We’ve covered food extensively so far at THON and why not, food is great. From cheap eats to what’s new and, one of my personal favorites, grilled cheese, we’ve covered a lot. But one writer (me) thought we could do more. Walking the concourse, one meal struck my eye: the double decker burger. A hefty $12 price tag clung to an almost unbelievable sandwich description — a burger, chicken fingers, pulled pork, and cheese, all between pretzel buns.

For context, you can probably check off two or three of my top five favorite foods between these five ingredients,, and all five are probably top ten in my book. Though daunting at first, the desire to know what all those flavors taste like together combined with the fact that I hadn’t eaten in at least five or six hours almost teased me, daring me to try to finish the mammoth of a sandwich. As usual in the fight between my stomach and brain, my stomach won, and I sat down to eat my “burger.”

Getting started was no easy task. Instantly upon picking up my dinner, a chicken finger fell out, prompting me to readjust my grip, leading to some of the pulled pork falling out too. But once I finally got in position and had my first bite, it hit me. So many flavors that they all melted into one strange homogenized blob of meat and cheese. I wasn’t sold on the sandwich though. I tasted potential, but couldn’t decide if the taste was everything I’ve ever wanted in a sandwich, or just a bit too much.

So, I ate more. Two, maybe three bites later, I figured it out. The sandwich, in theory, was perfect. So many incredible, complementary flavors. So much savory meat with incredible sauces, you couldn’t go wrong. And the cheese to give it the extra consistency and flavor — but that was the problem. It was the cheese. This may be an unpopular opinion, but the cheese used for nachos at places like the BJC is disgusting and an affront to cheese, one of the greatest foods on this beautiful planet. The overly gooey yellow stuff was more like a disgusting sauce than anything, and completely overpowered the deliciousness of all the fantastic meat. Anything different, a sharp cheddar, pepper jack, or even half-decent American would’ve made the sandwich easily one of the best at THON.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t any real cheese. Did it completely ruin the sandwich? No. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. For the price and the turmoil that the burger will undoubtedly put my stomach through, I probably wouldn’t get it again. But if you’re a fan of nacho cheese, and have an extreme appetite, this is the THON food for you.