Fast food - my way - part 3

I’m baaaaccckkkk!

Am I done “bashing” fast-food restaurants? NOPE! Not after what their foods
have done to my stomach!

Besides - as a consumer, paying for a meal or something to eat - I deserve better than what they present in front of me when served. Okay - I am not the Queen of England - but I am not a dog either. It’s not right the way the public gets served foods in these places. And I blame the managers, assistant managers - all of them.

I’ve run restaurants and NOTHING was sent to a table unless it looked like something that SHOULD be served. Would YOU eat that?

I miss the days when you ate in a restaurant and you were served salads that were assembled with FRESH ingredients. Not pre-packaged greens that are doused in some sort of a solution (also claiming to be pre-washed) that will make these packages last in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. I wish someone would HONESTLY step forward and tell the public just what chemicals and preservatives are in them. Not only is that bad for you - but you can taste the solution on the veggies. Maybe it’s just me - but I like the taste of my vegetables without that crap on them. And I firmly believe that you CANNOT re-wash these mixes and vegetables - that solution is glued to them.

In my house, I keep fresh salad mix in a large tightly sealed bowl. Lettuces are washed and spin-dried and placed in the bowl. In a separate tightly covered container I can have other goodies for salads - celery, red onion, carrots, etc. Salads in my house can consist of just about anything - beans of all sorts, hard-cooked eggs, beets, olives, peppers, marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, deli meats, meats, breads - you name it!

At least I know that I am eating something that is not smothered in chemicals and preservatives. We get enough of them in our diet without adding more to our systems. And I don’t care that my fresh, homemade salad mix doesn’t last for weeks in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t want it to; it would taste terrible and stale lettuce is not very appetizing. I come from the days of having to bake bread everyday if you wanted fresh bread, and milk that wouldn’t last more than a day or two (with that wonderful cream floating on the top and we had to shake the bottle to use it!)

There isn’t a thing wrong with having to cook or prep foods on a daily basis. Why give in to eating crap because you don’t have 10 to 15 minutes to do it yourself and make it fresh and healthier?

Which brings me to these “salads” that are served in Mc D’s and BK.

TRUE STORY: I was out and about and holiday shopping several years ago in a local mall. Of course, there is a food court. And with a food court comes hundreds of others, some taking up space because they are just visiting, some tired and weary from all the walking and wanting to grab a quick bite to eat before either finishing their shopping or heading elsewhere.

After standing there and waiting for a table to be free so that we could grab something quick, I hopped in the long line and patiently waited my turn. Mind you - there were so many people there and the lines were long.

I placed my order with a BK employee - 2 Whopper Juniors, 2 side salads with dressing, 2 small drinks - to be eaten “in”. I get my order, take it to the table and begin to dole everything out as we continue our conversation. Pop a straw in my drink, open my sammie, and open the top of the plastic salad container. I drizzle my dressing over the top and take a piece of lettuce off the top and eat it.

I placed my fork back in the salad - and their he was - a dead fly. Lying on his back. Deader than dead. You know what killed him? The salad mix. I am thoroughly convinced of it.

So I pile everything back on the tray - and I mean EVERYTHING - march to the counter and no one would pay attention to me. After a good 5 or 6 minutes I hollered out loud - “I HAVE A DEAD FLY IN MY SALAD AND WOULD LIKE TO GET MY MONEY BACK SO PLEASE GET YOUR MANAGER HERE AT BURGER KING. I DON’T EAT DEAD FLIES SO SOMEONE DO SOMETHING SO I CAN GO HOME AND CALL THE BOARD OF HEALTH.” Yes I got my money back. And yes, the long line - it shortened real fast. Others with salads didn’t know what to do. Oh well - I didn’t mean to ruin their meals or appetites.

Amazing at just what ingredients are in a salad mix these days. And believe me - that is not the only episode.


So now I will move on to wraps.

When the little ones want Mc D’s and me being leery of just about everything they serve - I tried a Chicken Ranch Wrap.

I’ve tried them less than a handful of times. Let me tell you about the last two times (and the final times I will ever order them from Mc D’s) -

I ordered one a few weeks ago - asking for the “Crispy” Chicken Ranch Wrap. And being Italian - I always allow my babies to take anything they want out of my dish. The little guy sits to my left and just helps himself to what he wants. And if he doesn’t take something, I am jamming it in his mouth with my fork. What can I say - Italians feed their babies. And I will even reach over and stuff food in Princess’s mouth. It’s a habit. These two eat like adults - but I cannot stop something I have done all my life. I’ve fed more little ones in my life than anything. Even strangers little ones in restaurants. Babies need to be fed. God would punish me if I didn’t feed his little angels. And my babies will be my babies till they are 85 years old. And if they ate out of my dish until then - I would not care! Period.

Anyway - I opened my Crispy Chicken Ranch Wrap and I looked at Bruiser - he opened his mouth and in it went. He chomped down and out came the crispy piece of chicken. It was half the width and length of a chicken nugget. Of course he devoured it and left me with (when I opened it and looked) a few strands of shredded cheese, a few tiny shreds of lettuce, and a spoon of ranch dressing on a small flour tortilla.

Two weeks pass - I take them to the movies and beforehand they want Mc D’s again. This time I am ordering the GRILLED Chicken Ranch Wrap. This time, once again, the little guy took a bite and the whole thing came out of the wrap. It was a SLIVER of grilled chicken breast that wasn’t even a mouthful for the little guy.

Needless to say - that is off the menu for me as well.

I can’t see paying $1.49 for an empty flour tortilla! They couldn’t make those wraps any smaller. There should be a law against it. Where are the food police when you need them?

These places have “dollar menus” and I’m telling you - I can just imagine the portion size!

Did you ever watch an employee from Mc D’s or BK fill a small fry bag? They shove the French fry filling gizmo into the paper envelope, slide it under 3 pounds of fries from the French fry station and continue to shake the fries into the bag. Too bad only 8 or 10 fries make it to the bag. Ditto with their cardboard fry holders. I’ve seen large orders of fries with as many as there are in a small order. Gotta love these places.

Am I a glutton, wanting more? No. I just want what I pay for. And to the food police that b.i.t.c.h about SUPER-SIZING: Did it ever occur to you that you need to super-size to get a medium-sized amount of fries from these places?

Okay - take the babies to Mc D’s and a typical order is:
The most important - 2 toys - one for each of them
Bruiser: a 10-piece chicken nugget meal and a bag of apples
Princess: a fish meal, a wrap, and apples
Me???? I have to order a 10-piece meal. I eat the fries and they eat the 10 pieces of nuggets.
For the $25 that I am spending, I can make it at home, and it would be healthier and it would be much cheaper. That would even include me stopping to pick up little trinkets/toys to make it an “official: Gramma’s (or Grammaw’s) Happy/Kids Meal.

I guess for now I will stop the bashing of Mc D’s and BK - but I am quite sure there is much more I will be able to tell you.

For now - I’ll step off my soapbox!

(but I will be back - TRUST ME!)