<p>White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And since they’re steamed on a bed of onions, everything is infused with this very specific onion-esque flavor.</p><p>Today, White Castles can be hard to find, depending on where you live. But KCUR's Mackenzie Martin, a producer at <a href="https://www.kcur.org/podcast/a-peoples-history-of-kansas-city"><i>A People's History of Kansas City</i></a><i>,</i> says that it’s time to stop thinking of White Castle as a semi-obscure cultural punchline, because over a century ago, White Castle invented something that became so important and all-encompassing that, today, it touches pretty much every person in America. Sometimes several times a day. Something that, in other countries, has almost come to define American culture: it has a strong claim to being the <i>first </i>fast-food restaurant.</p><p><a href="https://99percentinvisible.org/?p=41824&post_type=episode">The White Castle System of Eating Houses</a></p>
<p><p>Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. <br><br>Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting <a href="http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus." target="_blank">siriusxm.com/podcastsplus</a>. </p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>