Mom’s MAID-RITE…made right!

1939. The year my mom first tasted a MAID-RITE hamburger. She and a couple of her girlfriends were coming home from their swimming lesson at the YMCA in Muscatine, Iowa. Enticing aromas tempted the girls’ nostrils as they passed a walk-up window restaurant. One of the girls had a bit of pocket change, so she paid a dime each for the girls to enjoy their first MAID-RITE.

Mom remembers the “juice” running down their arms as they giggled and devoured the delicious hamburgers invented by Fred Angell in1926.

Thus began a 75-year love affair between my mother and the loose-meat sandwiches smothered in a cabbage, onion, and pickle sauce.

I grew up eating those sandwiches; but I have to admit, I didn’t know their actual name was misspelled. Mom called them “MADE RIGHTS”, and that was all I knew about it until I traveled through Iowa as an adult.

“Maid-rite? What? The whole franchise is misspelled?”

I couldn’t believe it. It hurt my author/editor soul, let me tell you.

Since then, I’ve come to terms with the fact that Mr. Angell was, to quote the MAID-RITE website, “quite a sandwich maker but not much of a speller.” Apparently, Mr. Angell invented the sandwiches and named them after a deliveryman’s comment that the sandwich was made right. Hmm.

That’s reasonable, isn’t it?

A Disappointment

2008. Mom and I marched into one of the franchises in an Iowa mall grinning from ear to ear. We couldn’t wait to order a MAID-RITE. Passing up every other eating opportunity as we traveled across the country that day, we were starved and anticipatory.

After all, this was to be the first store-bought maid-rites Mom had eaten since 1939. I’d never eaten any but my mom’s.

Honest. I have to be honest and say that something drastic happened to those maid-rites since Mr. Angell first cranked them onto the streets via his four franchises by the end of the 1920s. Dry. No cabbage in the topping. Tasteless. Disappointing.

I still see mom shaking her head as she sat across the table from me. We took a few bites and shoved the sandwiches to the side.

You’re About to Get Lucky

Since 1939, Mom has served us MAID-RITES like the ones she first tasted – just like the ones Mr. Angell used to sell. Since she also happens to be a fabulous cook, I have to believe her method and her recipe are PURE.

The other evening, Mom made MAID-RITES. I took a picture of my plate and put it at the top of this blog. Now that’s a MAID-RITE made right! So right, that Mr. Angell would rise up and give my mom a high-five if he could only taste one!

The only thing we’ve added to the mix over the years is a sprinkle of cheddar for the top. It’s a great addition and really adds flavor. If you want to make these easy but incredibly yummy loose-meat sandwiches, cruise on over to the Chuckwagons and Campfires section of my blog for the authentic recipe.

You can’t go wrong when you go rite!

Ever had a MAID-RITE? We’d love to hear about it!