Why Do People Choose Fast Food Over Home-Cooked Meals?

[wolram]

Is it because their lives are so busy they can not sit down to a proper meal, even then do they call a proper meal some thing that is out of a packet or tin.
I think most fast food tastes disgusting, years ago fish and chips were a Friday night treat
but now the vendors have lost the art, it seems to me they only wrap them in two layers of paper to soak up all the grease rather than keep them warm.
A burger from a fast food place only tastes of the relish, what is in the so called beef burger
i guess is any thing but lean beef.
When on very rare occasions i go to the supermarket, i see trolleys piled high with packets and tins of so called food, i would not call it food i would call it a concoction of ingredients that sellers can legally pass on as food, it seems modern man expects to eat gunge that has passed through a grist mill and needs the services of a chemist to add flavour, and may be the packaging costs more than the ingredients.
But i have worked in the food industry for over 20yrs so please keep tucking in or i will be jobless.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I agree most fast food tastes like trash. However I would say I eat fast food three times a week (3 meals). It is a matter of convenience. Usually it's ordering a sub/hoagie or getting a chicken sandwich at Wendys or KFC.

 

[Andre]

Occasionally I go to a shop of a certain large 'fast food chain' to get a six inch parmesan tuna sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, pickles, oignons, no sauce.

it's fast, delicious and not that unhealthy.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Our earliest ancestors were hunters who took a dim view of prey that was easy to catch. Easy to catch meant the animal probably was sick and not safe to eat. They preferred fast food and MacWendy King is just the modern manifestation of that preference. This is why when you don't eat fast food, it's called fasting. This is true even if you eat sloes. In short, the early bird catches the worm, food for thought for both birds and worms.

 

[hypatia]

The worm that sleeps in, lives! But he's missed breakfast, so he goes to McDonalds and eats a sausage biscut, which leaves him feeling rather like his uncle...Sluggish.
I do tend to eat fast food breakfast, a bagle with a scrambled egg on it, or a yogurt and fruit bowl. Their are healthy choices at most fast food places these days.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Sluggish.

So instead of worming his way out of sticky situations, he slugs his way out?

 

[hypatia]

Of course he does, he's a heavy weight!

 

[Moonbear]

What amazes me is how many people have simply not learned to cook! They get fast food because they don't know how to make a homecooked meal...and don't realize it would take less time to prepare than the drive to the fast food place. I had a student visit with me last month to shadow me, and she stayed at my home for two weeks. I made homecooked dinners for us, even with the busy schedule we had. She didn't know how to cook much, and was amazed at how simple it was to make very tasty meals (I taught her how to make a few of the dishes so she could go back to school and amaze her roommates). I think it's a shame when parents haven't passed on to their children the skill of how to cook, and of course these people who don't know how to cook will never be cooking for their kids either. Those are the people then end up at fast food restaurants every day.

Add fast food meals to the sedentary desk jobs so many people have, and we suddenly know why they all are getting so obese. The fast food chains have also completely distorted portion sizes. Wendy's actually dropped their smallest size fries and sodas about a year ago. Now a small is what used to be a medium. All the other sizes have increased too. Younger people are astonished when I explain to them that a small soda and fries, when I was a kid (i.e., what my parents would order for themselves), used to be the size of what is now a children's meal. And they no longer even have anything resembling what we used to get in a children's meal (by the time I was a teen, the children's meal was already increased in size to be a regular adult portion small fries and soda...when I'd go out with my high school friends, we'd order the kid's meal because it was plenty big enough for us). If you presented a children's meal to an adult as a full-portion meal now, they'd look at you like you were crazy.

 

[scorpa]

I don't like fast food, i think most of it tastes horrible and a lot of it isn't cheap either! I only get it if I am in a bind and am so hungry I don't want to skip a meal...probably once every month or two.

 

[Kurdt]

I quite like the chicken burgers from fast food places like KFC and McDonalds. I rarely have fast food though. Perhaps once a month.

 

[Contrapositive]

Add fast food meals to the sedentary desk jobs so many people have, and we suddenly know why they all are getting so obese. The fast food chains have also completely distorted portion sizes. Wendy's actually dropped their smallest size fries and sodas about a year ago. Now a small is what used to be a medium. All the other sizes have increased too. Younger people are astonished when I explain to them that a small soda and fries, when I was a kid (i.e., what my parents would order for themselves), used to be the size of what is now a children's meal. And they no longer even have anything resembling what we used to get in a children's meal (by the time I was a teen, the children's meal was already increased in size to be a regular adult portion small fries and soda...when I'd go out with my high school friends, we'd order the kid's meal because it was plenty big enough for us). If you presented a children's meal to an adult as a full-portion meal now, they'd look at you like you were crazy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20825325/

Just about every fast food chain now has a single item with over a thousand calories.

 

[Kurdt]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20825325/

Just about every fast food chain now has a single item with over a thousand calories.

I thought that just represented good value for money. It was the fast food chains looking after us.

 

[Evo]

I usually treat myself once a month to a Hardee's Sourdough burger. One of the best hamburger's I've ever eaten.

 

[wolram]

Occasionally I go to a shop of a certain large 'fast food chain' to get a six inch parmesan tuna sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, banana peppers, pickles, oignons, no sauce.

it's fast, delicious and not that unhealthy.

Well yes a sarnie is a sarnie where ever it is eaten, i meant cooked fast food as in burgers,
kebabs, fish and chips etc.
And i agree with MoonB on portion sizes, it amazes me where some people put their food,
it seems all most impossible they could shovel so much in without exploding.
I see another trick for selling in supermarkets getting more prevalent, the buy 2 for 1 or
4 for 3 etc, these may seem a bargain but it is just a ploy to get you eating some thing more regularly than you would normally.

 

[lisab]

...it seems all most impossible they could shovel so much in without exploding.

Memories of Mr Creosote (Meaning of Life): "It's only wafer-thin!"

 

[BobG]

Is it because their lives are so busy they can not sit down to a proper meal, even then do they call a proper meal some thing that is out of a packet or tin.
I think most fast food tastes disgusting, years ago fish and chips were a Friday night treat
but now the vendors have lost the art, it seems to me they only wrap them in two layers of paper to soak up all the grease rather than keep them warm.

If they're soaking the grease out of the food, then they truly have lost the art of fast food. There's nothing quite like a bag of hamburgers from White Castle where, if you're a regular customer, they'll even toss in a little extra grease free of charge!

Extra grease on your hands is good. I never had my steering wheel suddenly lock up in the middle of driving even once when I used to eat at White Castle!

(Of course, back then, they didn't have steering wheels that locked up when the ignition key was removed, either. )

 

[jim mcnamara]

What amazes me is how many people have simply not learned to cook! <snip>

One member of our household has a Master's Degree in Culinary Arts - done in France.
He worked as a sous-chef and chef for several years. Guess what he eats for half of his meals... aww you figured it out

My daughter is married to another formally trained chef. Guess what he eats really often?

My youngest son has worked with these two chef-types and has learned a LOT about cooking. All he wants to eat is Taco Bell. Or frozen dinners.

It is cultural, imbued via the cute TV ads for children. All of these people are under 35, so they are all TV generation. My wife and I can go for months without burgers, pizza, KFC, etc. But I'm not a TV generation kid.

 

[jim mcnamara]

In terms of grease, Rut's Hutt in Clifton NJ wins. Hands down. They deep fry hot dogs - Try a "ripper". They change to frying oil once a year whether it needs it or not.
You can tell how far into the grease-change cycle you are by the intensity of your heartburn.
When I was at Rutgers, THAT was greasy fast food.

 

[Mk]

Back to the original post:

Why do I eat fast food?

It tastes good and gives calories. Same reason and the only reason why I eat food.

 

[turbo]

There was an old fellow in town who had a "diner" in a small trailer, and he made the tastiest cheeseburgers ever. He made them very thick and he basted them with lard from the grill as they cooked. He'd scrape up the melted lard with his spatula and drizzle it on the top of the burger.

 

[lisab]

There was an old fellow in town who had a "diner" in a small trailer, and he made the tastiest cheeseburgers ever. He made them very thick and he basted them with lard from the grill as they cooked. He'd scrape up the melted lard with his spatula and drizzle it on the top of the burger.

Mmmmmm, an extra-greasy cheeseburger in a trailer...now that's what I call livin'!

(Scary thing is, it's almost lunch time here, so that actually does sound good - yikes!)

 

[BobG]

That's the problem with the Carl's Jr commercials. They just don't get fast food. The character in the commercial is always dripping ketchup and mayonnaise. They're never dripping grease.

That's why I never eat there.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

That's the problem with the Carl's Jr commercials. They just don't get fast food. The character in the commercial is always dripping ketchup and mayonnaise. They're never dripping grease.

That's why I never eat there.

Remember the 4 food groups:
Meat
Potatoes
Grease
Beer

 

[Kurdt]

Remember the 4 food groups:
Meat
Potatoes
Grease
Beer

I choose 1 and 4

 

[turbo]

Mmmmmm, an extra-greasy cheeseburger in a trailer...now that's what I call livin'!

(Scary thing is, it's almost lunch time here, so that actually does sound good - yikes!)

I helped a friend clean out a shed full of junk and he said he'd treat me to lunch - just pick the place. I picked that little trailer and had a great time watching him grimace as the old fellow drizzled melted lard on our burgers. Despite the apparent unease, he enjoyed his burger after the first bite. Luckily, the old fellow was generous with paper napkins. Mmmmm, grease!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Just heard this one.

According to McDonalds, the weight of the sesame seeds on the Big Macs sold each year in the US exceed the weight of two Boeing 747s.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

I actually prefer the way fast-food burgers, particularly McDonalds, are made. Very thin patties, diced onions, cheese placed while it's still on the grill. Whenever I have people's home-made burgers they always make them ridiculously thick, it's like eating a meatloaf sandwich to me. The whole putting lots of lettuce and tomato on a burger, I don't get it; if you wait a few minutes too long the thing is lukewarm. Lukewarm lettuce, yum.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I don't like steaks. Beef barbecue I can do but I just really don't like steaks. I eat a fair amount of vegetarian food too, though I'm not a vegetarian. My arteries could stop bullets, I'm sure.

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[gravenewworld]

The funny part is the fact that people are quick to dump all over fast food chains, but in reality your favorite local non-chain restaurants probably serve up more fat and calories from a dinner there than a meal that you could get at a fast food restaurant. Yeah that caesar salad, with pasta and chicken, and a glass of wine probably set you back 2200+ calories.

 

[wolram]

It may be i am just to tight to go to restaurants or buy fast food, well may be once in a blue moon, if i do i go to a transport cafe ,there is usually one or two in each town, they may only serve fry ups but 9 times out of 10 the food will not be over greasy, these places soon
loose customers if the food is not up to scratch.
If i do go out for a proper meal it is to a place recommended to me, if i do not like what they serve i never go back.

 

[Contrapositive]

Yeah that caesar salad, with pasta and chicken, and a glass of wine probably set you back 2200+ calories.

Can you maybe provide a source for this claim? I find it very hard to believe a salad and chicken have more fat than a Big Mac.

 

[Evo]

Can you maybe provide a source for this claim? I find it very hard to believe a salad and chicken have more fat than a Big Mac.

I believe it.

Here is Applebee's grilled steak caeser salad (no pasta or wine)

1295 Calories
82.5 grams of fat
743 calories from fat

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-meals-entree-grilled-steak-caesar-salad-w-toast_f-Y2lkPTQyNDkmYmlkPTM4JmZpZD0xMTk4ODAmcGFyPSZrZXk9QXBwbGViZWVz.html

Big Mac
540 calories
29 grams of fat

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

 

[mgb_phys]

Can you maybe provide a source for this claim? I find it very hard to believe a salad and chicken have more fat than a Big Mac.

A ceaser salad covered in cheese and olive oil, chicken with a sauce full of cream and butter and restaurant portions are bigger than fast food portions ( only the fries and soda are supersize ).

I see the same thing, girls order the ceaser salad or baked potato (with butter and sour cream) instead of fries because they are on a diet.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Can you maybe provide a source for this claim? I find it very hard to believe a salad and chicken have more fat than a Big Mac.

He said more than a salad and chicken. I'm imagining one of those huge plates of pasta, slathered in a cheesy cream sauce, with a chicken breast on top, a drenched crouton-filled generously Parmesaned Caesar salad on the side, and a glass of some sweet wine. And that's the kind of restaurant that probably puts bread out beforehand and pitches appetizers to you too. Beats out a Big Mac no problem on both fat and calories, maybe even an entire mega-sized combo meal.

Y'know how if a restaurant has no prices on the menu it turns out to be really expensive? The same principle applies for restaurants that aren't telling you how many calories are in anything.

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[Contrapositive]

I believe it.

Here is Applebee's grilled steak caeser salad (no pasta or wine)

1295 Calories
82.5 grams of fat
743 calories from fat

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/cal...wbGViZWVz.html

Big Mac
540 calories
29 grams of fat

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_control...on.index1.html

That's steak. Not chicken.

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-meals-low-fat-grilled-chicken-pasta_f-Y2lkPTQyNDkmYmlkPTM4JmZpZD01MzkzNiZlaWQ9MjM3MDk0NjMyJnBvcz05JnBhcj0ma2V5PUFwcGxlYmVlcw.html"

Only has 9g of fat. I could find the caesar salad info by itself. But if it has over 20g of fat, lay off the dressing.

 

[Evo]

That's steak. Not chicken.

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-meals-low-fat-grilled-chicken-pasta_f-Y2lkPTQyNDkmYmlkPTM4JmZpZD01MzkzNiZlaWQ9MjM3MDk0NjMyJnBvcz05JnBhcj0ma2V5PUFwcGxlYmVlcw.html"

Only has 9g of fat. I could find the caesar salad info by itself. But if it has over 20g of fat, lay off the dressing.

The chicken won't make that much difference.

Your link is for a low fat ckicken pasta, and it's a whopping 873 calories! Add the salad to that and you're over 2,000 calories.

We're talking about a restaurant size salad, not a tiny side salad, It's not a Caesar salad without the high fat, high calorie Caesar dressing.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

That's steak. Not chicken.

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-meals-low-fat-grilled-chicken-pasta_f-Y2lkPTQyNDkmYmlkPTM4JmZpZD01MzkzNiZlaWQ9MjM3MDk0NjMyJnBvcz05JnBhcj0ma2V5PUFwcGxlYmVlcw.html"

Only has 9g of fat. I could find the caesar salad info by itself. But if it has over 20g of fat, lay off the dressing.

Thumbs down! That's the low fat version of a chicken and pasta meal. You ought to be comparing it to a low fat fast food meal, then.

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[CaptainQuasar]

And anyways he said non-chain restaurant. Applebee's sure as heck is a chain restaurant. That's half the point, these are restaurants that don't have a team of marketers and industrial food designers working on a meal, it's a line chef who just throws another stick of butter into the sauce pot.

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[Evo]

And anyways he said non-chain restaurant. Applebee's sure as heck is a chain restaurant.

Yes, but it's unlikely any non-chain restaurant is going to have nutritional value posted on the internet.

 

[Mk]

Me? I don't eat very much per day because people don't need very much per day. It's usually one main meal, and then some assorted snacks and drinks the rest of the day. I try and go for big calories since I only eat once per day. Works fine for me, and according to most longevity studies, lower calorie consumption in captivity equals longer lifespan.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Yes, but it's unlikely any non-chain restaurant is going to have nutritional value posted on the internet.

Not anywhere. So we can make a fair bet that a non-chain is going to be worse than anything we find online; Certainly, as you pointed out, worse than the low-fat version of a meal.

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[Contrapositive]

Thumbs down! That's the low fat version of a chicken and pasta meal. You ought to be comparing it to a low fat fast food meal, then.

There is a low-fat big mac? But okay, you could compare McDonald's chicken salad to Applebee's Salad, Mesquite Chicken w. Dressing. McDonalds' Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken has 9g of fat (with or without dressing it doesn't say, but I'm assuming not because it goes on to list dressing info on the same page).

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

Applebee's has 4g of fat.

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-meals-salad-mesquite-chicken-w-dressing_f-Y2lkPTQyNDkmYmlkPTM4JmZpZD05OTk0MCZlaWQ9MjM3MTIxOTE3JnBvcz0xOCZwYXI9JmtleT1BcHBsZWJlZXM.html

And anyways he said non-chain restaurant. Applebee's sure as heck is a chain restaurant. That's half the point, these are restaurants that don't have a team of marketers and industrial food designers working on a meal, it's a line chef who just throws another stick of butter into the sauce pot.

True. But this is as close as you're going to get.

 

[gravenewworld]

Non-chain restaurants won't have their calories listed so you have to guesstimate. It isn't hard at all. A serving size for a piece of meat is the size of a deck of cards. A serving of pasta would probably be about two fistfuls of pasta. The average portions in American restaurants are OBSCENE. A glass of wine sets you back almost 200 calories alone. Eat a few slices of bread that they give you that is another 200-300 calories right there (assuming you skip butter). Caesar salads are supposed to be made with olive oil, but many many many places make caesar salad dressings with mayo instead. A restaurant sized caesar salad (that is not non fat) that is loaded with croutons and cheese will set you back another 400 calories (to be conservative). Restaurants in the US will typically give you almost half a box of pasta or more for a dinner. The pasta alone sets you back 400+ calories (being conservative). Include the huge amount of chicken you would get and that would be another 300-400 calories (being conservative). This is completely ignoring what type of sauce you get. A cream or white sauce would add on a ridiculous amount of calories and fat. Even if you get a red tomato sauce, the sauce is probably loaded with an entire days worth of sodium. So yeah that puts you in the range of 2000 calories for a single meal from a restaurant by being even conservative.

Restaurants, both chain and non-chain, give you much much bigger portions of food than fast food places and many times the items on their menu deliver more fat and calories than food from a fast food joint.

 

[Pyrrhus]

I'm not a health nut. I go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week, i lift weights and i do cardio (ride my bike). I like the muscly look, but that doesn't stop me from eating hamburguers, ice cream and etc... The idea always is to keep an eye on what you are eating. If most of your intake is high in saturated fat and in general not healthy, plus you don't exercise regularly then it is a problem.

Frankly, i prefer a steak with its appropiate side dish and a glass of wine over any "fast food"

 

[gravenewworld]

I'm not a health nut. I go to the gym 4 to 5 times a week, i lift weights and i do cardio (ride my bike). I like the muscly look, but that doesn't stop me from eating hamburguers, ice cream and etc... The idea always is to keep an eye on what you are eating. If most of your intake is high in saturated fat and in general not healthy, plus you don't exercise regularly then it is a problem.

Frankly, i prefer a steak with its appropiate side dish and a glass of wine over any "fast food"

Don't get me wrong I love fatty stuff too like homemade pies, cookies, and ice cream. The whole key to managing weight is simply exercise and portion control. If I know I am going to eat ice cream after dinner then I will eat half the amount of meat and skip carbs and pretty much eat just the most nutrient dense foods which are mostly vegetables.

 

[turbo]

Before reading the quotes below, ask yourself if a Whopper with cheese is a less-healthy meal than the Garden Salad with Ranch dressing and garlic toast.

Burger King©
WHOPPER - Vegetable, w/Cheese©

Serving Size: 213g
Calories: 500
Calories from Fat: 260
Total Fat: 28 grams
Saturated Fat: 9 grams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Sodium: 1230 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 47 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Sugars: 9 grams
Protein: 13 grams

Burger King©
TenderCrisp Garden Salad - w/Garden Ranch Dressing and Garlic Toast©

Serving Size: 455g
Calories: 600
Calories from Fat: 310
Total Fat: 35 grams
Saturated Fat: 7 grams
Cholesterol: 60 milligrams
Sodium: 1950 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 45 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Sugars: 8 grams
Protein: 28 grams

http://www.chowbaby.com/fastfood/fast_food_nutrition.asp

The salad has 100 more calories than the burger, 50 more calories from fat, 25 more milligrams of cholesterol, and 720 more milligrams of sodium.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

The salad has 100 more calories than the burger, 50 more calories from fat, 25 more milligrams of cholesterol, and 720 more milligrams of sodium.

Notably, though, that's a http://www.bk.com/#menu=2,40,-1". Just pointing out that it's not all from the dressing or something, lest people become too discouraged of the virtue of salads.

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[turbo]

Actually, I selected a salad with no chicken, but with dressing and garlic toast. You can get a BK salad with the breaded chicken , and it actually has less fat, calories, sodium, etc - as long as there is no dressing added.

Burger King©
Salad - Fire Grilled Chicken Caesar, w/Out Dressing or Toast©

Serving Size: 286g
Calories: 190
Calories from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7 grams
Saturated Fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol: 50 milligrams
Sodium: 900 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 9 grams
Fiber: 1 grams
Sugars: 1 grams
Protein: 25 grams

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Actually, I selected a salad with no chicken, but with dressing and garlic toast.

Are you sure about that? The page I linked to on the BurgerKing website has the exact same product name as the first salad you mentioned - see how they're both called "TenderCrisp"? That's what indicates that it has chicken in it - specifically breaded fried chicken as opposed to grilled chicken which they call "TenderGrill".

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[turbo]

Are you sure about that? The page I linked to on the BurgerKing website has the exact same product name as the first salad you mentioned - see how they're both called "TenderCrisp"? That's what indicates that it has chicken in it - specifically breaded fried chicken as opposed to grilled chicken which they call "TenderGrill".

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Well the site that I pulled the nutritional information from could have been in error, I suppose. It seems to be a pretty comprehensive site, though, with nutritional information for just about any combo you can order, including "on the side" dressings, etc. Just select Burger King and you'll see more choices and options that you thought possible.

http://www.chowbaby.com/fastfood/fast_food_nutrition.asp

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Yeah, it seems like it must have errors. Note that the second salad you presented there as an example of the breaded chicken is called the Fire Grilled Chicken Caesar.

They have, like, ten different salads. Not everyone can be as gifted as I am at reading fast food menus. It's a survival skill.

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