Damn you, NPR (Not really, we love you)

My husband and I are NPR addicts (88.5 FM KQED for Northern California). Our favorite programs are the ones we listen to while driving to and from work, and some programs on the weekends that we try to catch when possible. We love to listen to Morning Edition (including the California Report), Fresh Air, All Things Considered (why Michelle Norris pronounces her name MEEE- Shell Norris, we just don't know), Forum (Michael Krasny sure seems to take a lot of time off or vacations), Marketplace, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life, Car Talk (I don't know anything about cars, but the Magliozzi brothers are hilarious and their heavy East Coast accents reminds me of home), and Selected Shorts. Whew! That's a long list of very good programs.

Anyway, that is all meant as an introduction to explain the subject line of this post. Yesterday, while driving home and listening to NPR, we heard an interview with Stacy Perman about her recently released book entitled "In-n-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules." In the interview, she talked about the freshness and quality of the ingredients (In-n-Out has its own commissaries where the patties and buns are made, and no restaurant is more than 500 miles away from one, so that all ingredients can be delivered fresh daily), how awesomely In-n-Out treats its employees (pay is much-above minimum wage and store managers are sent on first class trips to Europe, the Carribbean for meeting goals), and all food is freshly made to order:

My mouth just started watering and I could not stop thinking about sinking my teeth into a burger. It is only just recently that I can tolerate red meat again, since pregnancy made me cringe at the sight of red meat for a long while. I made husband drive all the way to Daly City to go to In-n-Out where we proceeded to order cheeseburgers, animal style:

I am a recent In-n-Out convert. Being from the East Coast, I just couldn't understand the fascination with this fast food chain and all its esoteric orders which are NOT ON THE MENU. I felt like it was (is?) a conspiracy to keep East Coasters out of the loop and at bay. But, now, I want to say, I understand, West Coasters, I do.

So, I blame this detour all on NPR. My exponentially expanding waistline and ballooning weight do not thank you, NPR (uh, nevermind the pregnany part which could also explain part of the phenomenon).

By the way, neither I nor any of my family members are associated with In-n-Out or NPR. I just think these two things are pretty awesome. Right now, KQED is running a pledge drive, too. So, if you listen, consider donating something to a worthy arts cause. You can get an Eton Red Cross emergency radio for pledging, too.

We are waiting for ours in the mail, so that we can FINALLY start an emergency-preparedness kit, you know, the kind that all Bay Area residents are supposed to have in case of earthquakes. I guess having a baby is making us realize we can't live on the edge, anymore, haha.