Hangover Helper: In-N-Out To The Rescue

20110811-in-n-out-hangover-helper-primary.jpg

I had a flight to San Francisco at 7 a.m. Friday morning. Of course, I'd been out the night before enjoying a wonderful meal at Miss Lily's (review forthcoming!) followed by a few equally wonderful drinks at The Dutch, and before I knew it, it was 2 a.m. Round that time of night, it takes about an hour and half for me to get home on the subway, which left me with 20 minutes to shower out a few of those extra beers and another 30 to pack before setting out from my apartment at 4:30 a.m. to get to JFK on time. I'm normally a fast showerer and faster packer, but these things can be a bit tough when your hand-eye coordination has been properly compromised.

You see, as part of my duties to Serious Eats, I'm virtually required to wake up hungover at least once a month or so. Ideas like Bacon & Egg Bánh Mì and Jalapeño Cheddar Sliders don't often strike my completely sober mind.

But this time, I was presented with a conundrum: Most of my sleeping would take place on a plane, and without a fridge full of cheese and bacon-based products at my disposal upon rising, coming up with a proper Hangover Helper might prove to be a bit difficult.

As usual, In-N-Out came to the rescue.

I landed at SFO at precisely 10:46 as scheduled. By 10:52 I was on the BART towards Millbrae. By 11 a.m., I was walking through the front door of the closest In-N-Out to the airport.

After a quick consultation/therapy session with the cheery cashier named Brittany, I placed my order—Ticket #1, no less!—which made me feel unusually good about the food I was about to receive:

  • 1 Cheeseburger (animal style, sub whole grilled onion for chopped, add chopped chilis)
  • 1 French Fries (well done, animal style)
  • 1 Drink (Dr. Pepper—the only doctor I'll see to cure my hangovers)
20110811-in-n-out-hangover-helper-2.jpg

Some of you may be asking, what the heck does all of that mean? Well, there's no excuse for that. Read this and educate yourself.

Some others may be asking a much more valid question: why the regular cheeseburger instead of a Double-Double?

Ah, good question indeed, and here's the answer: I need to save room in between those buns so I can shove my ANIMAL STYLE FRIES INSIDE THE BURGER.

20110811-in-n-out-hangover-helper-3.jpg

Awwwwww, yeah.

Oh, glorious cheesy, salty, greasy, starchy, crunchy, beefy, hot and spicy, fresh and tangy, sweet sweet nectar of the gods. This is the kind of stuff that leaves hangovers cowering in the corner, fearing for their very liquor-fueled existence.

I walked out into the crisp California air feeling fit as a fiddle, ready to taste the day.

Don't live on the West Coast? Check out our recipe for the In-N-Out Double Double here!