Fast Food: Past and Present

Growing up in my house fast food was looked at as a once-in-a-while type of thing. My family would be considered lower-middle class while I was growing up. It was simply a more economical choice to prepare and eat food at home. I was raised by my grandparents, so the fast food mentality was not quickly embraced, and thus, home cooked meals were the norm. I consider that a win in my book! There was the Friday fish fry at the local athletic booster facility called the "Quarterback Club." This became a quasi tradition in my house to go out on Friday and eat out with the family. This was due in large part because my parents got paid on Friday's. The luxury of eating out was more accepted when you had money in your pocket. This is not to say that I did not eat at the "Golden Arches." When we would take road trips to visit family in Missouri, McDonalds was the venue of choice. I can easily remember the excitement of receiving the toy that came with every Happy Meal! When my grandparents would ask my brother and me where we wanted to eat, it was McDonalds every time. This was the extent of my fast food interaction as a younger me.

At present time things have changed slightly. I do eat at Subway, Burger King and the occasional pizza from whoever has the best deal. But I honestly do not eat more than one fast food meal a week. This I feel is contributed by my upbringing when I was younger. Home cooked meals are simply better tasting and better for you. Growing up in the mid-west and in a lower income bracket conditioned me i guess. At present time I still continue the Friday tradition of eating out. The meal of choice is usually sushi. You can probably catch my daughter and me at any given sushi bar in Oxnard/Port Hueneme from Friday to Friday enjoying a meal together. This is a tradition I feel will continue for some time. Fast food is something that is generally not an option on a day-to-day basis. Not from lack of money but from lack of nutritional value. There was a statement in the novel that said a transfer from home cooked meals to fast food was due in large part by the woman making her way into the work force. That may be true, but both of my parents worked and they still found time to cook a meal for me. That was both my Grandma and Grandpa! My philosophy is if they can do it, so can I!

I feel that fast food contributes to more than expanded waistlines and poor health.It takes away from the family dynamic of sitting down for a meal together that was prepared by someone in the family. Thanksgiving doesn't count! For some, that may be the most exposure to a true home cooked meal they will ever see.  I feel that if the fast food industry had it their way the world would be that of the one you see in the movie "Wall-E" where humans can't even move on their own and everything is brought to them by simply pressing a button or speaking into a speaker. Someday, our reality, will come to resemble that kind of fiction. It's almost there already! When we, the US of A, spend $48 billion a year on weight loss programs, dietary products, and other weight loss products trying to loss weight that could have been avoided being put on in the first place says a lot. Considering it would only take $24 billion a year to feed every man, woman and child on the planet daily. To me, that absolutely makes no sense at all. At present time...fast food is very low on the priority list for me. I will continue to improve my home cooking skills instead.

Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Robert Snider and I am 34 years old. I grew up in small town in Illinois just a few miles SE of Saint Louis, Missouri. My hometown, Dupo, had a population of only 5,000 (est) people while I was growing up. My hometown is actually considered a Village and not a town or city. My grandparents raised both me and my younger brother. We grew up learning to do all of the things rural kids would normally do. Hunt, fish, hike, baseball, football, scouts and so on. It was a very nice childhood that holds an abundance of positive memories for myself. The one big negative during my childhood was when I lost my grandfather at the age of 13. He was diagnosed with cancer and just six months after that, he was gone. This had an immediate impact on me. Once a solid performer in athletics's and academics, by the time I reached my senior year in high school, I dropped out and lost any chance for an athletic scholarship in football. At age 20 I completed my GED. Not the way I had envisioned my life starting out. So, at the age of 22, I joined the Navy.  This was strictly done because I felt I had something to prove. At first it was not easy to get accepted into the navy. A few run-ins with the law made me a colorful applicant. Feel safe in knowing that I was NOT a felon. Just a small town kid acting like a rebel with-out a cause. That was me. So the navy finally accepted my application in the Spring of 1999. My first year in the navy was tough, but very rewarding. By year two I had seen 15 different countries and was well adjusted. In year two I was also recruited by the N2 (Naval Intelligence) and served the majority of my career in the navy as an intelligence analyst. This was the job I was born to do! I really enjoyed my time working as an analyst. Sadly, like all good things, it came to an end. I got married to a Japanese woman and because I held an extremely high clearance in a certain caveat, I was deemed to be at risk for compromise, because of my exposure to a foreign national. It was basically my family or my career and I chose family. The real kicker is that I am now divorced. While I was married I had a son with my ex and he currently lives with his mother in Japan. After working in Intel I was stationed in Port Hueneme where I eventually finished my career in 2007. During this tour I met my current girlfriend who is also in the navy. We have a three year old daughter together who I am taking care of while her mother is currently serving in Afghanistan. I had a brief stint with an exclusive security firm that provided security for athletes and actors. I did that for a year before going back home for a summer. In early 2010 I returned to the 805 and started going to school.

That brings me to current times. I am now a full-time student pursuing a Environmental Science degree. This is my last full-time semester before I transfer to CSUCI. Life overall has been good to me. At present time I am working to make up for lost time and opportunities. I am always working to move forward and trying to stay somewhat productive. Idle hands....

My future is one I envision with my kid's together. Where I am making positive impacts on my environment through my education. Never taking a day for granite. But, probably most importantly, the Chicago Cubs win a World Series!