here in Pasadena there's actually a plaque on the sidewalk commemorating the very first cheeseburger on this site in 1924 16-year-old Lionel sternberger first put cheese on a hamburger I don't know that that story is actually true but it is the commonly accepted origin story for the cheeseburger I'm priia Krishna I teamed up with one of my absolute favorite food writers my name is Tel Ral we wanted to get a sense of how the people who make our hamburgers have changed we found different hamburgers that each tell us a story about a place and about people and about where we come from what that burger looks like smells like is inspired by has changed a lot as I've tasted burgers across the country I've realized that it's been adopted by so many communities in America there is a takaka that I have been a fan of and so I was really excited to see the owner opened a burger truck he makes this burger that he basically just says is Taco ingredients on a burger my personal favorite part of the burger is this tortilla that's crusted with Crispy mozzarella cheese is so delicious the burgers at bun buun are kind of second generation hamburgers the burger shop is run by Two Sisters whose parents ran one of the first Thai restaurants in Los Angeles they took over when their parents retired reimagining classic thae dishes as Burgers it's like stir-fried beef with lots of holy basil and fruit lime leaves and garlic and chilies but it looks exactly like a classic Smash Burger this burger is particularly special to me because I was vegetarian for 18 years it opened my eyes to the possibilities of really great veggie burgers a Nigerian Fritter which is made of peeled mashed beans deep fried until the outside is really light and crisp two deep fried plantains it's just the perfect bite it's so many interesting textures the chef is really no stranger to the Burger his first job when he immigrated here was as a cashier at McDonald's he knew how much Americans love this format the only way he thinks Americans will truly get into Nigerian food is to put it between two buns these Burgers aren't just delicious burgers they're burgers that tell you what it's like to eat out in America today they blend regionality culture and just plain old creativity