I like Big Macs and I Cannot Lie ... And I'm O.K. with that.
I think the biggest misconception about anyone who eats well is that they ALWAYS, ONLY, FOREVER AND EVER eat well. That they would rather eat a fist full of scabs than let anything processed or unhealthy pass their lips. I'm here to tell you that is not true. I don't think. God, I hope not it's not true. Gross.
To quote a well known, 84 year old, world champion food eater (my mother),
"If a person can't eat french fries whenever they want, then life just isn't worth living."
Betty has a flare for the dramatic. I told her I was thinking of changing my brand of dish soap once. She gasped so hard she swallowed a tiny piece of lung and to this day you can read about the episode in the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in Niagara Falls.
Obviously I got my love of french fries from her. From my father I got my love of vegetable gardening. So I've inherited two very different food philosophies. Grow Your Own and Live Isn't Worth Living If You Can't Eat French Fries Whenever You Want (Which is Always).
I live with a balance of both. Because growing and cooking your own healthy food really is satisfying. And so are french fries.
Every summer when I'm killing myself working up at my community garden, there's always a day near the beginning of the growing season that's so long, so tiring, so calorie depleting that I stop at my local McDonalds drive through on the way home for a Big Mac, large fries, 6 Chicken McNuggets and a drink. I not only enjoy it, I love it and look forward to it. There's no guilt from eating the crappy food because I've worked myself in the garden until I'm delirious. That delirium only adds to the deliciousness of the junk food.
I really do love McDonalds - their french fries are the BEST - but I think the main reason I go there is because it's a drive through. Can you imagine anything more luxurious than screaming at a metal box and then someone handing you a bag of food through your car window? I can't. Every time I do it I feel like royalty.
It is the only drive through food in town unless you count Tim Hortons which I don't because they don't have special sauce. Or McDonald's french fries. I also LOVE Harvey's hamburgers (I don't think you have been blessed with Harvey's in the United States) but they changed their buns and french fries years ago plus there isn't one close to me. Tacos? I don't even know if there's a Taco drive through around but again, I do like them. Submarines are delicious but I don't get that McDonald's satisfaction out of them. Plus there's no sub drive through. Not here anyway.
So McDonald's it is every time I'm having a "Yeah, I grow all my own vegetables, but life isn't worth living if you can't eat french fries when you want" moment.
In fact I see one of those moments in my very near future.
What about you? What's your go-to fast food? And will you be going-to, this weekend? ;)
Have a good weekend!
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Kristin
Jersey Mike’s meatball sandwich. My husband and I share a foot-long one with an extra meatball added. He eats his half, I eat half of my half, and then I reheat the rest for supper and that’s my food for the day. So filling, and so delicious! But I do love fries. My favorites are In n Out fries, but only if you eat them immediately. I live in Southern California, so another go-to indulgence is taco truck tacos, which are cheap and plentiful. Or pupusas, from a local Salvadoran hole in the wall. Damn. Now I really want pupusas. Or meatball sandwich.
Michelle
Ahhhh... little paper cups of ketchup. I'm totally a sucker for that. McD's doesn't have that any more, but fries (a rare treat these days) are unparallelled! I'm fortunate enough to live less than a mile from a legendary local burger joint called the 5-8 Club, which serves up their "juicy lucy" — molten "American" cheese sealed between two fresh burger patties on a homemade bun — mine topped with grilled onions and yellow mustard. It's the burger joint Jimmy Fallon visited when he was in town for the Super Bowl. I took my 94-year-old mom there for lunch yesterday — she swears by the Juicy Lucy (and the local fish & chips joint) as the fountain of youth.
Llynnda
Really people, where do you all come from at? Love Mac's fries??? Those cold (every time I've had em), dried up yellow sticks? It's an insult to,call them fries. Now fries, real fries are sold at the corner of some small Quebec towns'streets. Brown, hot, a teensy little bit greasy or more and those are the best. I'm thinkin'most of youse must never had the pleasure of Quebec Fries, not to mention poutine, but I won't push my opinion too far. But Mac's no way.😇
Mindy Northrop
When I was pregnant with our second, I worked part time, and would sneak Big Macs on my way home from work. Drive-thru, park, shovel burger and fries, go home like nothing had happened. Hahahahahahaha. I still love them, BUT, we have not eaten any fast food since moving to the country last August. Not necessarily on purpose, but there's nothing close, and when we're in town, it just doesn't happen. Honestly, I'm sorta afraid to eat one now. My body might revolt.
Colleen
McDs is very nostalgic for me. When we were poor married students in the early 70s we would literally save our pennies so that we could go to the golden arches once a month for a meal out - a full meal at the first McDonalds in Windsor was 99 cents. I still pop in for their coffee or a McFlurry from time to time. We rarely go their for a meal but I do like their chicken wraps.
As far a other local food goes - the new shawarma place in town is great!
Paula F
I am partial to Five Guys fries myself, but have no doubt - if somebody's sticking some McD fries in my face, I'll eat 'em, no questions asked... :D
Debbie
Hate Micky D's. Hamburgers. BIech!!!!! Give me In and Out, 5 guys or Habit Burger. Lettuce wrapped please (can't do gluten).
Fries? Only Sweet Potato and love the spicy ketchup from Red Robin (which is nothing more than ketchup with Chinese chili sauce mixed in. YUM! Oh, and ketchup--only Sir Kensington's classic will do. No high fructose corn syrup and vine ripened tomatoes. It is very tomato-ey and delicious!
Tracy Martinez
I don't really care for McDonalds But the Culver's butter burger and onion rings are to die for!!
Got to have that every once in a while. I don't you guys have that in Canada which is too bad cause the food is awesome!
Alena
I love McD's but I would not touch Big Mac with a stick, I find it disgusting. The sauce, the burger, everything.
I loved the guacomole chicken (from the Seriously Chicken line) and I always had it without the hot peppers (blech). Now it's off the menu as many other tasty options they had in the past - they always get me addicted to something and then they discontinue it.
At least they still have the Angus burger which, I understand, is not available in the US (at least not in Chicago) because certain someone always wants to have an Angus when visiting.
Their fries are second to none.
carin
Here's a short vid by Michael Pollan on how they're made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbZBJT358_Y
(Sprayed with so many toxins they have to off gas for days in a warehouse.)
Also, MacDonalds is one of the worst for perpetuating the use of neonics (responsible for descimating bee populations) and of course their inhumane animal practices...
By the way, I'm not a vegetarian and I LOVE fries. I could a PhD on them. But how about supporting the mom and pop places that are trying to keep their businesses alive, the chip trucks. MacDonalds doesn't need your support. Nor do they deserve it.
Bon appetit.
Karen
There's always one of you in the crowd. I wondered when you'd show up. ~ karen!
carin
Annoying, aren't we? Giving a hoot about stuff is an entirely different art.
Lynn
OMG Burger King classic chicken sandwich takes me back to high school!! Just wish I could get McDonald's fries with that.
Barb
McD's fries are the best, although I also love the ones at Steak 'n Shake (not technically fast food). And I have a great memory of my first McDonald's 15 cent burger plus those famous fries...it was at a newly opened (and first) McD's in my hometown. That was our treat after we participated in a hula hoop contest, which was also a "new" thing. You can tell from those clues I'm "old"!
Jenny
We're driving 5 hours tonight to visit family for Memorial Weekend (USA) slash our son's 1st birthday. Pretty sure a stop at McDonald's is on the agenda for this evening. :)
We make the 5 hour drive pretty often so we try our best not to get fast food every time. But when you're finally back in Nebraska after living in Iowa and you see that Runza sign....somehow you end up in the drive through ordering delicious cheese and mushroom runzas, crinkle fries, onion rings, and a coke.
For those who don't know the joy of a Runza: http://www.omaha.com/living/the-better-half/runza-the-story-of-one-of-nebraska-s-most-treasured/article_6e0b5a51-b017-5a23-b5cd-92f2c06a5d88.html
Melissa
The little Maple leaf stuck to the McDonald's logo--- that's too perfect for a Canadian blogger talking about the golden arches. ^_^
But to your point--- French fries are super delicious. And I do love some poutine from time to time.
So, it's a wrap: two gardening-loving girls who each crave their carbs from neighboring (or should I say "neighbouring") countries!
Karen
Ha! Tomato Toumato. ;) ~ karen!
Cussot
Melissa, gee, thanks for that - I'd never noticed! I just went back and checked three cities I've lived in here in Canada on Google Street View and sure enough, maple leaves on all the Golden Arches.
Melissa
@Cussot, love that you checked--- and that the maple leaves were there(!)
Cheers~
Susan
Fast food has been pretty well off the table since a diagnosis of celiac disease but every once-in-awhile a Big Mac craving hits when I pass the big M in town doing my grocery shopping. It's almost, not quite, as satisfying getting it without the bun. Thanks to a helpful voice in the drive-through, I've discovered that you can ask for a McDouble done like a Big Mac and it's half the price and tastes just the same! Dunno what it is about them that tastes so good. I tried making one at home, got the Big Mac sauce, bread and butter pickles and cheese but it just wasn't the same. But their fries - no. I like big, fat fries cooked to a golden crisp on the outside.
Beth
I thought I was the only one who doesn't rave over Mickey D's fries! Now I'm not so alone.
Jeanette Smith
you can add me to the crowd! Fries have to be made on premises, from potatoes - hand-peeled, hand-sliced and lovingly fried, one small batch at a time. Preferred served in newspaper, but health laws (bah, who needs them??) do not allow that where I live.
Mary W
The older I get the less food I consume (weird) and less things I like. Seems things I always enjoyed have changed for the worse BUT never McFries. They are totally the best. Even Julia Child loved them and she died in her 90's still loving them. If you have a cheapskate McD franchise that doesn't change their oil soon enough, the fries may not taste the same but that is rare. I don't care for much else but their sweet tea. So I can make a lunch of those two items and be very happy.
Maryanne
French fries - maybe at the Christie show this weekend ;)
FYI... there is a typo in "Live Isn’t Worth Living If You..." (I think - should it be 'Life')
Karen
Oop, you're right! Thankcs! ;) ~ karen
Christine
My new fave is Taco Bell's Nacho Fries.
Sandra Blackwell
first job in high school was McD....and I haven't eaten there since...that was a looong time ago. But I do love good fries.
Susan Claire
Burger and fries at the Tommy Burger at the corner of Hawthorne Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. Long gone but the memory lingers on. Sigh.