I’ve Created a Muenster
December 3, 2013 7:05 PM Subscribe
The Bob's Burgers Experiment is a blog that documents one guy's ongoing attempt to devise recipes for and cook every pun-laden Burger of the Day featured on the show.
I really enjoy Bob's Burgers. Both the cartoon and the defunct burger franchise (most people know it as Big Boy, but in Oregon was known as Bob's). But frankly, I would probably watch a show that was a black screen with John Benjamin reading Finnegan's Wake backwards. I have been very surprised at its success though, animation is a pretty hit or miss affair on network television with many more shows being in the >1 season graveyard then anywhere else. And the character design seemed to me just ugly/disturbing enough to be rejected by FOX viewers. I have been delightfully surprised at its ongoing success though, and hope for many more seasons in the future.
posted by mediocre at 7:16 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mediocre at 7:16 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Awesome, and great to see he's taking it seriously, instead of just throwing obvious ingredients together, taste be damned.
(Also awesome, for reminding me that Bob's Burgers isn't canceled or in hiatus, and I now realize I've missed the first 6 episodes of season 4.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:25 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
(Also awesome, for reminding me that Bob's Burgers isn't canceled or in hiatus, and I now realize I've missed the first 6 episodes of season 4.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:25 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
No word yet on if he's going to follow up on the experiment by starting a series of ill-conceived retail and pest-control businesses.
posted by schmod at 7:26 PM on December 3, 2013 [11 favorites]
posted by schmod at 7:26 PM on December 3, 2013 [11 favorites]
mediocre, I was in the South over Thanksgiving and saw several Big Boy'seses. The legend lives on!
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:37 PM on December 3, 2013
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:37 PM on December 3, 2013
Bob's Burgers is so gentle and character-driven while being satirical, funny without it being at anyone's expense, and in the sadly small tradition of working class family sitcoms. I find it totally, utterly delightful.
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 PM on December 3, 2013 [24 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 PM on December 3, 2013 [24 favorites]
Great blog for a great show. It's filled the Simpsons shaped hole in my heart since I decided to start watching it on Neflix.
Behind Bob's Burgers is also a great fan blog that has fan-art and some behind the scenes stuff.
posted by codacorolla at 7:54 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Behind Bob's Burgers is also a great fan blog that has fan-art and some behind the scenes stuff.
posted by codacorolla at 7:54 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
I really enjoyed watching Bob's Burgers except for the UNSATABLE CRAVING I'd get for those burger specials. Thank you for this post, since now all I need to do is kidnap this fellow and install him in my kitchen before next episode.
posted by gwint at 7:54 PM on December 3, 2013
posted by gwint at 7:54 PM on December 3, 2013
This blog is fun (and it's been my favorite show on tv for a while now)! However, I'm not sure if confronted with the "The Cauliflower’s Cumin From Inside The House Burger (comes with cauliflower and cumin)" prompt, my first instinct would be to take "a head of cauliflower," wrap "it in a towel and smashed it on the counter until the stem was bare and the florets were tiny". Maybe steam it first and then puree it? (Actually, I would saute a slice of cauliflower (stalk and all, a la this recipe) that had been seasoned with cumin and put that on the burger.)
Now I'm actually worried that maybe I've been cooking cauliflower wrong all these years...
posted by jrb223 at 8:01 PM on December 3, 2013
Now I'm actually worried that maybe I've been cooking cauliflower wrong all these years...
posted by jrb223 at 8:01 PM on December 3, 2013
Via Codacorolla's link: The National sang a rendition of Gayle and Linda's Thanksgiving song and the Bob's Burgers team animated a music video for it.
posted by JDHarper at 8:13 PM on December 3, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by JDHarper at 8:13 PM on December 3, 2013 [7 favorites]
I've been binge watching episodes and I look forward to the chalkboard, the neighboring failing store, and the pest control trucks. Not to mention the many other punny business and product names that show up as needed around the show. It satiates my Archer needs in the off season.
posted by msbutah at 8:27 PM on December 3, 2013
posted by msbutah at 8:27 PM on December 3, 2013
I just started watching this FINALLY - first episode was the thanksgiving one - and it makes me so happy.
i too am eating too many burgers recently although i do not think the two things are related
posted by elizardbits at 8:49 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
i too am eating too many burgers recently although i do not think the two things are related
posted by elizardbits at 8:49 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Is there a Oh Sweet Mystery of Life at Last I've Fondue Burger? Because I would eat that.
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:10 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:10 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
The National sang a rendition of Gayle and Linda's Thanksgiving song and the Bob's Burgers team animated a music video for it.
Oh my god, animated Gravy Boat Captain Matt Berninger might just be the best thing I've ever seen. Their rendition of "Kill the Turkey" from last year's Thanksgiving episode was also A+, but I love how this one sounds exactly like a legitimate The National song, except for the lyrics.
posted by yasaman at 9:19 PM on December 3, 2013
Oh my god, animated Gravy Boat Captain Matt Berninger might just be the best thing I've ever seen. Their rendition of "Kill the Turkey" from last year's Thanksgiving episode was also A+, but I love how this one sounds exactly like a legitimate The National song, except for the lyrics.
posted by yasaman at 9:19 PM on December 3, 2013
Can't wait till he gets to "The Child Molester - Comes with Candy!"
posted by sbutler at 9:24 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by sbutler at 9:24 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Bob's Burgers is quite different from the Simpsons, but it has so far the only show I have seen on television since the Simpsons' golden age that you can genuinely compare it to. It is absurd and acerbic and genuinely heartwarming when it wants to be. Every hug-y moment is always offset by an appropriate amount of inappropriateness, and yet you know this family genuinely loves one another and will always be there for one another.
Also, it turned me on to Eugene Mirman's standup and I have honestly never identified with a comic as much as I have with him.
posted by griphus at 9:39 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, it turned me on to Eugene Mirman's standup and I have honestly never identified with a comic as much as I have with him.
posted by griphus at 9:39 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
For the record: "The Bob's Big Boy Restaurant located at 4211 Riverside Drive in Burbank, California, is the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in the United States." It's considered a Historic Landmark in Los Angeles because that's what L.A. does. Been there. Ate that. (It makes the Big Mac even lamer by comparison - also the refrigerated Bob's Thousand Island Dressing was Big Mac's Special Sauce long before Big Mac was Big Mac)
I'm half surprised that the Evil Overlords at Carl's Jr./Hardee's haven't stolen any of TV's Bob's Burger ideas, because they've been offering far worse 'specialty-burgers' for years (Teriyaki Burger, with Teriyaki Glaze, Grilled Dole Pineapple, Swiss Cheese, Red Onion, Lettuce, Tomato and Mayonnaise... yep, Pineapple and Mayo)
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:39 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm half surprised that the Evil Overlords at Carl's Jr./Hardee's haven't stolen any of TV's Bob's Burger ideas, because they've been offering far worse 'specialty-burgers' for years (Teriyaki Burger, with Teriyaki Glaze, Grilled Dole Pineapple, Swiss Cheese, Red Onion, Lettuce, Tomato and Mayonnaise... yep, Pineapple and Mayo)
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:39 PM on December 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I should try this. I love burgers, I don't know how to cook, and I'm a very picky and not too adventurous eater. What a great blog it'll be.
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:48 PM on December 3, 2013
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:48 PM on December 3, 2013
Bob's Burgers is quite different from the Simpsons, but it has so far the only show I have seen on television since the Simpsons' golden age that you can genuinely compare it to. It is absurd and acerbic and genuinely heartwarming when it wants to be. Every hug-y moment is always offset by an appropriate amount of inappropriateness, and yet you know this family genuinely loves one another and will always be there for one another.
I've often said that the big thing that differentiates Newer Simpsons from Golden Age Simpsons (and even what separates good sit-coms from bad) was that the best episodes treated the characters seriously within their world. They're not just animate blobs of ink, they are characters with actual relationships to each other beyond gag machines - Bob's Burgers gets this feeling in a way very few shows do, by investing in character to drive the plot, The Simpsons always worked best when they where a slightly more tweaked version of a "typical sit-com family" placed in absurd settings and BB's expands on that theme.
Also, like with the best Homer-Marge stuff, the best BB moments are between Linda and Bob because we need to totally buy this relationship if the show is going to work at all. It's why the Simpsons movie focused on it. See also; Roseanne.
posted by The Whelk at 9:56 PM on December 3, 2013 [6 favorites]
Fans of Eugene Mirman's work on Bob's Burgers should also check him out in the brilliantly absurdist (and rather acerbic and obnoxious) Delocated. It also features Todd Barry (Moolisa), Larry Murphy (Teddy), and Jon Glaser (Jairo).
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:59 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 9:59 PM on December 3, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, and the main character of Delocated (played by Jon Glaser) has a fixation on sandwiches. Gyros, in fact!
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:01 PM on December 3, 2013
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:01 PM on December 3, 2013
The episode where Louise turns a science project on Thomas Edison into a musical about Edison's hideous electrocution of an elephant transcended mere entertainment for me and became a sight of pure beauty and joy. Mostly for the line "They'll say 'Aw, Topsy' / At my autopsy" but for everything else too.
posted by Spatch at 10:13 PM on December 3, 2013 [16 favorites]
posted by Spatch at 10:13 PM on December 3, 2013 [16 favorites]
Spatch, I completely agree about the Edison episode. It means things to me.
I belted the lines you quoted, at my husband's request, loudly, with feeling, and in my best New England accent on Thanksgiving. It was clear everyone thought I had lost my mind utterly.
posted by mostlymartha at 3:24 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I belted the lines you quoted, at my husband's request, loudly, with feeling, and in my best New England accent on Thanksgiving. It was clear everyone thought I had lost my mind utterly.
posted by mostlymartha at 3:24 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
/me whispers, "Topsy..."
posted by mikelieman at 4:57 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 4:57 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have never seen Bob's Burgers. But this makes me want to check it out - those pun burger names are great.
posted by dnash at 5:27 AM on December 4, 2013
posted by dnash at 5:27 AM on December 4, 2013
I've been watching through Bob's Burgers with the lady friend (more slowly than I'd like, damn you school), and it's just great. It's has heart, much like earlier Simpsons, without schmaltz.
posted by X-Himy at 5:35 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by X-Himy at 5:35 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bob's Burgers is quite different from the Simpsons, but it has so far the only show I have seen on television since the Simpsons' golden age that you can genuinely compare it to.
On Sunday nights, FOX gives us:
- The Simpsons, which is not as good as it once was;
- approximately 13 different Seth McFarlane shows, to remind us that even past-its-prime Simpsons is still better than many shows;
- Bob's Burgers, to remind us of how great The Simpsons once was.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:33 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
On Sunday nights, FOX gives us:
- The Simpsons, which is not as good as it once was;
- approximately 13 different Seth McFarlane shows, to remind us that even past-its-prime Simpsons is still better than many shows;
- Bob's Burgers, to remind us of how great The Simpsons once was.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:33 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
kristen schaal is awesome as louise. that is all.
posted by Sophie1 at 6:50 AM on December 4, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 6:50 AM on December 4, 2013 [7 favorites]
approximately 13 different Seth McFarlane shows, to remind us that even past-its-prime Simpsons is still better than many shows;
While I haven't watched it past season six or seven, American Dad is a brilliant show in ways that have nearly nothing to do with the lolconservatives premise. I suspect a lot of that has to do with the fact that McFarlane is doing little more than sticking his name on it.
posted by griphus at 6:59 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
While I haven't watched it past season six or seven, American Dad is a brilliant show in ways that have nearly nothing to do with the lolconservatives premise. I suspect a lot of that has to do with the fact that McFarlane is doing little more than sticking his name on it.
posted by griphus at 6:59 AM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Also, it turned me on to Eugene Mirman's standup and I have honestly never identified with a comic as much as I have with him.
I thought I did not like Eugene Mirman, but then I heard the Judge John Hodgman podcast episode everyone's talking about, and now I love Eugene Mirman.
posted by psoas at 7:36 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I thought I did not like Eugene Mirman, but then I heard the Judge John Hodgman podcast episode everyone's talking about, and now I love Eugene Mirman.
posted by psoas at 7:36 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
We watch on Netflix, so I haven't seen past Season 2, but one of the things I love about Bob's Burger's is how funny it is on rewatch. So many comedies don't hold up when you know the jokes are coming, but somehow Bob's Burgers manages it. (Another that's as funny every time: The IT Crowd.)
The episode with the art that Linda's sister puts up... I remembered that it was thematic and that it slayed me the first time, but I didn't remember *what* it was. The second time on the reveal, I nearly died laughing. I thought I was going to laugh myself right into cardiac arrest.
posted by sonika at 7:36 AM on December 4, 2013
The episode with the art that Linda's sister puts up... I remembered that it was thematic and that it slayed me the first time, but I didn't remember *what* it was. The second time on the reveal, I nearly died laughing. I thought I was going to laugh myself right into cardiac arrest.
posted by sonika at 7:36 AM on December 4, 2013
It has definitely joined Arrested Development, Archer, Home Movies and so on in the pantheon of shows I have seen so many times I can put it on in the background and be passively entertained while doing something else.
Also, I can no longer pass by an arcade machine without thinking "please, we're just renting it!"
posted by griphus at 7:45 AM on December 4, 2013
Also, I can no longer pass by an arcade machine without thinking "please, we're just renting it!"
posted by griphus at 7:45 AM on December 4, 2013
It satiates my Archer needs in the off season.
I may or may not have an elaborate backstory in my mind where Archer quits ISIS and goes into deep cover as Bob Belcher.
posted by like_a_friend at 8:34 AM on December 4, 2013
I may or may not have an elaborate backstory in my mind where Archer quits ISIS and goes into deep cover as Bob Belcher.
posted by like_a_friend at 8:34 AM on December 4, 2013
I may or may not have an elaborate backstory in my mind where Archer quits ISIS and goes into deep cover as Bob Belcher.
No one say anything.
posted by griphus at 8:40 AM on December 4, 2013 [9 favorites]
No one say anything.
posted by griphus at 8:40 AM on December 4, 2013 [9 favorites]
This show became a family quote-factory from the first episode we watched. I swear to god someone in my house says "CAPOEIRA! BRASIL!" at least once a day, and I think "Beefsquatch" has been viewed here about one thousand times.
posted by padraigin at 9:12 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by padraigin at 9:12 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is responsible for me checking out season two on Netflix and oh god I have forgotten just how dense with jokes this show is oh god.
posted by The Whelk at 9:33 AM on December 4, 2013
posted by The Whelk at 9:33 AM on December 4, 2013
I like everything about the show except the ugly character design and Kristen Schaal's constant screaming.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:39 AM on December 4, 2013
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:39 AM on December 4, 2013
" does this pair well with an IPA?"
"it pairs well with all letters."
posted by The Whelk at 9:44 AM on December 4, 2013 [5 favorites]
"it pairs well with all letters."
posted by The Whelk at 9:44 AM on December 4, 2013 [5 favorites]
You know what I like? I like how, with so many the chalkboard signs, Bob feels compelled to explain what is actually on the Burger of the Day.
So Many Fennel So Little Thyme (comes with lots of fennel, no thyme)
Freedom of Choys Burger (comes with bok choy)
Don’t You Four Cheddar Bout Me Burger (comes with four kinds of cheddar)
It fits his character so perfectly: his yearning to be creative, his stubbornness, his desperation.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:27 AM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
So Many Fennel So Little Thyme (comes with lots of fennel, no thyme)
Freedom of Choys Burger (comes with bok choy)
Don’t You Four Cheddar Bout Me Burger (comes with four kinds of cheddar)
It fits his character so perfectly: his yearning to be creative, his stubbornness, his desperation.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:27 AM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
"This is why I've moved onto erotic friend fiction, using people from school, and zombies."
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 AM on December 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 AM on December 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
This show became a family quote-factory from the first episode we watched.
Mrs. Example and I don't quote so much as channel Tina. "....eeuuuhhhhhh...."
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:05 AM on December 4, 2013 [5 favorites]
Mrs. Example and I don't quote so much as channel Tina. "....eeuuuhhhhhh...."
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:05 AM on December 4, 2013 [5 favorites]
"No, it'll work. I saw Jimmy Jr. and Zeke do it at wrestling practice."
"Hey, those practices are closed!"
"I'm aware of that, Zeke. I'm the reason they're closed."
posted by griphus at 11:09 AM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
"Hey, those practices are closed!"
"I'm aware of that, Zeke. I'm the reason they're closed."
posted by griphus at 11:09 AM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
I also like how totally yet undefinably Mid Atlantic Coast the series is.
posted by The Whelk at 11:22 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 11:22 AM on December 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Between "Bob's Burgers", "Archer", "Home Movies", and "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist", along with his guest appearances on a couple of other key shows, Jon Benjamin is responsible for a larger cumulative perecentage of my laughing than any other single person, and that includes all of my actual friends. I feel like I should send him a gratuity of some kind.
posted by Ipsifendus at 12:26 PM on December 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Ipsifendus at 12:26 PM on December 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
A recipe blog - ha! After a recent episode, I woke up with a monstrous radioactive zit. I am just so Bob.
(Most days, I just wake up and smell like ointment and pee. )
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:37 PM on December 4, 2013
(Most days, I just wake up and smell like ointment and pee. )
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:37 PM on December 4, 2013
Jon Benjamin is amazing because he basically has one voice, but what a voice!
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:51 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:51 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
Jon Benjamin actually has a little bit of vocal range! If you sit down and watch Home Movies, Bob's Burgers, Archer, Dr. Katz, Jon Benjamin Has a Van, and Important Things all in one weekend, you can learn this too!
Also, he looks like Ben Franklin.
posted by RainyJay at 2:53 PM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
Also, he looks like Ben Franklin.
posted by RainyJay at 2:53 PM on December 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
Oh, and burgers are delicious and I want to try several of these.
posted by RainyJay at 2:53 PM on December 4, 2013
posted by RainyJay at 2:53 PM on December 4, 2013
I have weird relationship with this show. My roommates will be watching it and I'll find myself watching it silently, never laughing and during the commercial breaks wondering why I am watching it as I am not getting any enjoyment out of it. And then it comes back on and I am sucked back into it.
I now walk out of the room when it comes on so I don't have to deal with compulsive consumption of something I'm not really a fan of (see also: lime flavored corn chips). But these burgers suddenly make the show really seem worth it. And when he comes up with his meatsiah recipe, I will try it. (Although I still cannot find the appropriate strength to use in an x-ray for irradiation of beef, the only way I would ever trust myself to make beef tartar (bonus of not having strong beta particles zipping around or having to deal with radioactive cobalt). (It's odd, I can't be the only person who thinks it'd be a good idea to have a consumer sized (if homemade, dear god the liability) food irradiation machine. It'd make me feel better about cooking chicken for one thing.))
posted by Hactar at 7:13 PM on December 4, 2013
I now walk out of the room when it comes on so I don't have to deal with compulsive consumption of something I'm not really a fan of (see also: lime flavored corn chips). But these burgers suddenly make the show really seem worth it. And when he comes up with his meatsiah recipe, I will try it. (Although I still cannot find the appropriate strength to use in an x-ray for irradiation of beef, the only way I would ever trust myself to make beef tartar (bonus of not having strong beta particles zipping around or having to deal with radioactive cobalt). (It's odd, I can't be the only person who thinks it'd be a good idea to have a consumer sized (if homemade, dear god the liability) food irradiation machine. It'd make me feel better about cooking chicken for one thing.))
posted by Hactar at 7:13 PM on December 4, 2013
I'm here to mention Lucy Daughter of the Devil and gush about Bob's Burgers. And I'm all out of gush.
posted by abulafa at 7:33 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by abulafa at 7:33 PM on December 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
I forgot how great Lucy was until I saw the dildo factory one again recently. Such an amazing show.
Coach McGuirk is still my number one Jon Benjamin character, though. Every single thing out of his mouth is gold, there's no line wasted. "Brendon, there's nothing wrong with lying to women. Or the government. Or parents. Or God."
posted by jason_steakums at 11:42 PM on December 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Coach McGuirk is still my number one Jon Benjamin character, though. Every single thing out of his mouth is gold, there's no line wasted. "Brendon, there's nothing wrong with lying to women. Or the government. Or parents. Or God."
posted by jason_steakums at 11:42 PM on December 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
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