Okay, I tried it. I saw the ad for it on Mongdori, and I had to see this for myself. Are avocados finally going to become popular in Korea?

Well, I stopped by Lotteria last night. Honestly, looking at some of the new stuff on their menu, they seem to be getting better. Their thicker double cheeseburgers look damn tempting. But I was there for the “Avocado Tong Sae-u Burger.”

(It has yoga positions on the wrapper. That means it’s healthy.)

Took it home. It was dark, and I still don’t have decent lighting and a decent camera for good night shots. I could have set up some lighting and taken a lot of in-focus pics.

Sorry. Hungry.

But let’s look inside first.

Okay, we have the usual suspects for the Shrimp Burger. Gloppy sauce and iceberg lettuce. The only noticeable difference is a slice of cheese and a slice of yellow bell pepper. Where’s the avocado?

Moving the fried shrimp patty aside, I found a little green puddle of guacamole-like substance. I guess that’s the avocado. Kinda looks like baby poo.

Don’t think about it too much, Joe. You need to eat.

Taste?

It’s like a slightly more upscale Shrimp Burger. I couldn’t really taste the avocado. But I do like shrimp burgers. That isn’t just filler in that patty. It’s big hunks o’ shrimp with firm texture. No mealiness.

So really, I guess the avocado isn’t in the burger for taste. It’s for “well-being.” That still doesn’t explain the cheese.

Nonetheless, it’s much better than the Rice Burgers and a sign that every now and then Lotteria goes in the right direction.