Did you hear the one about the guy who got buried with a Burger King Whopper?
Yeah, you probably did.
David Kime, 88, had a final Whopper -- his favorite food -- placed on his casket, after his entire funeral cortege filed through a Burger King drive-through in York, Pa., and ordered Whoppers for all.
“He was a loyal customer up until the end -- the final end,'' said the franchise manager.
Reading about it got me to thinking. What food would I want to take with me to eternity? Well, what else do I have to think about at my age?
The thing is, I've had a lot of great meals in my lifetime. I can remember some great restaurants, some of them here on the Grand Strand, but I can't remember the specific meals. No help there.
Like the late Mr. Kime, I do have an affection for the Whopper. For about 50 cents, a Whopper, fries and a soda got me through many hungry nights while I struggled through college.
But no offense to Mr. Kime, a Whopper is so yesterday.
I've had some mouthwatering pizzas, too, but those restaurants I cannot remember. Rest assured, none of them were chains.
I hate to admit it, but the one thing that sticks in my mind was a small steakhouse I and fellow Marines used to stop at back in the day -- way back in the day.
It was in Atsugi, Japan, our nearest liberty town, which had two Americanized restaurants -- a pizza shop and a steakhouse.
I might have stopped there once a week, often late at night (or early in the morning) and was never disappointed.
I never knew what kind of seasoning the owner put on the steak, but it was just right and the steaks were consistently delicious.
Better yet was the price. After 60 years, the memory is faulty, but I believe it was about 400 yen -- about $1.20 back then. Even an underpaid Marine could afford it.
I can't confirm this, but I was told the owner purchased the steaks at the Marine base, at a much discounted rate, to give hungry Marines a place in town to get a meal without seaweed or sushi. I like that story so I'm sticking with it.
Anyway, if pressed I guess I would want that scrumptious steak placed on my casket. Better yet, I'd go ahead and have it now. It's too good to waste.
Contact BOB BESTLER at bestler6@tds.net.
