Cheeseburger In Paradise, Makin' The Best Of Every Virtue And Vice, Worth Every Damn Bit Of Sacrifice, To Get A Cheeseburger In Paradise

--"Cheeseburger in Paradise", Jimmy Buffet

I know I'm not the only one who associates with different places with the various people in his or her life, but lately I've been noticing that the corrolary may be true too. Lately I've been finding that, more often than not, places I used to enjoy as little as five years ago have started sliding downhill enjoyment-wise. I suppose this is just another symptom of the disease of change, where the people and activities I used to enjoy, I no longer do. And I know that I only have my entire life for old favorites to fall out of favor and new favorites to take their place, but sometimes I wish it wasn't so. Sometimes I wish that there were a few things, a few places, that were as magical now as they were the first time I stepped through those doors.

Fatburger is one of those places.

I remember going there six or seven years ago with Jennifer after hanging out at the beach all day. They weren't the best burgers; that honor still belongs to the now-defunct KWGB at Citywalk. They weren't even the cheapest burgers. The one thing that made it different from most places was the fact that you could add a fried egg to their burgers, which I thought was pretty cool. That, and the fact that I always used to eat there with my friend Jennifer. I think it was the fact that it unofficially became our place that makes it stick out to me as once being a location where fun was always to be had. It truly got to the point where I couldn't think of ever going there with anybody else, that's how unique our times there were. The weird fact is that we never had those life-changing conversations we had elsewhere. In fact, that place was often the place where we stopped after we'd just peeled our hearts bare. I guess that's another reason why the thought of it always seemed to put a smile on my face because we never spoiled it with tears. I always remembered it is this amazing place to come for a bite to eat with a good friend and a hungry stomach. In that respect it was the best.

Well, I went to Fatburger for the first time in years today and, frankly, it was mildly disappointing. Rather than the good food and good times place I remembered it as, I started looking it as the over-priced food and rather plain times place. I guess I could blame it on the company; it's hard to think of anyone else taking the place of Jennifer there.

But, mostly, I think the reason why the place's stock has gone downhill is that too much of it reminds me of her. Too much of it reminds me that she isn't around anymore to enjoy it with me.

Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers