Musuem cites hamburger bun as pinnacle of American design

A museum's choice of the hamburger as the pinnacle of design in the United States may strike some as an anti-American swipe. But a new exhibition here may irk other nationalities as well.``The hamburger speaks mouthfuls about American design,'' reads a sign near a sesame seed bun at the ``National Characteristics in Design'' exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition looks at the products of eight industrial nations. The British display includes a Jaguar car and an unappetizing can of steak-and-kidney pie.

The Italian contributions include a Ferrari and a gleaming espresso machine. The Japanese entry includes ``cow-brand'' beauty soap and a wristwatch-size TV.

``Russian design, is so unrevolutionary that if the posters and red stars didn't exist, no one would believe that there had been a revolution,'' reads another sign.