“Who lives in this place? These houses are gigantic!”
This little voice came from the back seat of our rental car. We’d just passed a massive house with so many gables we couldn’t count them all as we passed.
“Eleanor Roosevelt called Hingham the most beautiful Main Street in America and I think she was right.”
Ummmm. Who is Eleanor Roosevelt?
The “Who is” question quickly became the theme for the afternoon.
We weren’t in Hingham to look at the houses and speculate how many millions each one cost. We were in town to check out Wahlburgers… the location for the reality show with the same name that has taken over A&E. It wasn’t a planned visit, but we were craving hamburgers and I discovered that the restaurant has gluten safe options. And, knowing that it’s nearly impossible to find a good gluten-free hamburger with a real bun anywhere in North America, we decided to check it out.
This place is hopping and I felt a little bad for the surrounding restaurants. People were endlessly flowing into the entrance at Wahlburgers while other places looked dark and empty. Regardless of how busy it was, we were still seated right away and served quickly.
At one point in the meal, Paul Wahlberg walked in. He’s the chef and the brains behind the restaurant; and, the focus of the reality show. He impressed us because rather than hurrying past everyone to get to the kitchen, he posed for photos, talked to giddy patrons, sat at tables with families, and asked people if they were enjoying their meal. He wasn’t “running the press circuit” either; he genuinely put a lot of time and attention towards talking to people.
La Niña: Why does everyone want to have their photos taken with that man?
Me: He’s the creator of this restaurant.
La Niña: Other people have created restaurants and we don’t see that happening whenever we eat out.
Me: This restaurant happens to be the focus of a reality TV show started by the Wahlberg brothers. They are celebrities so people want to have their pictures taken with them so they can say they met them.
La Niña: I don’t know who they are. Have I seen anything with them in it?
Me: Not that I can recall.
La Niña: Well, they make good chicken fingers and I like the music.
And there you have it: the opinion of a 9-year old who has never heard of the Wahlberg brothers.
