How gross is fast food to you

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  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    When I think of fast food - I'm thinking burgers or chicken nuggets from mcdonalds, bk, wendys.... or something from taco bell. I haven't eaten anything from any of these places in years and years... so many years I don't even remember. I don't like their practices & just don't want it.

    If I'm traveling and need something on the go, I will go for a egg white flatbread from dunkin donuts. Or I'll stop at wawa and get a sandwich, or any of their pre-made to-go items (hummus & crackers, hard boiled eggs, fruit & cheese, etc.). Chipotle (there's not many of them though) I'll get a bean/cheese/salsa/lettuce salad or wrap.

    If you don't want to eat there, for whatever reasons, just stop going. Ask yourself why you're going before you pull in. Take it day by day and after a while you'll get used to it.

    Wawa for the win! It's my go-to spot when I don't bring my own snacks. They have hard boiled eggs, greek yogurt, salads (just watch the sodium) and hummus. So awesome.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Seriously, people, fast food is not the enemy. Stop letting the media dictate how you should feel about everything, including yourselves.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    you mean chemically lab made flavored flash frozen potato that is then fried in a mimic faux french process? hence its name "french fry"

    Exactly, and they are delicous :)
  • cmay89
    cmay89 Posts: 337 Member
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    Having worked as a cook in a fast food restaurant - even in one that attempts to have healthier options, I know how nasty the back of the machines look after a long day, how easily food could go past health inspection guides if you don't have a staff that cares about going above and beyond... And yet I still eat fast food on a more regular basis than I would care to admit simply because I have not sat myself down to plan out my meals like I used to and just kind of became more lax.

    I will say I am extremely picky about which places I will go to. I have to be able to see the hygiene of the cooks and the front counter, and if I get anything under health code temperatures it is likely that I won't be visiting that location again. I get grossed out very easily if I put too much thought into it, just because I know how quickly things can go south in a fast food restaurant.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    you mean chemically lab made flavored flash frozen potato that is then fried in a mimic faux french process? hence its name "french fry"

    Exactly, and they are delicous :)
    The only thing I miss since going vegetarian is McDonald's fries. They fry them in beef fat. :-(
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Well, the quality of the food set aside, when you think about being at the mercy of the food handler, it can get quite discusting. Nose picking, lack of hand washing, picking things up off the floor, cross contamination, under cooking and temperature control. These things are all out of site and there is no way of knowing if standards are being met.

    After seeing an undercover program aimed at showing what really goes on behinds the scene, I am leary of fast food.

    You know that isn't just limited to fast food right? That happens in restaurants across the board. Example: the Silversea Cruise Line just got in major trouble for hiding things from the CDC and racking up numerous serious violations during health inspections (http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5445). And this is a high-end cruise line, several levels above Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

    Yes but fast food was the target of this tread. We really can't know what happens to anything that is prepared out of site. Sometimes we just have to trust. Some places I would venture to trust more than others. Still..............
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
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    Well, the quality of the food set aside, when you think about being at the mercy of the food handler, it can get quite discusting. Nose picking, lack of hand washing, picking things up off the floor, cross contamination, under cooking and temperature control. These things are all out of site and there is no way of knowing if standards are being met.

    After seeing an undercover program aimed at showing what really goes on behinds the scene, I am leary of fast food.

    You know that isn't just limited to fast food right? That happens in restaurants across the board. Example: the Silversea Cruise Line just got in major trouble for hiding things from the CDC and racking up numerous serious violations during health inspections (http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5445). And this is a high-end cruise line, several levels above Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

    Yes but fast food was the target of this tread. We really can't know what happens to anything that is prepared out of site. Sometimes we just have to trust. Some places I would venture to trust more than others. Still..............

    It is part of the same system which dumb's down what food is, and how its to be prepared or in this case assembled as the cook is routinely left out of the equation.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
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    You know, sometimes I feel like my family is the last in the US that can go get some burgers and fries once in a while and just calm the frack down and enjoy it. When did we become a bunch of germaphobic, paranoid, absolutist, joyless jerkfaces?
  • TiredOfMyself
    TiredOfMyself Posts: 28 Member
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    I do not label foods as good or bad, if it fits into my day, I eat it.

    And you, are fantastic.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    The only thing I miss since going vegetarian is McDonald's fries. They fry them in beef fat. :-(

    Wait what? In beef fat? o_o
    Somehow I was not expecting this :noway:
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
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    It is part of the same system which dumb's down what food is, and how its to be prepared or in this case assembled as the cook is routinely left out of the equation.

    ps.com I like how your diary says you nommed on Subway for lunch and dinner yesterday....
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    The only thing I miss since going vegetarian is McDonald's fries. They fry them in beef fat. :-(

    Wait what? In beef fat? o_o
    Somehow I was not expecting this :noway:
    Yep. So not veg friendly. They were my favorite.
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
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    The only thing I miss since going vegetarian is McDonald's fries. They fry them in beef fat. :-(

    Wait what? In beef fat? o_o
    Somehow I was not expecting this :noway:

    They have not used Rendered Lard in some time but they do chemically inject it with a beef solution, it however is not fried in lard the chemically flavored / colored modern fry is to give it the taste it used to have.
  • IrishHarpy1
    IrishHarpy1 Posts: 399 Member
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    The only thing I miss since going vegetarian is McDonald's fries. They fry them in beef fat. :-(

    Wait what? In beef fat? o_o
    Somehow I was not expecting this :noway:

    It's false, at least in the United States. McD's has used a canola-based oil for their fries here for years...
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
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    It is part of the same system which dumb's down what food is, and how its to be prepared or in this case assembled as the cook is routinely left out of the equation.

    ps.com I like how your diary says you nommed on Subway for lunch and dinner yesterday....

    because fresh lunch meat and chopped vegetables are bad? and the alternative on the interstate is McDonalds, Starbucks and generic pizza?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    I got really fat during the years of my life that I avoided fast food.
  • Bowsa
    Bowsa Posts: 30 Member
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    I wouldn't say I love it or hate it, but the option to just dive into a fast food place and get some thing is nice.

    I would say I love the convenience, but dont really rate it for the taste or anything more the instant gratification
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    It is part of the same system which dumb's down what food is, and how its to be prepared

    ...
  • curly1986
    curly1986 Posts: 98 Member
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    I don't find it gross at all. I LOVE dominos pizza! As a vegetarian my choices are usually limited, but if I feel like it and I can fit it in my day I will have some fries from mcdonalds (thankfully still vegetarian in the UK!) sometimes with a spicy veggie deli sandwich. Or a spicy bean burger from BK...

    As others have said, I try not to make any food a no-no as I just want it more and I'm more likely to fall off the wagon. So yeah, I eat what I want within my caloric limits.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
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    It is part of the same system which dumb's down what food is, and how its to be prepared or in this case assembled as the cook is routinely left out of the equation.

    ps.com I like how your diary says you nommed on Subway for lunch and dinner yesterday....

    because fresh lunch meat and chopped vegetables are bad? and the alternative on the interstate is McDonalds, Starbucks and generic pizza?
    1. "Fresh" lunch meat lololololol.
    2. Listeria!
    3. First two were just to show that you can find a reason to fear any food if you try hard enough so how about, just, not doing that?

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