Fast Food - Changes

[AlaskaMoose]

I just had an experience that is perfect for this thread. Was flying through the Denver airport, which is a really big airport and when you fly on United Airlines as I did, often a connection spot. Decided to grab some lunch and went to the Smashburger. I paid almost $30 and the food was awful. Of course, airport price gouging is at play here, but still is just bad.

Two days ago, I went to a local restaurant (you still might call "fast food") and paid $10 for basically the same meal. This proves that local places are almost always better, either in price and/or quality of food.

Yes, the foods sold at the airports and similar places usually are more expensive than what the local restaurants where the same kinds of foods are prepared. For example, the same hamburger at the airport costs more and does not taste as good it does as a food prepared at a restaurant. All depends on the restaurant and the service it provides.

Now, if you want different ingredients and processes, then you have to pay more for the service at a restaurant. The bottomline is that the best or healthier foods cost a lot more than the average foods found in fast food joints, unless it is a "special food" that has become popular with visitors (tourists) and the local community. Once these foods become iconic, people all across the US want to give it a try without worrying about the higher price. 🙂

 

[decafjava]

I just had an experience that is perfect for this thread. Was flying through the Denver airport, which is a really big airport and when you fly on United Airlines as I did, often a connection spot. Decided to grab some lunch and went to the Smashburger. I paid almost $30 and the food was awful. Of course, airport price gouging is at play here, but still is just bad.

Two days ago, I went to a local restaurant (you still might call "fast food") and paid $10 for basically the same meal. This proves that local places are almost always better, either in price and/or quality of food.

I may have mentioned this but our American students always remark how US fast food chains are more expensive and so much better in Europe then the US. Not to mention local European versions.

 

[adrianlondon]

Local-ish restaurants becoming chains usually kills them. Jamie Oliver knows this well 😁

In London, we used to go to Honest Burger for our burgers. They were really good! Then there were three of them - still ok.

Then there were loads, and the price went up and the quality went down. We've never been back.

(As an aside, they're still doing ok so obviously don't miss our expenditure.)

If you own one restaurant and can save 20p on each burger you make by skimping a bit on ingredients ... who cares. Sell decent burgers and don't make that extra 20p.

If you own 20 restaurants in a chain, some accountant will multiply the 20p by some huge amount (say, the most burgers sold in one place, multiplied by 20) and the savings look huge! So, of course, put less pickles, charge extra for some stuff, use cheaper meat etc. Very temporarily, you make more money as it takes a while for the customers to notice and stop going. Then you go bankrupt.

As for airports ... Heathrow has quite good food airside, but the airport takes so much money to provide the space that everything is more expensive than outside. Except for Starbucks, as they simply charge a fortune everywhere ...

 

[decafjava]

I flew through Newark a few years ago and it was terrible. Overpriced food and freezing air conditioning. The Geneva airport is also expensive but the food it OK. I have flown through heathrow and agree the food is decent but expensive. Munich is similar though I enjoyed the beer flying back to Geneva.

 

[boppin]

Back then, we often went to McDonald's because cheeseburgers and chicken burgers only cost €1.

We very rarely go out to eat fast food these days.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Nothing better than a home-made hamburger, on 2 slices of good quality and healthy bread (I prefer a whole-grain organic bread, or at least one that is made with non-processed ingredients, and also without any added sugars).

While I sometimes trim the fat and then grind a NY steak (or two), I have noticed that some of the local stores (Costco for example) sell organic bison low-fat (around 10% fat) ground beef I can use to prepare and grill my own hamburgers. I no longer eat commercial hamburgers with processed hamburger breads, not because I am "special" or anything like that, but because I am old and have had to start and maintain a healthy diet two years ago.

 

[adrianlondon]

Nothing better than a home-made hamburger, on 2 slices of good quality and healthy bread (I prefer a whole-grain organic bread, or at least one that is made with non-processed ingredients, and also without any added sugars).

Ah good, another person who uses (whole-grain) bread or bread rolls instead of hamburger rolls or brioches.

Years ago, after a bbq, I had one hamburger roll left. "Ah, a roll" I thought, as I put cheese and pickle in it to make a quick snack. It was like eating cake! So sweet. Weird that I didn't really notice it when eating hamburgers. Since that day, I no longer bought hamburger rolls.

Oh a related subject ... years ago, when living temporarily in Beijing, I saw two loaves of sliced white bread in my local supermarket. One had the Union Jack on it, and one the American flag. I checked the ingredients, and pretty much the only change was the American one had sugar right near the top of the list. As it happens, I bought neither, as I hadn't flown all that way to eat sliced white "foreign" bread 😁

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Ah good, another person who uses (whole-grain) bread or bread rolls instead of hamburger rolls or brioches.

Years ago, after a bbq, I had one hamburger roll left. "Ah, a roll" I thought, as I put cheese and pickle in it to make a quick snack. It was like eating cake! So sweet. Weird that I didn't really notice it when eating hamburgers. Since that day, I no longer bought hamburger rolls.

Oh a related subject ... years ago, when living temporarily in Beijing, I saw two loaves of sliced white bread in my local supermarket. One had the Union Jack on it, and one the American flag. I checked the ingredients, and pretty much the only change was the American one had sugar right near the top of the list. As it happens, I bought neither, as I hadn't flown all that way to eat sliced white "foreign" bread 😁

Not only this (above), but the US food industries are quite "sneaky" in relation to their use of whole-grain flour. In this case unsuspecting buyers may read the words "whole-grain flour" whiteout realizing that the flour itself is a processed ingredient. I have seen some organic and other whole-grain breads at the local supermarkets, but if one takes the time to read the ingredients listed on the label, all contain some type of sweetener.

I agree with you about the amount of sugar and other sweeteners in breads. Regardless if being organic or not, from molasses (even honey) to corn-derived sweeteners, these still are unhealthy when consumed regularly. We have become junkies to both sugars of various kinds and salt from childhood.

All that said, I do understand that one may not have any choice but to buy the foods sold at airports and other places when one is in the move such traveling and so on. 🙂

 

[boppin]

Ah good, another person who uses (whole-grain) bread or bread rolls instead of hamburger rolls or brioches.

Canadian style? 🇨🇦

alfredissimo! broadcast from 2/20/1998

Bill Mockridge is making hamburger patties with Alfred Biolek 🍔

Ingredients:

1 kg ground beef
12 hamburger buns
2 large onions
1 package herb butter
2 packages sliced processed cheese
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 jar relish
1 bottle ketchup
1 jar mayonnaise
1/2 kg tomatoes
Steak seasoning blend
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Peel the onions and cut them into thin rings. Place the cheese slices on a plate. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into thin slices.

Preheat the oven to 100°C.

Mix the ground beef with pepper, salt, and the seasoning blend. Shape the mixture into hamburger patties, fry them in herb butter, and keep them warm in the oven.

Arrange the other ingredients (relish, ketchup, onion rings, tomato slices, cheese) on the table so that everyone can assemble their own hamburger to their liking.

Bill Mockridge | Hamburger

aus alfredissmo!

www.happy-mahlzeit.com

 

[Dex762]

Ive stopped eating Macca (mc Donald's) cause it fatty and other hidden I mean bad stuff for your health I haven't use Macca for about 3 years, now I am using local cafe they make real burger which is bigger then Macca, as not always but on depends the mood etc u know food for thoughts

 

[Dex762]

the same hamburger at the airport costs more and does not taste as good it does as a food prepared at a restaurant. All depends on the restaurant and the service it provides.

Yep exactly years ago while stop over at Dubai for couple hours for next flight, I was in shocked to see how expensive it is I looked at Macca (mc Donald's) Big Mac with meals for $37USD, Burger King cheese whooper with meals $38USD, Starbucks coffee $13USD, so I can't be brother it and waiting for my next flight I was so hungry while waiting etc

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Yep exactly years ago while stop over at Dubai for couple hours for next flight, I was in shocked to see how expensive it is I looked at Macca (mc Donald's) Big Mac with meals for $37USD, Burger King cheese whooper with meals $38USD, Starbucks coffee $13USD, so I can't be brother it and waiting for my next flight I was so hungry while waiting etc

Yes, and I assume that the quality if this product as sold in Dubai has to be different or at least better than average. I could be wrong, of course, just assuming that the ingredients are chosen in accordance to the to the tastes the buyers in that area enjoy (?).

I wonder if some of the fast-food shops at the airports around the world have already developed a reputation for serving delicious foods?

 

[MacGizmo]

I stopped going to fast food chains (like McD's, B.K., Kentucky Fried, Taco Bell) years ago simply because they weren't "fast" at all, and the price had already gotten to the point where it was cheaper to go eat in a decent sit-down restaurant.

Then as I've gotten older, the food just didn't set well with me. Not only was it not healthy, but I wasn't of the age where I could burn off all the fat and calories in a few hours (the "you ain't a kid anymore" syndrome).

Now, the "convenience" of being forced to use ordering kiosks at some chains makes it so damn difficult that I would rather spend my spare time standing in a TSA line at the airport for the fun of it.

 

[retta283]

One thing I notice the few times I have gotten fast food lately is, especially with fries, the salt. Too much salt. I can barely eat it sometimes, and you can even ask for extra salt on top of this! No way is this healthy in the slightest, and it may honestly just be the workers in a rush piling the salt on, instead of a legitimate change in policy, but I notice it enough now that it makes me wonder. I never remember it being like this.

Otherwise the prices are too high for it be a regular event. Likewise with some others, as I get older, my stomach is less happy with it as well, and that is mostly definitely not worth the premium.

 

[WriteNow]

In my case, I guess I could say that I've come to eat fast food less often, but that would be less often than "almost never."

When I was growing up, my family mainly only ate fast food was lunch when we were doing long road trips. We'd make a quick stop to get the lunch and eat it while driving.

So, once I was a teenager, I probably went nearly two years between times of experiencing the culinary delight that was McDonalds. Not that I probably found it much of a delight then. I'm pretty sure my parents probably viewed it as merely practical--although at least once, my father was curious to try something or other that was being heavily advertised. But I doubt he'd have tried that item if it hadn't been time for lunch on a road trip when we'd be getting fast food one way or another.

My principal sometimes took kids out to lunch at McDonalds as a reward, and I remember that happening at least once to me.

When I was in my 20s, I ended up having McDonalds somewhat regularly, becuase my grandmother liked going there. (I don't know that she liked it, but it was convenient and cheap.)

I think the last time I had fast food was probably about 30 years ago, when I made a 1,000 mile-plus drive.

There have been times I've been curious to go to one place or another for one reason or another... But it never happens. And I can't say I really miss fast food.

For that matter, I almost never eat out anymore. I've eaten maybe twice in a restaurant since early 2020, and I didn't have a complete meal either time.

 

[Dex762]

I really miss fast food.

For that matter, I almost never eat out anymore. I've eaten maybe twice in a restaurant since early 2020, and I didn't have a complete meal either time.

I don't miss fast/junk food much, well every once a week with my friends going to restaurant and have a drink that was it

 

[AlaskaMoose]

In my case, I guess I could say that I've come to eat fast food less often, but that would be less often than "almost never."

When I was growing up, my family mainly only ate fast food was lunch when we were doing long road trips. We'd make a quick stop to get the lunch and eat it while driving.

So, once I was a teenager, I probably went nearly two years between times of experiencing the culinary delight that was McDonalds. Not that I probably found it much of a delight then. I'm pretty sure my parents probably viewed it as merely practical--although at least once, my father was curious to try something or other that was being heavily advertised. But I doubt he'd have tried that item if it hadn't been time for lunch on a road trip when we'd be getting fast food one way or another.

My principal sometimes took kids out to lunch at McDonalds as a reward, and I remember that happening at least once to me.

When I was in my 20s, I ended up having McDonalds somewhat regularly, becuase my grandmother liked going there. (I don't know that she liked it, but it was convenient and cheap.)

I think the last time I had fast food was probably about 30 years ago, when I made a 1,000 mile-plus drive.

There have been times I've been curious to go to one place or another for one reason or another... But it never happens. And I can't say I really miss fast food.

For that matter, I almost never eat out anymore. I've eaten maybe twice in a restaurant since early 2020, and I didn't have a complete meal either time.

Sounds quite familiar (above). My wife and I seldom eat out. We only do if we don't have any other choice such as when traveling and things like that. I probably mentioned somewhere in this thread that if one wants the healthier and best foods, preparing it at home is the most convenient way. If one can afford to have a cook or chef who's only going to use the right ingredients to meet your diet and health conditions, then it should be fine too.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Eating out for us now involves going to Smart & Final and grabbing a discount rotisserie chicken and making our own burritos or chicken salad. Or Costco chicken or their street tacos. Or hitting Trader Joe’s and getting their carne asada or frozen pizza. Costs 1/10th as much and can last multiple days.

How do people afford $50 at Chipotle or the sandwich places anymore ? I’ve noticed El Pollo Loco has had some really good deals lately - half off their family meals but still doesn’t come close to how much it costs when we do it ourselves.

 

[WriteNow]

We only do if we don't have any other choice such as when traveling

It's been a long time since I did any traveling, But I've gotten health conscious enough in recent years that I'm at a point where if I did extended road trips (like the ones I mentioned my family taking), I'd try to figure out ways to have meals that don't involve restaurants (espeically fast food places).

 

[AlaskaMoose]

It's been a long time since I did any traveling, But I've gotten health conscious enough in recent years that I'm at a point where if I did extended road trips (like the ones I mentioned my family taking), I'd try to figure out ways to have meals that don't involve restaurants (espeically fast food places).

My wife and I, plus our dog of course, go for long drives now and then during the summer, and we prepare all the foods we need for an entire day. We seldom stop to take breaks at the "food joints" along the way, just at the State rest areas or public parks where restrooms and picnic tables are available. As we have gotten older we have taken the time to take care of our health as carefully as we can.

But the traveling I referred to would be traveling by air with layovers and things like that, far away from home. It's either starve, or eat some junk food. Now, I haven't traveled out of Alaska for about ten years or more, while my wife travels out of Alaska to visit her mother at least once per year.