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.