Burgers are not in short supply in the UAE. McDonald’s seems to have franchises in every second Abu Dhabi gas station, and many hotel restaurants offer them, too. A burger shop has recently opened in the lobby of the building in which we live.

(Which reminds me; burgers are always beef burgers, in the Gulf, not hamburgers. Bad marketing strategy to mention “ham” in a Muslim country.)

But we tend to associate the hamburger with the U.S., and we could hardly spend a few weeks over here without being party to some large burger event.

That happened tonight at The Factory, a self-described gastropub which sells a very large burger named the Happy Cow.

I did not partake of the Happy Cow burger, but two of the people at my table did … and it was an impressive sight. The burger, and that the people at my table pretty much ate the whole of them.

The resto says the Happy Cow was adjudged the best burger in the city by the Long Beach Post … and it may be. The best burger. Must be in the discussion, anyway.

The ingredients: 10 ounces of “100 percent grass-fed” beef, manchego cheese, baked onions, bacon, avocado, tomato, spiced mustard, mixed greens, onion bun.

And it is yours for $13.

As you can see in the photo, above, it is a bit overwhelming. About five inches high. A knife plunged through a pickle draped over the top bun holds it all together, at least for a bit.

Anyway, the Happy Cow seemed to have scratched the American burger itch. We can now leave the country without regret.