I don’t usually put a whole lot of stock in reviews, but I have to say, this NY Post bitch-slap ^[1] of Madison Square Park’s Shake Shack ^[2] just fills me with glee. Glee! Every time I see people lined up for hours at that place, I just wanna slap ‘em. Yeah I know, that probably says more about me than anything else (and yeah, it’s the Post), but still… It’s a burger, people. A burger! The city’s bursting with them.

Yep. We’re sheep. It’s sad. Seriously, in a city that’s known for its fast pace and constant movement, we’re willing to stand still for an hour or two for a hamburger? A hamburger???

Recently on the Upper West Side, a friend and I strolled past the new Grom ^[3] gelato place, and decided to check it out. I love gelato–it’s one of my favorite things about Italy, in fact. However, five minutes into our miserable, crowded, ridiculous wait (which promised to be a good thirty minutes at least), we abandoned the idea, knowing full well that we’d never be able to enjoy our five-dollar cup of gelato enough to justify putting ourselves through that experience.

It reminded me of a few years ago, when the Beard Papa ^[4] cream puff place opened down the block. The line snaked down the sidewalk, guaranteeing interminable waits for the cream puff-clamoring masses. Cream puffs!

That place is empty now–you can walk right in. Maybe someday that’ll be the case for places like Shake Shack, or Grom. Til then, I’ll be happy to just walk right on by.

[image from Shake Shack ^[2] website]