2024-09-16
32 分钟Today we have a guest episode from 99 Percent Invisible. It is about White Castle, the burger chain. Even if you haven't visited, you have tasted its influence because, as we will learn in this episode, White Castle is really the proto-burger chain. Our friends at the excellent podcast 99 Percent Invisible bring us the origin story of White Castle and trace its influence on the business of fast food, and on American eating habits. The story is about one man who had an idea for a world where you could get a slider anywhere in the country and get the same tasty, onion-y quality each time. Think of this as a forebear of the modern global economy of sameness. This episode is hosted by Roman Mars and reported by Mackenzie Martin. It was produced by Jeyca Maldonado-Medina, and edited by Joe Rosenberg. Mix and sound design by Martín Gonzalez. Music by Swan Real with additional music by Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Neufeld. Fact-checking by Graham Hacia. Kathy Tu is 99 Percent Invisible's executive producer. Kurt Kohlstedt is their digital director, and Delaney Hall is their senior editor. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
This is Planet Money from NPR.
Hello and welcome to Planet Money.
I'm Sally Helm.
There is something uniquely american about the string of low cost, burger centric fast food chains, Burger King, Wendy's, five guys, and of course, McDonald's.
But there is one that even if you haven't visited, you have tasted its influence.
And that is the humble White Castle.
Because as we will learn in this delightful episode from our friends over at 99% invisible, White Castle is really the proto burger chain.
And this episode gets at something that we refer to sometimes when we talk about the rise of globalism.
This idea that no matter where you go in the world, you can get the same product of the same quality and more or less have the same experience.
As youll hear, it is both a feature of our modern economy and slightly eerie.
We love the 99% invisible podcast, and we are thrilled to be bringing you this episode.
Roman Mars is going to take it from here.
But before we begin, a couple of quick notes.
First, this episode mentions Ray Kroc, the estate of Ray Krocs widow Joan is a funder of NPrDEz.
And second, we recommend not listening on an empty stomach.
Here's the episode.
This is 99% invisible.
I'm Roman Mars.
As anyone who has ever been to a White Castle restaurant knows, the food is how do I put this?
It's never going to be considered classic five star food, but you know what you're getting when you go there.