Fast food, by its very name, suggests a speedy nature that's all about the now and here and go go go and not so much about the past and what went before.
Which is why it might amuse some people beyond Southern California's borders that we inhabitants of the Land Where Fast Food Was Invented (tm) take our burger-and-fries backstory so very seriously.
So a replica of an early In-N-Out? You can bet Double-Double devotees and avid animal-stylists'll be making for the brand-new bite-sized Baldwin Park building, the better to soak in the old-school atmosphere and what ordering the classic SoCal burger back in the day might have been like. ("Back in the day"=1948, the year that Harry and Esther Snyder founded the iconic chain.)
The OC Register reports that the small structure, which sits a short drive from In-N-Out's distribution center at Francisquito Avenue and the 10 Freeway, contains several period details, including a Coldspot refrigerator, Silex coffee pots, and a quartet of vintage fryers.
Do fries today taste differently than fries from six-plus decades back? Deep questions.
Fans of the #1 Combo Animal Style -- possibly the planet's greatest fast food combo meal, science may one day show -- and all lovers of In-N-Out-iana can make for the building, which is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m, says Serious Eats. Again, this is a replica, so you'll need to go to a modern In-N-Out to find lunch.
Two questions. Will California's ever get over their love of fast food nostalgia? We'll just answer that right now: No. The World's Oldest McDonald's in Downey is a favorite photo op for fast-food-ians, and Bob's Big Boy in Burbank? It's the oldest Bob's in the U.S., and while it can't be classified as true fast food, in the strictest sense, the beloved restaurant influenced countless fast food ventures to come.
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And second: When will some enterprising entertainment person create a stage musical based around items from the secret menu? Surely this would have much play among local lovers of insider knowledge, food history, and the oh-so-meaty 3 x 3.
Mmm, 3 x 3.
