Do you know how distant memories are kind of static? How when your brain plays them back, the moving images seem to be blurry or half there, as if they are trapped in a dream. This particular memory is one of those vivid snapshots with just enough clarity to draw me back to a simpler time in my life.
I remember clearly being in the drive-through of Burger King, nestled in the back of my dad’s silver and black Toyota. The car had a comforting familiarity, its worn-out seats and the faint smell of his aftershave lingering in the air. It was a weekday, the kind of day where the sun hovered lazily in the sky, indifferent to the usual hustle and bustle of school morning traffic. I was meant to be in class, sitting on the floor with a stack of crayons and an unyielding lesson plan ahead of me, but I was home sick. Enveloped in a mix of sneezes and excitement of an unexpected adventure.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, my dad wielded his adult magic, and suddenly a white-wrapped, warm-to-the-touch burger appeared in front of me. The moment felt like a small miracle. Now, this was no magical McDonald’s Happy Meal cheeseburger, which was typically lavished with cartoon characters and a toy sidekick. This was something entirely different, and though it lacked the charm of the bright yellow box, I settled anyway.
The anticipation that bubbled within me at the sight of that burger was tangible. As I peeled back the wrapper, the world around me faded into the background, and I was carried away into my own little universe. This part of the memory stands out in crystal-clear detail. I carefully unwrapped the burger; the warm paper crinkled in my hands, revealing the treasure nestled inside. There they were—those curious onion rings, a surprise nestled alongside a large, brown dollop of burger patty and sauce. To an average elementary school child, the presence of those unknown onion rings might have diminished the desirability of the burger.
But I was not picky; I ate everything as a kid—except for vegetables, of course. So, I took the first bite. You know that shell-shocked feeling you get after finishing a truly impactful movie? Or discovering something mind-boggling? That’s how I felt after tasting the burger. My five-year-old brain was trying to process, both literally and figuratively, the hold this burger had on me.
I asked my dad what this burger had, and for the first time in my life, I heard the two phenomenal words “onion rings.” Those words felt like a secret password to a hidden club of happiness. To this day, those two words linger in my mind, forever tied to that fleeting moment in the drive-through.
Writer – Bianca Hu
Editor – Eva Mcnulty
Artist – Grace Ye
–May 2025–
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