It’s early days in Burger Heaven’s (b)un-official federal election burger poll, but the NDP is off to a beefy lead.
The local eatery is once again serving up an opportunity for diners to cast ballots in the (b)un-official federal election poll. Results will be released weekly starting Sept. 6, in an effort to show which way the electorate is “leaning” towards supporting in the Sept. 20 federal election.
“We have been taking votes since Saturday,” said manager Chris Geib. “Of course, being New West it’s heavily NDP in the lead.”
While the restaurant’s burger poll often produce similar results to actual election results, Geib said it can be “hard to say” with federal elections as New West tends to vote NDP.
“I usually go by who comes in second,” he said. “That’s usually a good indicator of who is going to win because New West is so heavily NDP.”
As of Tuesday morning, the NDP was sitting pretty with 40 votes, followed by the Liberals at 23, the Greens at 20 and the Conservatives at 18. The People’s Party was trailing behind at nine and the Bloc at one, with (b)un-decided voters having cast 15 votes.
In an effort to boost their numbers, candidates vying for seats in the municipal, provincial and federal election campaigns sometimes visit the local eatery during the campaign to cast votes.
“I don’t know if we will actually get anybody or not this year. It’s hard to say,” Geib said. “In the last one we had Jagmeet (Singh); he came by with Peter Julian.”
As in past elections, Burger Heaven is serving up burgers that come with “tongue in cheek” descriptions related to the various political parties.
“They can cast their vote for whoever they like,” Geib said. “But we can make the burgers if they prefer to have those burgers.”
What's on the menu?
Here’s a look at what’s on the political menu at Burger Heaven for this year’s federal election:
* The Justin Trudeau Burger (Liberal Party of Canada) is a “seasoned” prime Grade A juicy selection that “leans to the middle.” It was “Just-in” the restaurant’s 2019 federal election burger poll menu, and now savours the chance to stay on top of the burger board as things heat up in the proverbial political frying pan, by striving to have a majority of diners choose this burger. Cooked on the front burner, it includes Ontario medium-aged cheddar, red hot sauce, crisp lettuce, a liberal slab of bacon, a slice of fresh tomato.
* The Erin O’Toole Burger (Conservative Party of Canada) is a tasty “Lean-to-the-Right” Prime Grade A Beef burger that’s currently sizzling on the second burner. It has a new leader and hopes to “cut the mustard” and be on top of the burger board by saying, “lettuce lead.” This culinary choice is cooked with relish, and includes a conservative slice of tangy Quebec aged cheese, aromatic onion and zesty sauce. Plus, this “platter-form” can come with mushrooms (not mushrooming expenses). Full of flavour, it can also include pickled (we want to) “beet” the current ruling party.
* The Jagmeet Singh Burger (New Democratic Party) is “Singh’ing” the praises of a Nicely Done Patty of “lean-to-the-left” prime Grade A beef as it tries to gain “ground” on the rear-left burner by stirring the pot with promises of affordability. It includes strong “o(u)nions,” juicy tomato, tangy sauce, Scarborough orange cheddar and is served on a multigrain bun. This burger candidate relishes the opportunity to drain some fat out of the Liberals’ slice of bacon and to “ketchup” with the leading parties in the political kitchen.
*The Annamie Paul Burger (Green Party of Canada) is grilled on the back burner and is a prime Grade A patty of beef seasoned with Caribbean spices. Served with a dollop of green relish, instead of “May-o”, a slice of organic garden tomato and organic Ontario goat cheese, it is cooked in a controlled carbon-free area on a back burner and offers the option of a green lettuce wrap. This burger is popular with environmentally-conscious customers concerned about ecological issues and their political diet.
* The Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc Québécois) Burger is a Grade A patty du bœuf that’s grilled on the back center-left burner and comes with crisp greens, French dressing, piquant sauce, dijon mustard, et fromage bleu du Quebec. A chip off the old “Bloc”, this burger juteux (jucy) is “separated” from the rest in the proverbial political frying pan, especially in the West. Bon Appetite!
* The Maxime Bernier Burger (People’s Party of Canada). To spice things up and “Max”imize flavour, this Prepared Patty Choice (PPC) of prime Grade A beef is fairly new to the political scene and is grilled on the far-right burner. It comes with a conservative dollop of Bernier (Bernaise) sauce, sharp fromage, a slice of fresh tomato and purple cabbage slaw.
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
Email tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
