[texastoo]

And yes Virginia, making hamburgers is a manufacturing process, little different from the process of manufacturing wood shutters or ornamental iron. In fact, Burger King's process is conveyorized.

Don't even think that I am going to argue with you. Believe it or not I agree that the U.S. is the #1 manufacturer of hamburgers.

Rudeboy, I consider you the expert of experts on posting charts. Could you please post a chart telling us if the U.S. is still #1 manufacturing meatballs since the 1980's?

[1rudeboy]

Actually, I don't think the U.S. counts fast-food processing as manufacturing. Making hamburger patties at the meat-packing plant probably is, however. The whole "burger-flipping is manufacturing" thing was a John Kerry campaign theme.

[1rudeboy]

Here's the best I can do:

[Ben Ficklin]

For sure, a fast food hamburger stand is a small batch plant utilizing a mass produced product that it customizes for the end user. There is a wide variation in the final product that a mass producer could fulfill if he were willing to manufacture and stock all those variations.

Same way with shutters. There is a mass produced product that is used by small batch plants that are customizing for the end user.

There are numerous other examples.