admit that I forced myself to eat this. I would not eat this turkey burger again!

Now this veggie burger was a delight! What I like about veggie burgers is that they can be very filling if the patty is made right. This one definitely is! I put on a generous amount of mayo and mustard on top to make sure it didn't get dry like the turkey burger and when I sliced my burger a little squeezed out on the side. It was very filling and satisfying and hit the spot (as I seem to say often) and is on the cheaper side at $3.25 before taxes. I didn't miss the fries (though I have yet to have the curly fries) and was really happy with what I ordered.

Now, I don't know why you would eat at a hospital over any other places in the neighborhood but there is plenty of good people watching to be had. There are the doctors, nurses, construction workers, security, patients, family, and friends of patients, too. I can also see as how this would be a total bummer place to eat since I have seen a couple people just sit around and stare at their food sadly. The fluorescent lighting isn't exactly mood lighting, either. If you're in the area, though, and don't feel like venturing to the Fillmore, Japantown, or the Inner Richmond or anywhere else in the area it's worth a shot just to say you have done it. It's located on the first floor to the right.

Also, how do you eat your burger? I learned to cut my burger in half by my friend Ciaron who learned this during a visit to Texas. I eat my burgers this way now and put a generous amount of ketchup on the side to dip the burger half into. It makes for a lot less messiness and it's good for the times when you're eyes are bigger than your stomach and you need to take the rest to go.

So, how do you eat a burger?