Every time I am on a road trip I want fast food. It's totally a Pavlovian response because for the most part I am otherwise not interested (with the one exception of my time in Amsterdam at 19 when my friends and I discovered that a visit to a coffeeshop followed by a visit to McDonalds made for a truly fantastic afternoon).I think the reason for my desire is that when I was a kid the only time my parents would take me to get fast food was when we were on long drives. Whatever the reason, I want it, and I am generally able to convince Pete to stop so we can get it. And then immediately afterwards I feel totally gross. I don't remember that happening when I was a kid, but maybe that is because of the move from Happy Meals to quarter pounders with cheese. and fries.
On Sunday, on our way back from visiting my sister, we took a break from the traffic for fast food. And I really think it is going to be my last time. It was just such a soul-sucking experience.
Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious. Always is. But it sank to the bottom of my stomach and I felt disgusting afterwards.
And on this particular trip our food took a really long time so I just sat and watched the fast food factory at work, watched the people come and go, and watched myself get more and more bummed out. I think that going in there makes people a little dead inside. Sure the food is high in calories, but every once in a while it's probably not too bad. What is really unhealthy is the whole experience. Rushing through eating, eating food that slapped together in an assembly line, sitting in a plastic booth in cookie cutter building -- that is what really makes fast food bad for you.
So from now on I am going to make an effort to stop some place with character, even if it takes a little longer (and even if the food still isn't that healthy!), or make my own food and bring it, even if it takes more advance planning. Because it's not really the calories that are bad for you fast food places, it's the atmosphere.
