My Fast Food Experience

My Fast Food Experience

          Grewing up in Virginia Beach, we only had one fast food restaurant that was near us. That was Burger King. This was during my childhood when I was 8 years old. It was a tad of a drive to get there but it was a place that my parents like to take us to eat. It was cool taking the drive because we always had to drive by this house on a hill that we called the "Evil Witches Haunted House". We also had to drive by this very old tree that was once used to hang people accused of witchcraft and wizardry. Going by these two sites always made going to Burger King feel like we were going to Busch Gardens Amusement Park. My parents liked it because of the way the burgers were cooked: over hot flames grill style. When at the register ordering, I always liked watching them lay the burgers on the hot grill and seeing the flames come up from below. I'd always stand at the register watching them cook the burgers until our order was ready. My dad would always laugh at me, telling me I didn't need to watch them cook our burgers. Yet, he always let me stand there at the register. I loved their cheeseburgers so I always ordered their happy meals. If we were good during the week, my parents always allowed us to order an ice cream after we ate all of our food. I was never really a french fry eater. Since my brother liked them, I would give him my french fries so I could get an ice cream. It was always a treat to go to Burger King with my parents because they always made it feel rewarding and fun.

          Let’s fast forward to 2011. Nowadays going to a fast food restaurant doesn't feel like a reward or like going to an amusement park. For me, it feels more like a convenience due to my busy schedule and travel habits. I don't always have time to sit down at a restaurant to eat so I usually and conveniently stop by KFC, Taco Bell, McDonalds, or Burger King. I enjoy Burger King because it always reminds me of Virginia. Yet, I am diabetic so stopping by these fast food places isn't always the healthiest place for me to get a meal. I do try to eat a healthy meal when I am at a fast food joint but if I feel like my diabetic numbers are good I'll order something like: a whopper combo with onion rings and a diet soda. I try to limit myself to only getting fast food maybe once every other week. Sometimes it happens more than I would like because I do travel to the LA area often, therefore, it's easier to stop at a fast food restaurant rather than a restaurant. When I am in LA, my friend Christina always makes me order something healthy when we stop by a fast food joint, usually McDonalds. I can't deny it though, sometimes my budget plays a role in whether I eat out or wait until I get home. That's because sometimes I don't have enough cash on me and I don't want to use my debit card or I just don't want to pay what they charge for a combo meal. For what they charge on the combo meals nowadays, I can spend a few extra dollars going to eat somewhere like Black Angus, Acapulco, Toppers Pizza, or Red Lobster. Currently, I'd rather eat healthier at a good restaurant than at fast food joint.