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

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Food
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the reasons why individuals opt for fast food over home-cooked meals, exploring various perspectives on convenience, taste, cooking skills, and societal trends. It touches on personal experiences, cultural shifts, and health implications related to fast food consumption.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that busy lifestyles lead people to choose fast food, questioning whether those meals can be considered "proper" food.
  • Others express a strong dislike for the taste of fast food, with one participant noting that it often tastes like "trash" but still consumes it for convenience.
  • One participant shares a positive experience with a specific fast food item, claiming it is fast, delicious, and relatively healthy.
  • A historical perspective is introduced, comparing modern fast food to the hunting habits of early ancestors, suggesting a deep-rooted preference for easily accessible food.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of cooking skills among younger generations, with one participant recounting their experience teaching a student how to cook, emphasizing the ease of preparing home-cooked meals.
  • Several participants discuss the impact of sedentary lifestyles and distorted portion sizes on obesity rates, noting changes in fast food serving sizes over time.
  • One participant mentions that fast food items often contain high calorie counts, questioning the value of such meals.
  • Another participant humorously reflects on the absurdity of portion sizes and marketing tactics in supermarkets, suggesting they encourage overeating.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the taste and health implications of fast food. While some share negative views on fast food, others defend certain items as convenient and enjoyable. The discussion remains unresolved on the overall impact of fast food on health and society.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference personal anecdotes and observations, which may not represent broader trends. There is a noted lack of consensus on the nutritional value and cultural significance of fast food versus home-cooked meals.

wolram
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
Messages
4,410
Reaction score
551
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.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Last edited:
hypatia said:
Sluggish.
So instead of worming his way out of sticky situations, he slugs his way out?
 
Of course he does, he's a heavy weight!
 
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.
 
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.
 
  • #10
I quite like the chicken burgers from fast food places like KFC and McDonalds. I rarely have fast food though. Perhaps once a month.
 
  • #11
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.
 
  • #12
Contrapositive said:
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. :rolleyes::wink:
 
  • #13
I usually treat myself once a month to a Hardee's Sourdough burger. One of the best hamburger's I've ever eaten.
 
  • #14
Andre said:
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.
 
  • #15
wolram said:
...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!"
 
  • #16
wolram said:
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! :biggrin:

(Of course, back then, they didn't have steering wheels that locked up when the ignition key was removed, either. :frown:)
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
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 :smile:

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.
 
  • #18
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.
 
  • #19
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.
 
  • #20
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.
 
  • #21
turbo-1 said:
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.

:smile: 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!)
 
  • #22
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.
 
  • #23
BobG said:
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
 
  • #24
jimmysnyder said:
Remember the 4 food groups:
Meat
Potatoes
Grease
Beer

I choose 1 and 4
 
  • #25
lisab said:
:smile: 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!
 
  • #26
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.
 
  • #27
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.
⚛​
 
  • #28
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.
 
  • #29
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.
 
  • #30
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.