Americans, is One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with burgers and ketchup for all. And if you think that some itty bitty bacteria are going to change all that, well, you're a Quarter Pounder short of a full load. "There's something about eating a big bite of hamburger,'' said Sam Ross, former manager of King's Drive In, a Lincoln, Neb., fast food restaurant dating back to the 1960s. "It's something you can chow down on.'' There's the "Sunshine Burger'' in San Francisco, served with sprouts, scallions and avocado; the "Jiffy Burger'' in Lincoln, Neb., with peanut butter and bacon; the five-pound "Family Burger'' in Sault St. Marie, Mich., designed to serve 10 to 12 people. Since the 1940s, hamburgers have been America's favorite food, according to Nation's Restaurant News. There were 5.4 billion hamburgers/cheeseburgers served in commercial restaurants in 1996, that is up 3.8 percent from the previous year. Ross said burger sales make up 75 percent of King's business -- about 300 burgers a day. He said business did not slow even with the E. coli contamination scare that led to the recall of 25 million pounds of ground beef from a Columbus, Neb., plant -- the largest meat recall in the nation's history. No lag in beef sales was reported across the country, even though the contaminated hamburger sickened more than a dozen people in Colorado. Of course, many years of warnings about cholesterol haven't pushed McDonald's or Burger King out of business, either. "All Americans grew up with hamburgers,'' said Alisa Harrison with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association -- a group that, admittedly, has a steak in the burger's popularity. "Especially when you're a teen-ager. What do you do when you get your driver's license? You get a burger.'' The hamburger's roots can be traced back to the tribes of Tartary living in the Baltic provinces in the Middle Ages. German trading partners developed the Hamburg steak -- fried beef seasoned with onions -- and brought it to America in the 1700s and 1800s.

Stories vary on just how the Hamburg steak evolved into the present-day hamburger. Some credit Charlie Nagreen of Seymour, Wis., with inventing it in 1885 and selling it at the Outagamie County Fair. Others say Louis Lassen of New Haven, Conn., created the hamburger steak in 1900 as a means for using the trimmings from the steak sandwich he featured at his lunch wagon. In any case, the hamburger as we know it today gained widespread attention at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Mo., where it was said to be all the rage. In 1921, White Castle became the world's first hamburger chain, and eventually billions and billions and billions were served. "Everyone has a favorite burger place,'' said Marlys Bielunski, director of food communications for the cattlemen's association. And every part of the United States has a different take on what makes a good burger. In the Southwest it might be a little spicy, in the West sprouts are a likely addition and in the Midwest it's straightforward pickles and onions. The newest thing in the world of burgers seems to be the trendy burgers with exotic toppings like wild mushrooms, Bielunski said. Marcel Desaulniers, co-owner and executive chef of The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., collected burger recipes from 47 chefs for his 1993 book "The Burger Meisters.'' Although there are many types of burgers being cooked up around the country -- including ones made with buffalo, shrimp, cod, salmon and rabbit -- Desaulniers said most people seem to go for the traditional burger when ordering at his restaurant. "I think people love the convenience of it and I think people also enjoy the creativity,'' he said. The Trellis sells 60-100 burgers a day, accounting for about 15 percent of total sales, he said. Brian Lewis, 24, of Lincoln, Neb., said he doesn't think about why he likes hamburgers so much. "I don't really know,'' he said, eyeing his bacon double cheeseburger at Wendy's in downtown Lincoln. "It's just something that's not too difficult.'' Bingo. Ross, the man who managed the Lincoln drive-in, says burgers are relaxing food. Is that special sauce dripping down your arm? Who cares? "You don't have to worry about silverware,'' he said. PHOTO Every cut of meat imagineable from all corners of the globe is available at Lindo's Family Foods