The Myth of the Cheeseburger in Paradise

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:00 pm

I got some sales materials in the mail this morning from the Margaritaville Global Sales Office. On the back of the brochure is Jimmy Buffett's own story of the Cheeseburger in Paradise. I've often heard that the song was written about (or at) Skinny's and/or various other local hangouts. But here's the REAL story, by Jimmy himself.

"The myth of the cheeseburger in paradise goes back to a long trip on my first boat, the Euphoria. We had run into some very rough weather crossing the Mona Passsage between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico and broke our bow sprit. The ice in our box had melted, and we were doing the canned-food-and-peanut-butter diet.

The vision of a piping hot cheeseburger kept popping into my mind. We limped up the Sir Francis Drake Channel and into Roadtown on the island of Tortola, where a brand-new marina and bar sat on the end of the dock, like a mirage. We secured the boat, kissed the ground, and headed for the restaurant.

To our amazement, we were offered a menu that featured an American cheeseburger and pina coladas. Now these were the days when supplies in that part of the world were rather scarce - when horsemeat was more plentiful than ground beef in the tiny stores of the Third World. Anyway, we gave particular instructions to the waiter on how we wanted them cooked and what we wanted on them - to which little attention was paid. It didn't matter. The overdone burgers on the burned, toasted buns tasted like manna from heaven, for they were the realization of my fantasy burgers on the trip. That's the true story. I've heard other people and places claim that I stopped or cooked in their restaurants, but this is the way it happened." ~ Jimmy Buffett

Nancy_B · Post by **Nancy_B** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:04 pm

Thanks, CG! He mentioned in his concert this year that the origin of the song was from Tortola but didn't tell the whole story so this is fun to know.

alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:38 pm

Hmmm, Le Select in St. Barths has some 'splaining to do!

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:51 pm

St. Barts' Le Select and Ma Ruby's Restaurant in the Bahamas also claim to be the originators of the burger - with lettuce, tomato, Heinz 57, fries and a kosher pickle. But, indeed, Stanley's Welcome Bar and Restaurant on Tortola has the most legitimate claim to fame.

loria · Post by **loria** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:54 pm

hmmmm cabbage Key on the gulf coast always laid claim to that one.....

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 2:08 pm

I don't believe Le Select claims to be the home. From my Buffett readings, he allows them to use the name for the grill...with a lifetime tab for his family.

I've always wanted to believe it was the Tortola story...especially when you put in the caveat that it really happened at Stanley's Welcome Bar in Cane Garden Bay. Since that's my last name and I first laid eyes upon CGB on my 30th birthday...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The place in the Bahamas, in this Parrothead's opinion, is full of it.

loria · Post by **loria** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 2:12 pm

this is from an OLD american way (the AA magazine) interview with Buffet (i think it was 2003?

ONE HUNGRY DAY IN THE CARIBBEAN
“I can tell you how ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ got written. It was probably 1974, and I was on my very first boat, a 33-foot sailboat. We had gotten into some weather and had to go into Ponce in Puerto Rico to get fixed. We sailed from Ponce with a rigged-up bow spread that was broken, and it was a rough passage. We sailed into Roatán, got off the boat, and were starving. We were dying for a cheeseburger after being at sea for 10 days eating fish. And there, like an oasis, was this brand-new restaurant at the Village Cay Marina. We went in and just started gobbling cheeseburgers and drinking piña coladas because we were so glad to be on land. We had about three cheeseburgers each. For some reason, as I was walking out I looked and saw a package in the kitchen and the label was written in French: Cuoderrie Produit de Cheval. Do you know what cheval is? Horse. I went back to the guy and said, ‘This will never do. You’ve got a good idea here, but you’ve got to take the horse meat off the menu.’ We went back the next day and the owner was very proud that he’d gotten real hamburger from Puerto Rico, and we sampled the cheeseburgers again. I wrote the song right there: ‘Cheeseburger in paradise, heaven on earth with an onion slice.’”

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:24 pm

Yeah, this is kinda like the "fish that got away" story...it changes every time...

Throw in a couple kilos of weed over the past couple decades...I'll bet he's told it a few different ways...that's the stuff songs are made of...

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:07 pm

I think you're probably right Sherban!

Lex · Post by **Lex** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:41 pm

The story does seem to stretch back beyond history into myth. There was a thread about this quite a while ago on TTOL, where there are a lot of posters who've been around the BVI for a long time. Several claim that Jimmy himself told them the story, but the versions were different with each telling. Most seem to believe it was Stanley's. Some doubt that it actually was a cheeseburger. Many seem to believe that Jimmy may well not really know himself anymore. It may not have really happened, but that doesn't mean that it's not true.

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:55 pm

Lex wrote:... It may not have really happened, but that doesn't mean that it's not true.

That's a great line Lex!

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:32 am

That is very interesting! I didn't know that and I am a JB fan.

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:35 am

Lex wrote:The story does seem to stretch back beyond history into myth. There was a thread about this quite a while ago on TTOL, where there are a lot of posters who've been around the BVI for a long time. Several claim that Jimmy himself told them the story, but the versions were different with each telling. Most seem to believe it was Stanley's. Some doubt that it actually was a cheeseburger. Many seem to believe that Jimmy may well not really know himself anymore. It may not have really happened, but that doesn't mean that it's not true.

This is the story I'm going with. I like that version best.

Maybe that's how the legend should work. Find the part that best connects to you and embrace it. Isn't that kinda what liking JB is about? We could probably all disagree on what his "best" song is. Because, it's all personal. My favorite likely isn't yours.

For the Mrs and me, we have our own little CBiP story: It involves a bar on Palm Beach in Aruba. We sat on swings and read the hand-painted coconut husk menus. I'm sure the burger sucked, but, when a rum runner and warm sun was added...

augie · Post by **augie** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:05 am

I'm pretty certain that it was at Skinny's - last October - at least that will be my version!

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:21 am

Best ever burger in the islands? The Sugar Mill beach bar on Little Apple Bay. It was great ground beef on a fresh toasted sesame seed roll, two thick cut strips of pepper bacon and mango chutney. My lover and I were the only two people there and we had a view down the north shore past Long Bay to St. Thomas and Jost Van Dyke.

Skinny's with my kids and Sweet Christine comes in second - blue cheese burger! When I ask my girls what they want me to bring back from St. John for them they say "Skinnyyyyyyyyy's!"

Cheers, RickG

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The Myth of the Cheeseburger in Paradise

The Myth of the Cheeseburger in Paradise