Alright, for our third (currently) unanswered or explained question… why do we say “ham”burger when it is so obvious that these burgers are made with beef, NOT HAM?

In some cases, like venturing over to your local Steak’n’Shake, you’ll find that they make their burgers with beef steak and choose to appropriately call them steakburgers. I commend them for that. Bravo!

Why on God’s green earth do we call hamburgers… hamburgers?? I’m sure there is some logical explanation for this. Maybe long ago they were actually made with ham..? Again, no idea, and that is why I ask. But who would even make a burger with ham? Is that possible? I can see a sandwich made with ham, but a BURGER? Noooo way, Jose.

Why, then, do we add cheese to a burger and call it a cheeseburger when it is clear that the cheese isn’t the main thing on the burger, there wouldn’t be a burger without the meat!

I believe, with the observation of my two eyes and the two ears attached to my head, that we have grown custom to calling things as whatever we want, whether or not they truly match or make sense of what we are talking about or describing. If we had started to change these names MANY MANY MANY years ago, I probably would not be typing this not-so-serious serious matter here for you to also contemplate and probably shake your head at.

I hope, with faith as small as a mustard seed, that things such as this – these names we attribute to food – change and are carried forward in the appropriate manner for future generations.

Let there be beefburgers and steakburgers for all who can recognize their value.