Fast Food Impact

Fast Food Impact                                                                                     

Since I can remember, the almighty hamburger has been the most fastest food I can think of when it comes to “getting a quick bite to eat.”  I remember, as a child, my brother getting frantic as we would drive by “Tasty’s” hamburger place on 5^th Street and Ventura Road, because he wanted his treat.  My dad didn’t understand what my brother was saying when he would all of a sudden say, “hangoober fies – hangoober fies!” as we would drive by "Tasty’s,” but my mother and I did, and we would just giggle.  Going to get a hamburger was only a week-day thing in my family, and it only involved my mother, brother, and myself, and some times my grandmother.  My dad, since he would work all week, was never a part of our “ritual,” which would happen right after school or after a doctor’s appointment for my grandmother.  When we got older, and my dad had a little more time, it would be a big treat on the weekend to go to Foster’s (now Winn’s) or A&W, the place on Pleasant Valley Road, where they had car hops and they would put our trays of food on our car windows, and serve us our rootbeer floats in huge mugs that were too heavy to carry with just one hand!  I can recall the Papa burger and the Mama burger, and of course we always had to order according to the titles!  Good Times!  Not until I was older did my mom take us to McDonald’s.  But, since my mom was very picky and the hamburgers at McDonald’s were not made to order, we really didn’t get to go there much.  At Tasty’s or at Winn’s my mom could call ahead and order her “plain” cheeseburger, and know that it would be just what she ordered, just “plain.”  Now, as a mom, I look back at my habits with my oldest son, who is now 21 years old.  He loved the Happy Meals from McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., and Wendy’s.  And it was so easy to go through the Drive-thru and order his “happiness” instantly. 

Fortunately, my son is very slender, and works out daily, and has not had a weight problem as a result of his fast food treats.  Actually, when we would have dinner, he always had a full salad along with his meal.  My daughter, on the other hand, is a vegetarian, since birth, and so I could not go through the drive-thru unless it was for fries only.  So, my habits changed.  At the same time, the notion of “fast food” was becoming more and more evident that it was not a part of a well-balanced diet.  And, now that I am older, and have to watch what I eat, I rarely go get a hamburger.  It has probably been several years since I have had a hamburger at a fast food place.  The only thing that I have purchased has been the oatmeals at Starbucks and McDonald’s, if at all.  I also like the teas at Starbucks, if you can consider it a fast-food place.  I sometimes will get the protein plate at Starbucks for my daughter, since it has a hard-boiled egg, cheese, grapes and crackers.  She does enjoy the yogurt parfait at McDonald’s, but that’s not very often.  It was so easy to pick up her French toast sticks before a morning softball game at Burger King, but now it has lost it’s appeal.  The way McDonald’s markets itself to families with children and offers birthday party hosting and it has these humungous play yards for the kids, is really a “glitter” show and they should really focus on nutrition, which sometimes it seems like they are trying to do so.  All-in-all, my son enjoyed his McDonald’s Happy Meal prizes and Carl’s Jr.’s Halloween pails where they would provide the meal and a prize during the Halloween season.  Someone should come up with “Organic Land” or something.  Now, that would be a good concept!

SuZ