It was a good time for a great taste

August 24, 2004 3:54 PM

Jason Alexander thinks the McDLT is the best tasting lettuce and tomato hamburger ever. [link to 10mb MPEG file]
posted by Peter H (61 comments total)

Sounds delicious! Where can I get one?
posted by etc. at 4:00 PM on August 24, 2004

Can't stand ya! CANT STAND JA!!!
posted by psmealey at 4:02 PM on August 24, 2004

is that his hair or a piece? and i'm guessing '87? '88?

Meanwhile, the Angus burger at BK is surprisingly good, and with cute commercials too : >
posted by amberglow at 4:04 PM on August 24, 2004

Ahh..the 80s. When all you apparently had to do was put on a white sportcoat, roll up your sleeves, and people would just start dancing in unison behind you.

David Naughton, Michael Jackson, Jason Alexander....good times. Good times.
posted by LairBob at 4:05 PM on August 24, 2004 [2 favorites]

And that comes with a medium Pepsi Blue...
posted by dash_slot- at 4:12 PM on August 24, 2004

The best part was the dual-sided styrofoam box the McDLT came in -- like opening a present at Christmas -- assembly required and everything. ;)
posted by jca at 4:13 PM on August 24, 2004

Some people will say anything if you pay them enough.

Hmmm....
posted by briank at 4:14 PM on August 24, 2004

Let me guess... you read achewood.
posted by Keyser Soze at 4:15 PM on August 24, 2004

And that comes with a medium Pepsi Blue...

Wait a second… Are you accusing him of shilling a product that was discontinued over a decade ago?
posted by Gary at 4:32 PM on August 24, 2004

Yeah, I don't really get the comment, dash... Either way, thanks for posting this, Peter, it's 20 different kinds of awesome.
posted by jonson at 4:36 PM on August 24, 2004

I miss the McLean Deluxe.
posted by gyc at 4:40 PM on August 24, 2004

I sure aint downloading a 30MB mpg just to understand the point of this post.

What's the point of this post?

Amberglow: the damn sign for the "Angus Burger" completely and stupidly suckered me in. Yeah, it's a good burger, but it's not nearly as good as an "Angus Beef Burger" should be. That sounded so good, when I saw the sign there was no question that's what I was going to get. I was disapointed. It is pretty good, though.

I've been getting the "Big'n'Tasty" from McD's with cheese and bacon added to it. It's almost sorta like a real hamburger, and not the "hamburgers" that McDonald's specializes in. I don't hate them the way other people do—there's times when I like them, actually—but McD's notion of a hamburger is like some alien analog to what everyone else thinks it is.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 4:42 PM on August 24, 2004

Getting tired of lettuce and tomato burgers in this town that don't quite make it? I am UP TO HERE with them! Thank God somebody came up with the idea to solve this by packaging them separately and them putting the whole contraption under the heat lamp. Oh, and then deciding styrofoam was evil and it all needed to go into a cardboard wrap that, like, defeated whatever purported purpose the separation of burger and lettuce powers provided.

Hot beefy McD indeed. Food-on-demand solves a lot of these problems.

I doubt Alexander has moves like that any longer. Sadly, he may been the victim of his own marketing swagger on that one...
posted by Ogre Lawless at 4:43 PM on August 24, 2004

I miss In'n'Out.
posted by kenko at 4:45 PM on August 24, 2004

And on September 20th, Jason Alexander returns to weekly TV playing a talented sportswriter and idiotic father in "Listen Up!"

As part of a super-secret assignment (this is just between us 16,900 MeFites, right?), I have seen the show's pilot and I'm relieved to report that at NO TIME does he say: "I'M LOVIN' IT!"

And no, the rumors are not true that I am Mr. Wendy.
posted by wendell at 4:51 PM on August 24, 2004

This would almost be funny were it not for the amount of de facto harm said restaurant corporation had not caused to the world. Ick.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:59 PM on August 24, 2004

I was listening to Art Bell last night, and he had the guy on who killed the cow with mad cow, and he said if I even look at a hamburger, I'll get massive holes in my brain and drop dead instantly and Art Bell is never wrong.
posted by keswick at 5:06 PM on August 24, 2004

Worth it just to see the pushed-up sleeves of his Miami Vice-ish jacket. And the way he pronounces together as tahgethah even when he's singing. If you can call it singing.
posted by iconomy at 5:08 PM on August 24, 2004

I'm really hungry now.
posted by Asparagirl at 5:17 PM on August 24, 2004

And that comes with a medium Pepsi Blue...

Ha, no, the time stamp indicates it comes with a medium Pepsi Clear! (note the value on such vintage spirit) ... but you are correct. Apologies for the McPost. But come on, Jason Alexander before stardom, enthusiastically skipping to that song, so excited about the hot hot and the cool crisp. Could not resist.

He was like the pied piper, leading those healthy enough looking people off to the land of obesity!
posted by Peter H at 5:18 PM on August 24, 2004

TBH, I didn't find it as amusing as you guys - the product excites no nostalgia in me [not even sure it was launched in the UK] & it seemed like a gratuitous plug for McDonalds.

Plus - they sell Pepsi, don't they? Seemed a neat tie-in. [It's clear now that I don't voluntarily go into McDonalds very often, isn't it?]

Now, if that had been Kramer...
posted by dash_slot- at 5:18 PM on August 24, 2004

I'm glad Jason Alexander didn't kill himself after seeing that commercial on television for the first time. I can't really imagine anyone else playing George...

Oh, and I'll take mine with a crystal pepsi and a holster of fries.
posted by crank at 5:30 PM on August 24, 2004

Nope, dash... McDonald's sells Coke. Sadly, I know my fast food all too well.

And Crystal Pepsi was the first thing that popped into my head too Peter. If I remember correctly, it tasted like ass....
posted by furious-d at 5:41 PM on August 24, 2004

He looks like he's on the set of Fame. Only with food.
posted by orange swan at 7:04 PM on August 24, 2004

my overly-soused carcase sez: you get a gold star, this is the most hi-larious thing I've seen in the last few days. at least.

I miss In'n'Out

you'n'me both, bub. good lord, the east coast is but a wasteland!
posted by dorian at 7:34 PM on August 24, 2004

Good find. Decent hamburger if I remember right.

I remember serving these during my brief stint at a McD's during H.S. I never understood why the cheese was on the cold side. Don't most people like the cheese melted on a hamburger? I loved how we had to have special bins just for the things.
posted by internal at 7:43 PM on August 24, 2004

I second that, kenko. I *heart* In-N-Out.
posted by shoepal at 7:50 PM on August 24, 2004

Where's McRib these days? Now that was a (manufactured facscimile of a) great sandwich!
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:10 PM on August 24, 2004

yea, do not fsck ye with the 80s, for it will for damned sure bring about thine untimely demise.

(also, gardenburger's bbq riblets somehow taste exactly like mcdonalds mcrib. well, except for the gristle, anyways...)

/off to listen to some bunnymen and siouxsie-sue
posted by dorian at 8:15 PM on August 24, 2004

That is a beautiful commercial in service of a beautiful product.

I think that's supposed to be a rap for the McDLT. Edgy!

I only wish they would bring back the shamrock shake. Or do they still do that?
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 8:16 PM on August 24, 2004

I only wish they would bring back the shamrock shake. Or do they still do that?

yep, once a year they do bring the toothpaste-flavoured-shake to all the daonie boys and girls. or at least in the boston metro area anyway.

personally I'd rather just drink the green beer and have done with it.
posted by dorian at 8:21 PM on August 24, 2004

What most people don't remember about the McDLT was that they introduced this product, which was just about 100% dependant upon it's packaging (which featured twice the amount of non-biodegrable styrofoam) right before the big anti-styrofoam craze forced McD's to toss their whole packaging and switch to paper, thus killing this product.
posted by jonson at 8:44 PM on August 24, 2004

jonson: I recall that distinctly, and I was something like 9 years old at the time. Even back then I recognized the packaging as extraordinarily wasteful. I remember for awhile, they tried to mitigate it by having special recycling bins for styrofoam.

Then again, I was a dumb kid who somehow thought "McDLT" was short for "McAdult", meaning kids couldn't have one...
posted by neckro23 at 9:00 PM on August 24, 2004

Let me guess... you read achewood.

Mmm this sandwich is so good I feel like there's music comin' outta my ears
posted by soyjoy at 9:00 PM on August 24, 2004

dude, soyjoy, you been readin' too much internet!

/mmm, ketel one...

//showink off old pants of his, when wind catches them and carries him into power lines.
posted by dorian at 9:06 PM on August 24, 2004

jonson: Oh, I remember. I loved the McDLT, but then I also loved sucking down quarter pounder cheese burgers in the old-fashioned non-biodegradable styrofoam containers and tossing the styrofoam container RIGHT out the side ...

/Leary
posted by yhbc at 9:07 PM on August 24, 2004

So, in 15-20 years someone make sure to post a link to his current KFC commercials so we can relive how goofy people looked and the inane products fast-food chains released. A bucket of what?
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 9:19 PM on August 24, 2004 [1 favorite]

I generally hate commercials now-a-days.

I don't remember hating them so much when I was a teenager.

Now I remember why.

I hope and pray every year that there will be an 80's fashion revival, even if it is only one season.

It will give me an opportunity to buy enough Ocean Pacific t-shirts and pastel suits to last the rest of my days.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:20 PM on August 24, 2004

keep the hot side hot, keep the...
posted by adampsyche at 9:22 PM on August 24, 2004

there already iswas, ynoxas -- you missed it (unless you're in the midwest)
posted by amberglow at 9:22 PM on August 24, 2004

Didn't Jason Alexander do a similarly ridiculous ad for Pringles which also involved some flamboyant, Fame-like choreography? I could've sworn...

Amber: I think that's his real hair, not a piece. Though it seemed to have disintegrated during his first three seasons of Seinfeld.

Anyone see him on the second season of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Larry David = brilliant.
posted by dhoyt at 9:28 PM on August 24, 2004

Bookmarked for 2019 in iCalendar, strangeleftydoublethink!
posted by Peter H at 9:32 PM on August 24, 2004 [1 favorite]

there already iswas, ynoxas -- you missed it (unless you're in the midwest)
posted by amberglow at 11:22 PM CST on August 24

Shit. I'm in Tennessee, so if there was an 80's revival, it was hard to notice among the NASCAR t-shirts and cowboy hats.

I think I did hear someone mention "jelly shoes" once. The last few years around here it's been all 70's with the hip huggers and pseudo-retro tee's.

Although trucker caps have never NOT been in style here, so we actually ran so far behind we got ahead of that short-lived trend.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:44 PM on August 24, 2004

A bucket of what?

You don't remember?

...cocks.
posted by soyjoy at 10:11 PM on August 24, 2004

Ynoxas - Have you seen Donnie Darko? I still want the shirt he wears while shooting the BB gun.

Oh, and hot chicks are always welcome to wear those faux wetsuit bathing suits around me. What can I say, I'm a giver...
posted by NortonDC at 10:24 PM on August 24, 2004

... cool side cool
posted by Quartermass at 11:44 PM on August 24, 2004

Briank: What did that comment mean?
posted by ed\26h at 1:33 AM on August 25, 2004

Where's McRib these days? Now that was a (manufactured facscimile of a) great sandwich!

If I'm not mistaken, the McRib is a regional choice that is still a regular on the menu in some states. There are loads of these regional items--doesn't NYC have McPizza and McSushi?
posted by jpoulos at 6:04 AM on August 25, 2004

i've never seen either of those, jpoulos...we do have McDonuts tho.

*shivers at the thought of McDonald's Pizza or Sushi*
posted by amberglow at 6:07 AM on August 25, 2004

Funny how marketing has changed since Rap music went mainstream.

Funny, too, that George is still shilling fast foods.
posted by glenwood at 6:12 AM on August 25, 2004

I definitely remember McPizza when I lived there (about ten years ago). I may have dreamed the sushi thing.
posted by jpoulos at 6:17 AM on August 25, 2004

Briank: What did that comment mean?

It meant that many people will embarrass themselves for money shilling for various products, not just Jason Alexander. At least he's a professional actor.

(and I wondered who might have offered Bob a few kopeks for trashing Kerry on the weekend gasbagfests)
posted by briank at 6:58 AM on August 25, 2004

That’s what I thought you may have meant, but it would seem very strange to infer that since certain people say embarrassing things for money then Bob Dole was paid to make his recent allegations against John Kerry.
posted by ed\26h at 11:10 AM on August 25, 2004

It maybe very dim of me but I simply can't think of what the D in DLT stands for. The most fitting thing I can think of would be "Death" but that seems unlikely.
posted by ed\26h at 11:13 AM on August 25, 2004

You're not parsing the name right, ed\26h, it's:

McD (for McDonald's) LT (for Lettuce and Tomato).

And as far as the Bob Dole thing goes, you're taking it too seriously.
posted by briank at 11:33 AM on August 25, 2004

No, you're spot on. It stood for McDonalds Death, Lettuce & Tomato. That's why they used the acronym, focus groups showed a negative response to the word "Death" in the product name.

Also, BrianK, thanks, for a moment I was terrified that one single thread would squeak by where the 2004 election didn't play some roll. Nice work.
posted by jonson at 11:35 AM on August 25, 2004

It's nice to feel needed, jonson, thanks.
posted by briank at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2004

Hey, since Viagra, I hear Dole's price is pretty high. (Okay, that didn't come out right).

I still wonder whether the re-discovery of Jason Alexander's most embarrassing professional moment is part of a viral marketing campaign for his new sitcom.

IMO, putting the cheese on the "cool" side of the McDLT was one of the dumbest food marketing moves since New Coke.

OF course, once McD's gave up on the inventory bins for their burgers, under pressure from Burger King, they brought back the "lettuce and tomato" burger as the priced-to-undercut-the-Whopper "Big 'n' Tasty". At least they did here in Californium. How different are the menus regionally? The current big push is for the "Chicken Selects", supposedly more chicken-like than McNuggets, but most of the McD's offer 6 McNugs for $1 every Tuesday. Reports say the salads on the menu are helping their bottom line: do you have the "Fiesta Salad" and "Fruit & Walnut Salad" (available for a limited time for the second time) where you are?

Here are some interesting stats: The Top 50 Fast Food Chains. McDonald's nearly triples its closest competitors; In-N-Out is up 8.9% but dropped from 46th to 48th, etc.

Okay, I'm going to go out now and have a Double Double Animal Style. Because the West Coast IS the hot side of the McDLT of the USA.
posted by wendell at 11:58 AM on August 25, 2004

Pardon, but as long as you're citing achewood in a fast food spokesman thread...

Also, there are three kinds of vegetarians: people who hate meat, always hated meat, and are relieved to have a moral reason not to eat meat anymore; people who are health paranoids; and people who saw Babe at a vulnerable moment and now can't bear to eat talking pigs, cows, ducks, etc, but really miss doing so. If you're in that last camp, do yourself a favor and heed what dorian says: Gardenburger's Riblets really do have the same KC Barbeque-bottled-sauce taste and weird mouth feel as the McRib.
posted by melissa may at 1:03 PM on August 25, 2004

Also, there are three kinds of vegetarians: people who hate meat, always hated meat, and are relieved to have a moral reason not to eat meat anymore; people who are health paranoids; and people who saw Babe at a vulnerable moment and now can't bear to eat talking pigs, cows, ducks, etc, but really miss doing so.

i'm not sure if you were joking or not, but i don't fit into of those. neither do any vegetarians i know (which is not many, however). i have no problem eating meat if i deem it worth the effort (e.g. a dinner party at someone's home where they have taken a lot of time to prepare the food w/o any vegetarian options - it happens maybe once a year). i've always loved bacon, shawerma, brisket, fried chicken, burgers, steaks, etc. (not liver, though). i'm not paranoid about my health either, but i would be a little worried about fish these days.

Jason Alexander doesn't work for KFC any more, mostly because it's evil.

oh yeah ... the link is 404. i really wanted to see it.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:11 PM on August 25, 2004

I'm pretty sure melissa may was joking... but what I'm not sure of is this:

Are new user signups now open or what?
posted by soyjoy at 2:25 PM on August 25, 2004