I won’t say I ever loved fast food, but occasionally I’ll succumb to the intoxication of hoovering a Big Mac in thirty seconds. About twenty of those thirty seconds is pure joy, especially when accompanied by a mouthful of those over-salted, reconstituted potato sticks they call fries. Of course, then comes the indigestion and the recurring question: “Why did I do this?” I also like the Wendy’s square burger (not the triple), and my favorite fast food burger is the butane-broiled Whopper. I also love onion rings, although the methane generated therein could probably heat my house. My favorite fast food is Mexican (speaking of methane) and Buffalo’s own Mighty Taco is, bar none, my all time favorite Mexican fast food. I watched that company grow from a couple of locations back in the early 70s to the rather large local franchise it is today and I, like many other Buffalonians, am fiercely proud if this Buffalo success story. There is better Mexican fast food (Burro Burrito in Toronto comes to mind), but every time I bite into a Super Mighty Taco, it reminds me of my glorious 20s. Back in my partying years there were only two locations and one of them was right down the street from a bar I used to frequent. The experienced drinker realizes that it is essential to have a 24-7 food source within crawling distance of one’s watering hole. Mighty Taco always had creative advertising, and in the early days their ads were downright rude. When the Great Satan, Taco Bell, tried to overtake the Buffalo market, locals voted with their wallets, and within five years Taco Bell was all but driven out.
Over the past week I have dined at three fast food restaurants in Huntsville, and I have several observations. First of all, I never cease to be amazed by the amount of waste generated in one fast food meal. I suppose it’s better than it used to be (i.e more biodegradable packaging, less Styrofoam), nevertheless there’s a lot to throw away after a meal. Secondly, fast food is no bargain. Subway had the best value, and I got out of there for about $6.50 all in with the soup combo. By the way, how did Subway come up with the monkey for a mascot? What about a monkey connotes “eating fresh?” And what happened to the slim spokesman Jared, did he get fat again? Subway boasts healthful options, and my low sodium soup and egg salad sub was probably marginally better for me than some other fast food. My second fast food adventure was at Mr. Sub, and that was technically my cheapest meal. I got out of there for about $6.00, but their meatball sub gave me gas, and the Subway combo meal provided substantially more food. Finally, I had a “Bistro Chicken Sandwich Combo” at McDonalds the other day, and it cost me about $8.50. McDonalds is trying to change their image as purveyors of unnutritious food, but there’s still plenty of crap on the menu, and there were a lot of obese people eating there. Apart from the waste and the lack of nutritional value, I guess the thing that bothers me most about fast food is the expense. I think I’m going to go back to my preferred alternative when I want to eat on the fly: I’ll go to the supermarket and pick up a sandwich at the deli counter. It’s a better deal.
Finally, will it be The Grapes of Wrath 2012? Welcome to the Dust Bowl, as the now notorious 2012 drought sparks wildfires and decimates crops in the farm belt of the U.S. I’m beginning to see the results in the supermarkets. My first clue was that the corn coming up from the states was tiny, and expensive. I expect this will extend to other produce in the near future. Right now, there is an extreme fire alert in our community, and I’m told we need a week’s worth of soaking rain to make up for this drought, with only spotty showers in the forecast. Time to do the dance and pray. Heaven forbid I should pay even more for my fast food.
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2012 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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