My chubby childhood dreams came true the day I saw the commercial for the Rodeo Burger at Burger King. This was the first burger I had heard of that came served with onion rings and barbecue sauce (Bull's-Eye, to be exact) on top. I knew I loved it already.
My mom signed my brother and I up for indoor swim lessons at the YMCA the year this burger was introduced. Our lessons were after school hours on Thursdays...during the winter. I grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., so our winters were absolutely frigid. Luckily, the water was warm. Even so, having more than a few extra lbs on us, and not being the most comfortable in a bathing suit, my brother and I hated it! The one perk to all this (and it was a big one!) was the fact that my mom would always take us to the Burger King right next door afterwards.
The inside of that particular Burger King during a Buffalo winter felt incredibly comforting. There would be times we would go there and the oddly shaped front windows would be fogged up. It felt like a steam room after our torturous swim lesson. As a 10 year old girl, somehow I was able to devour 1-2 Whoppers and a large order of fries almost every visit. So much for any calories we burned off beforehand.
On one particular visit, I ordered my first Rodeo Burger. The onion rings were perfectly battered, and the Bull's Eye sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. I thought about it non-stop, and probably ordered it every week that winter. I'm not positive how long the Rodeo Burger stuck around, but I do know that it's been on my mind ever since. It has been reintroduced a few times over the years and it is said that it can still be ordered by hacking the menu. Since I enjoy pining over things, those versions just don't appeal to me.
The Rodeo Burger was introduced in 1998 as a promotion for the Small Soldier's movie. What the rodeo has to do with toy soldiers (?). I'm still asking myself that question. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie, but more than anything else, I enjoy what I associate it with - one of the best burgers I've ever had.