Not That Impossible (You've Got To Be Kidding!)

An article this past week caught my eye because the words "Burger," "King," and "Whopper" were in the title, though I'm not sure they were in exactly that order. My memories floated back to the final year of college when Kathy and I were engaged. Since there were certain meals from the cafeteria that weren't our favorite—and we were never brave enough to actually put the "mystery meat" into our mouth—we often made a quick run to Burger King to each get a Whopper. We could get two of them for ninety-nine cents, or a dollar and five cents with tax. Now that was a cheap date. And it wouldn't be just a regular Whopper. Oh no, we ordered it up as "heavy everything" which meant they added a double helping of mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and sliced onion. All of that extra goodness, at no extra charge! Since the burger patty was flame-broiled it tasted as though you just pulled it off your back yard grill. Forty years later we are still ordering up Whoppers, though the modern version is an anemic take on the ones we were served back then. And don't even try asking for "heavy everything" as the youngsters serving you will have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Enjoying a hamburger hot off the grill on a perfect day

(sometimes called Carol burgers)
Photo by David Andreasen

While it is completely true that my mind took this stroll down memory lane, as it does rather often, it is not the focus of this article. What is up for discussion are the actions of a particular Burger King location in Brooklyn, New York, that accidentally advertised Burger King's new meatless Impossible Whopper but actually served customers their regular beef Whopper. Those who had ordered the meatless option because of religion or health or ethics were understandably upset at the deception. The switch was only found out when others requested the new meatless Whopper and were told they were not yet available. Oops indeed.

Which got me to thinking about the "why" of such a product in the first place. I mean, this is fast food we're talking about and not all that healthy by any means. Was this replacement a chance to make fast food healthier? As it turns out, not so much. The plant-based patty has many ingredients and additives that sound like a chemistry experiment gone rogue. Rather, the main purpose for a vegetable-based burger turns out to be mitigating supposed animal cruelty or climate change. Impossible Foods, the company responsible for producing this meatless option, has discovered a niche that caters to those whose concerns include the environment. Now, lest you think I am leading you astray, I would encourage you to read up on this in much greater detail and come to your own conclusions. These are my personal thoughts and not a scientific discussion of either meatless-meat or animal cruelty or climate change, though I have rather strong personal thoughts. But I will say that there was nothing offered in the articles I read to back up any of their statements, and there are still two sides that offer explanations to the present state of climate today. Such products offer something more than a menu item, namely giving people an option as to how they wish to view their world.

If you keep reading, you will eventually discover that many other companies are scrambling to get in on this present phenomenon. McDonald's has been experimenting with the McVegan in Europe with the intention of bringing it to the U.S. White Castle is also selling a small slider version of this burger. Carl's Jr. is offering a veggie burger from another company, Beyond Meat. Even Del Taco, Wendy's, and everyone's beloved Chick-fil-A is looking for ways to meet the demand. It seems nobody wishes to be left out of this alternative meat market.

Now, this is only one person's opinion on the matter, but from a practical standpoint I would have a difficult time justifying paying a couple bucks extra for a burger that's not really a burger. Just the other day I cooked up a few burgers on the grill that came out perfectly done and tasted amazing. Even Kathy gave her approval. While I have no illusions that it is the healthiest of food options, we can choose to buy better grades of ground beef to trim the fat on a food staple that's been around for generations. At this point in time we really don't know the long-term effects of all the ingredients and additives that are part and parcel of the Impossible Burger. But as they always say, "your mileage may vary."

The somewhat expensive Vegan Burger

Photo by David Andreasen

Okay, so some of you are wondering if I even know what I'm talking about, or if I've tasted one of these burgers. I'm glad you asked, and the answer is yes, I had a Vegan Burger last year. You may have read my Facebook post about it as a thanks for delivering some items to this particular food truck location. This would have cost about $13 if I was buying it. Was it horrible? No, but it was very spicy and that masked the fake burger for me. Would I buy one? No, I only ate it because I was hungry and it was free. Could I tell it wasn't real meat? Probably not a fair question as I already knew it wasn't, but this one didn't have any beef taste at all to my taste buds. It was more of the veggie-type burger. Do some of these taste more like burgers? The Impossible Burger is said to have the texture and even taste of a burger, and even bleeds red like a real burger. Might I like it better? Perhaps, but what's the point? I like real hamburgers and they're less expensive than the imitation ones. Have you ever heard me say that I'm an Andreasen and I'm cheap?

What I really think this all comes down to is personal preference. People are free to eat all the Impossible Burgers they care to eat for whatever reason they wish to eat them. But I'll stick to the tried-and-true beef version.

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

The Changing Wheel (How Do You Change A Wheel?)

I have had a fascination with cars far before I was able to drive them. I put together models of cars complete with full paint jobs and all the decals, helped my dad when he was working on his car, or read about them in several of the monthly automobile publications to which I subscribed. That fascination led me to own and drive numerous interesting vehicles (to me anyway) that were not strictly efficient and utilitarian. It has also brought me to a time in my life where I spend every working day driving people from one part of town to another through the Lyft app, putting around 1500 miles on the car every week and hauling thousands of people. Unfortunately for me, doing what you normally love to do becomes monotonous and boring months after years of doing that one thing. But I digress.

Nowadays I get much of my interesting car news through the internet and just recently read an article that included the thoughts of Michelin and GM regarding the wheel. It's an update on that round conveyance device from Fred Flintstone's vehicle (or however it was utilized!) through the wagon wheel of horse and buggy days, to the wheels with the installed tires we used today that provide a bit more comfort. In this case it's a wheel and "tire" combined into one unit that has been affectionately called the tweel, for tire and wheel of course. That term rolls off the tongue a little easier than Michelin Uptis, the brand name that Michelin and GM are using that stands for Unique Puncture-Proof Tire System. Don't believe me? Take a gander over to the Michelin website and check out this page. It will give you the all the technical information you need, or possibly even more: 

https://michelinmedia.com/michelin-uptis/

I remember seeing these tires in brief articles from time to time over the past few years, but always thought it was some kind of April Fool's joke. Yet here it is in all its plastic splendor with an expected production date of sometime in 2024. Five years from now we might all be oohing and aahing over the strange looking contraption.

Michelin Uptis "Tweel"
Photo copyright by Overdrive

You can see from this angle that the outer layer of the tweel is rubber, much like today's tires. The goal is to get tires to last longer and who doesn't want that? The inner wheel hub is made of aluminum and also similar to the hub of a tire we see today. It's the part in between that is the puncture-proof part of Uptis and is made of composite plastic. Three different materials mated together into one tweel.

That finned area between rubber surface and the outside end of the spokes allows for compression when going over bumps or running into potholes. If you've ever blown a tire or bent a wheel going into a pothole you'll appreciate the sturdiness of this setup. And I used "sturdy" intentionally as there is little to none of the squirminess that tires go through when pushed hard around corners. Have you seen those low-profile tires on certain sports cars that look like rubber bands on a metal wheel? The idea of those low profile tires is that they are stiffer and perform better at speed and in emergency maneuvers. The down side is that they are no longer comfortable, even on the highway, and might cause you to think you are driving on a wagon wheel. This tire/wheel combination might give a car both performance and comfort, two things that are not often seen together.

When Jared was looking to upgrade his Ford Focus, he checked out the new-generation Ford Focus ST, a fast and fun compact car that had a manual transmission. That was a must for him. But in driving this car with the "skinny little tires" as he described them, he said it was so uncomfortable that he could feel every defect in the road. It was a fun car but since he was looking for better comfort instead of worse comfort, this car was now off his list.

2013 Ford Focus ST in Tangerine Scream
Photo by David Andreasen
Taken in the showroom of Rock River Ford in Rockford Illinois

Just to be clear, you won't be seeing this on any car tomorrow. Well, I suppose you may, but only because it is now being tested out in the real world on Chevrolet Bolts. The goal for production cars is said to be five years away and the technology still has to be proven and tested and safe. If they can make it similar to your driving experience now in performance, handling, and cost then we will see them incorporated into production vehicles in time.

I'm not really sure how I feel about them as they are rather goofy looking to me, but no doubt I will warm up to them in time if they make it to production. I'll probably just be happy that I'm still able to drive a car instead of an autonomous car driving me. But that's another story for another day.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

Who In The World Is Arktander? (That's An Unusual Name)

That's a fair question, since I doubt any of you or your friends have named their new baby by that name. Funny story though, Jonathan thought that would be a great name if they had a son for their second child. Instead two girls' names were needed. Well, Arktander Elekiam Andreasen was my grandfather on my dad's side. He was a carpenter but died when I was a baby so I never knew him. But his name came up in conversation every so often as I was growing up so it made an impression on me. You know how hard it was to come up with usernames in the early days of the internet? Many of us didn't get in quite as early as others and had our usernames rejected as someone had already snagged it. That's why we were usually offered our main choice with a bunch of numbers after it. So as I wrestled with finding an unusual name that nobody had it struck me that I had the perfect solution in "Arktander" with it being unlikely to be used elsewhere. Now we are asked for our email address instead but every once in a while I'll be asked for a username and I know what to answer.

Jeep Easter Egg

The idea for starting a blog (short from weblog, for personal commentary on the web) came to me mostly as a way to remember past experiences while I still can. I didn't imagine others would find it that interesting but then I read my aunt's stories written out in decades and I found it fascinating. It's the kind of thing that keeps reality television interesting and YouTube videos compelling. So what kind of things might show up on this blog? Well, I will answer that question with the things that come to mind now but I would expect that everything is fair game if it interests me. If you know me at all you should already have an idea.

I have had a list in my mind for the better part of my entire life and you tend to work these thoughts out in your mind before committing them to the spoken or written word. I would say I am organized to the point of annoyance (just ask my wife) but that's the way I am. That's part of the charm of David Andreasen. Where some find their stride in no organization at all, I find mine when there's a place for everything and everything is in its place. I'm the one who will look at a random pile of M&M's and methodically eat all the surplus colors until there is an even number of all the colors, then I'll eat one of each color until they are evenly eaten. Say what you will but we all have our foibles. Somewhere along the way I recognized that there were certain significant and recurring events that demanded my attention, and stood above the lesser happenings of life.

GOD

God is the one constant that is over all and in all of the events of every day of every month of every year of my life and He is the One who makes all the others possible. With God in your life you will make choices that honor Him, and without God in your life you will choose other paths that ignore Him. I've often said that one ignores God at their own peril. I believe that God is the One who has placed these desires and interests in me and that is why they have risen to the top. Going to church was important in our family growing up. We were there for every service and every special speaker or occasion. I played in the church orchestra, cleaned the church as I got older, and even worked on a church building project with my dad as I reached my teens. Such a background gave me the impetus to go to Bible School and enter a life of church ministry.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Do you remember the Kodak Disc camera? The Polaroid? We had both of those in my family and I remember mom being the family photographer. When you see a camera or cell phone in her hand taking pictures today, just remember that she has been taking pictures for most of her life. My first "good" camera was given to me by my uncle Paul Nelson. It was a Yashica 35mm camera that was a full manual—manual focus, manual aperture, and manual shutter speed. I took photography classes in high school to learn how to use a camera and how to develop film and print photos.

TIMEPIECES

I can't be sure of whether I had a watch before my teen years, but the first I remember was the one I got for my high school graduation. I was seventeen and it was a gold watch with a round dial and brightly lit LED red numbers. You had to press a button for it to light up with the time because those LEDs wore the batteries down quickly. But it was the coolest thing I had ever seen and was the first of many watches to come. Not only do I have an interest in watches and clocks, but my youngest son went to watchmaker's school and is now a watchmaker. It's one of the many subjects we share in during our conversations.

AUTOMOBILES

Who doesn't remember anticipating turning sixteen so you could get your license and drive? A car represented freedom and the ability to go where you wanted when you wanted. I suppose I should say the full realization of that dream normally came a few years later when you headed off to college and you had the freedom to go where you wanted. For the time being I had to haul my brothers and sisters to school and church and probably other places as well. I tried to learn all I could about cars and how to work on them and I enjoyed it.

COMPUTERS

Near the end of college I became aware that corporate computers were shrinking in size and were being manufactured in a smaller "personal" size for individuals, hence the personal computer or PC. I got in on the ground floor of that breakthrough and was in the right place at the right time to receive old computers from friends who were upgrading to new machines. Back then, such technology was an amazing thing and I was fascinated with them. Computers would end up winding themselves through every part of life and work and became a great tool for both.

ARCHITECTURE

A number of these subjects started for me in high school as I was given the chance to select several elective courses that broadened a students horizons and gave them a leg up in areas outside reading, writing, and arithmetic. Photography and Woodworking were two of those classes and the third was architectural drafting. I found it fascinating to put designs to paper although nothing really came of those. But since I had been planning to attend Bible School following High School, I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn a little in case it was needed for ministry. Little did I know how true that would be!

BUILDING

Early in my adult life I started a few little projects for my wife, like making a shelf or installing a door, or even moving up to a pie safe. I didn't have more than cheap tools and mostly hand tools. Finally, much later to the party, came a serious interest in construction. It began with my dad who brought me to his work projects but expanded and came full circle to the point of heading up the church building project with volunteers in Lincoln, Illinois. That major project became the impetus for numerous personal projects over the years following. Though most of these projects were born of financial necessity it became an integral part of my life and my interests.

TRAVELLING

This one came much later in life, after the boys had left home and gone on with their lives. Our family trips were normally centered around family and holidays as we travelled across the country especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 1999 I was asked to join a District Home Missions trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Kathy was not amused when wives could not participate. She had always wanted to go overseas and now couldn't, while I never wanted to go overseas but was the one going. So the very next year I took our missionary friends up on their offer to visit them in Belgium. This time we were able to go together to see Ken and Marianne Barickman and visit some of the sites. When we had the opportunity to take a cruise back in 2004 my wife got the bug to travel to interesting and new places. You might say I'm making up for lost time with her as she said I always promised we'd travel "someday" so I guess I need to live in the "someday" right now.

So there you have it, a little overview of how the list began. We'll fill in some of the missing pieces as time goes on but it's always good to have a little background.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

.....Or So I Thought. (Where Did I Put That?)

Apparently that thought back in July 2012 died on the vine, as it were. Or I simply needed nearly seven more years to "think about it."

What are the chance of getting those letters?

Looking back I remember what was going on in my life. That was to be the final year of a career in ministry, though I didn't know it then. As the year wore on I was looking for a new place of ministry but having no success. In the end I got an offer to help a Christian businessman in Rockford and we made the move to the Rockford, Illinois, area at the very end of 2012 and started work January 1, 2013. By this time, I suppose, I was far more concerned about adjusting to the new job than strolling down memory lane and blogging was put off indefinitely. We ended up leaving Rockford and moving to Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of 2016. Upheaval once again. Looking for a job once again. Trying to fit in once again.

Yet this era of upheaval is different in many ways. I'm older now, and a grandpa, and such circumstances cause one to reflect on life and how it eventually unfolded. And so I had the brilliant idea of starting a blog to document some of these recurring subjects of life. Only it wasn't a new idea, as I would soon find out. In trying to figure out where to host the blog, I ended up at Blogger and—BAM!—just like that up pops my old account. And that first blog post, miniscule as it was.

My Aunt Elaine Nelson took it upon herself years ago to do much the same thing, except she put all the chapters together into a book and published the various decades of her life with her family. Since I am an extended part of her family I found those volumes most interesting and made sure I collected each one. There's something about knowing where you came from that resonates within. Perhaps my efforts will resonate with my immediate and extended family in much the same way. No doubt some of them will remember some of these events in much different ways but at least my thoughts will be put to the page.

I doubt that I will start at the beginning and work my way through these subjects methodically. What fun would that be? Neither will I take these subject one by one and cover them exhaustively till you're sick of it. No, I think I will take the random approach, weaving all of the subjects into place as would seem appropriate and building them upon each other. Every so often you hear of an individual who changes gears several times in their life, moving from one pursuit to another and focusing on just that one until the next great pursuit comes along. That is also an admirable way of living life, it's just not the way mine unfurled. Each of these have been intertwined with all the others so that it's much more like a tapestry is put together.

Anyway, that's the plan.

Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)

And So It Begins..... (I Had An Idea)

What's all the fuss about blogging? That's what I ask myself as this one and that one tells me to "check out their blog" or something along those lines. It all seems to come down to writing, which I've been doing for more years than I care to remember. It's just that it hasn't been put up on the web, so it's just an article or a letter or random musings.

So we'll see what we can come up with. Hey, I just wrote a book, I could put that up here page by page or chapter by chapter. Or I can put up my Christmas letters written over the years, not your average Christmas letters. Or what about twenty years of newsletter articles?

Or maybe I'll just wing it from time to time.

I'll have to think about it.

Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)

This is your brain on an art poster