A Slow Discussion of Fast Food

[Buffy]

Well, Orb got going by asking about putting feet on the table. Table...food! Food...not on the table! FAST food!

 

In the US, fast food is an obsession. For those of you outside the US, hopefully History Channel International will run the "America Eats" series. We love this stuff that clogs our veins, expands our waists, and produces enough endorphins to compete with sex. I've been working on eschewing the former for more of the later, cuz its healthier, but doing 4 miles a day turns out to be a great excuse to indulge in one's weaknesses for what we like to call here in the states "the four basic food groups: sugar, fat, caffeine and alcohol."

 

My fast food list (admittedly highly Amero-centric and even Californo-centric, and even LosAngeleno-centric, so feel free to ask, "what the heck is she talking about?"):

 

1) Tommy's Hamburgers: LA-only. Best chiliburger ever. Or go for a Tommy's Tamale. Must include several jalapenos fished from the aluminum vat.

2) In-and-Out: poor substitute for Tommy's, but I only have to drive as far as Silicon Valley.

3) Krispy-Kreme: East coast thing. I had my first "hot" in NYC on 42nd Street. They now have em here.

4) Pinks. There's only one. You see it in the opening sequence of "Joey." On La Brea near Melrose. Hot Dogs and unbelievable combinations of anything you can imagine (or not imagine) on a hot dog.

5) Wimpey. Dead. Ultimate greasy burger. UK only. Gone. With good reason. Sniff anyway.

6) Pizza. Need I say more?

7) Cheesesteak. Only in Philly. Don't bother with ones created anywhere else. Worth the plane trip. (or train trip from NYC, hint, hint)

8) "Lets go out for sushi...and not pay!" (a penny to the person who deciphers that reference!)

9) Doggie Diner. Only in SF. The doggie heads are still around, but are in storage. Hot dogs obviously, but like Wimpey, loooooog gone...

10) Knishes. On the street, NYC. Okay if you want protein, get a polish, but nothing beats a knish.

11) Hurricane to go. Only on Bourbon Street. Preferably after many rounds of hot pepper martinis and andouille sausage at K. Paul's. Start at Pat O'Brien's ("Have Fun!") with either a Hurricane or a Mint Julep if you like something stronger, then go to the corner and get a cheap one to go. (Do NOT--under ANY circumstances--eat a "Lucky Dog." You *will* regret it).

12) Barbeque. Many kinds. The ONLY reason to ever go to Kansas City. I like Memphis better. In SF, Flints or Dougs. Ask for the HOT sauce. Ribs with potato salad.

 

Gotcha salivating yet, Pavlov?

 

Cheers n' Good Eating!

Buffy

[Queso]

have you ever had in-n-out?

it's only in california, and vegas i believe.

as much as i hate fast food, and try and stay away from it, that place is epic.

[Queso]

well....i only hate it because it's bad for me. sadly, i love it.

[Buffy]

have you ever had in-n-out?

it's only in california, and vegas i believe.

as much as i hate fast food, and try and stay away from it, that place is epic.

2) In-and-Out: poor substitute for Tommy's, but I only have to drive as far as Silicon Valley.

In LA, you're either a "Tommy's person" or an "In-n-Out person" the former will go to the latter, but the latter usually won't go near chili. The misspelling in my number two item firmly puts me in the "Tommy's" camp: Will go to In-N-Out, but prefer Tommy's. In-N-Out is all over California now and does have places in Nevada and Arizona. Tommy's is still family owned and is only in the greater LA area (about 25 locations).

<homer>Mmmmmmm, buuuuuurrrrrrrggeerrrrs!</homer>

 

NoOnionNoTomato,

Buffy

[Fishteacher73]

Mmmmmm....Death by grease and presevatives. Its sad that something as gastronomically satisfying is so bad for you. Living in TX we have a huge slew of little hole in the wall Mexican joints. The thing I miss most is Krystals. A southern version of White Castle. Tiny grease soaked burgers.......Heaven. You don't even have to chew them.

 

1. Taco Bueno- Fast food Mexican that is actually pretty good (Better than any Mexican food in TN).

 

2. Jim's - A scary looking little place. Looks kinda like dysentery central, but possibly the best burger and fries known to man...

 

3. Anywhere with real cajun food. (Grew up in southern LA. If you can't skin it, make a gumbo out of it.--Cajun Saying).

 

4. Wienersnitchzel- Hot dogs.. (Doesn't hold a candle to Lucky Dog in New Orleans, but its right here).

[Queso]

how could i have missed that you already posted it. i was so tired last night. well, never had tommys. hope to try that some day.

[sanctus]

Well, it seems to be true then, not just statistics in the US you've got "thousands" of big fast food brands. In Switzerland we have:

 

1. McDonalds

2. Burger King

3. Pizza Hut (there were 7, but the one in Geneva closed recently, so...)

4. There are heaps of Kebab-stands, but no big brand

5. Probably there are 4-5 more only in Zürich (our big city about "700000" inhabitant), I don't know of.

 

I boycott all of them, a part the Kebab-stands, mainly since I wrote a work on environmental impact of the fast food chains (it's a thirty page work in italian, if anybody understands it I can send it).

[Buffy]

Well, it seems to be true then, not just statistics in the US you've got "thousands" of big fast food brands....I boycott all of them, a part the Kebab-stands, mainly since I wrote a work on environmental impact of the fast food chains

 

Fast food is definitely an American Culture kinda thing, but like so much American Culture, someone always finds a way to exploit it, ruthlessly make money on it, and destroy it in the process. The interesting thing about my top 12 list is that with the exception of Krispy Kreme and maybe In-N-Out, there's no way you would have heard of any of these places unless you'd been there. Some, like Pinks, well...there's only *one* Pinks! You can't replicate the ladies behind the counter who will listen to a 20 item order with lots of exceptions (noonionnotomato) once and bring it all back exactly the way you ordered it. No writing it down, just sheer brain power. Wow!

 

What makes real fast food so good is, well... its good! Even vegetarians break down sometimes: Berkeley used to have a fantastic (again, one outlet only) place called "The Station" who's specialty was deep-fried veggies: zucchini, artichoke hearts, carrots, etc. along with exotic burgers. Not good for you but no meat either if that's your gig.

 

I'm all for hitting back a corporate congomerates for an endless variety of sins, but even McDonalds (eeeeewwwww!), has seen fit to get more eco-friendly on packaging when pressured to (remember those sucky evil styrofoam boxes they put everything in? long gone thanks to our eco-warriors. yeaaaa!). The most important though is that they stifle competition coming from the little guys. On the coffee front, there's a real push by many here to patronize the local coffee places to keep them from being "Starbucked"...

 

Stop by Krispy Kreme, order a "hot", let it melt in your mouth and go to heaven...mmmm!

 

CheeseborgerCheesborgerPepsiPepsi!

Buffy

[sanctus]

I agree fast foods you can (generally) criticize anything but that it isn't good. In the big ones they actually have to be good, as they put the aroma insides so that it has the taste you want it to have (see for more info for example "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser).

[IrishEyes]

1) Tommy's Hamburgers: LA-only. Best chiliburger ever. Or go for a Tommy's Tamale. Must include several jalapenos fished from the aluminum vat.

2) In-and-Out: poor substitute for Tommy's, but I only have to drive as far as Silicon Valley.

3) Krispy-Kreme: East coast thing. I had my first "hot" in NYC on 42nd Street. They now have em here.

4) Pinks. There's only one. You see it in the opening sequence of "Joey." On La Brea near Melrose. Hot Dogs and unbelievable combinations of anything you can imagine (or not imagine) on a hot dog.

5) Wimpey. Dead. Ultimate greasy burger. UK only. Gone. With good reason. Sniff anyway.

6) Pizza. Need I say more?

7) Cheesesteak. Only in Philly. Don't bother with ones created anywhere else. Worth the plane trip. (or train trip from NYC, hint, hint)

8) "Lets go out for sushi...and not pay!" (a penny to the person who deciphers that reference!)

9) Doggie Diner. Only in SF. The doggie heads are still around, but are in storage. Hot dogs obviously, but like Wimpey, loooooog gone...

10) Knishes. On the street, NYC. Okay if you want protein, get a polish, but nothing beats a knish.

11) Hurricane to go. Only on Bourbon Street. Preferably after many rounds of hot pepper martinis and andouille sausage at K. Paul's. Start at Pat O'Brien's ("Have Fun!") with either a Hurricane or a Mint Julep if you like something stronger, then go to the corner and get a cheap one to go. (Do NOT--under ANY circumstances--eat a "Lucky Dog." You *will* regret it).

12) Barbeque. Many kinds. The ONLY reason to ever go to Kansas City. I like Memphis better. In SF, Flints or Dougs. Ask for the HOT sauce. Ribs with potato salad.

Cheers n' Good Eating!

Buffy

1) Tommy's is ok. Just that - ok? See #2

2) Still have the t-shirts, even though it's been a few years... I've always loved In-n-out, used to drive from Vegas to Barstow just for one (or two...)

3)I agree, and am VERY glad that they're building a factory right down the road from me... of course, maybe that's not really such a good thing...

4) Not a Hot Dog fan, but will take a good MI-6 from the Spy Cafe any day...

5) Agreed. nuff said.

6) More should be said, like Chicago or not? I mean, if you're gonna talk real pizza, you got get geographic...

7) yes, cheesesteak only in Philly. a train ride might be in order...

8) do i still get the penny if i have a tree-shaped odor-thingy hanging off my mirror? find one in every car...you'll see!

9)don't know that one, my few trips there were spent at the Mark on the Hill, and across the water, eating brunch at Houlihan's, and one very terrifying trip down "THE" street with a drunk mother...

10) the best thing i've ever gotten on the street in NYC has to be either 1-my wallet, a killer knock-off; or 2- hot-roasted cashews...

11) If your gonna get a Hurricane, skip Pat O's and go to the Court. The story of the three sisters is still a classic, the booze flows a little freer, and you don't have to deal with as many tourists. of course, if you want the shirt, go to the Cat's Meow, but that's for another thread... do we have a current one on remembering drunken stupors?

12) One of the things Virginia does better... bar-b-q at Willie's in Colonial Beach is the best, or you could get a crabcake, which is better than just about anything they can make in Maryland (unless you're at Buddy's Crabs and Ribs in Annapolis, nothing beats that place!)

 

Of course, I love fast food too. And who can convince me that there is any better 'americhinese' than HUNAN in Dahlgren, Virginia? I don't know what they do to the General Tso's chicken, and I don't want to know. I just want to eat it all the time. Plus, that little man is just a doll to my girls, and who can resist that?

[Buffy]

1) Tommy's is ok. Just that - ok? See #2

2) Still have the t-shirts, even though it's been a few years... I've always loved In-n-out, used to drive from Vegas to Barstow just for one (or two...)

You're forgiven! You either like the chili or you don't, of course us hard core Tommy's fans say the chilli is lousy unless you've popped a jalapeno in your mouth first!

6) More should be said, like Chicago or not? I mean, if you're gonna talk real pizza, you got get geographic...

Sure. How's this for heresy: Chicago *thin-crust*...I have to admit I've never liked the deep-dish/stuffed kind...but Chicago is hard to beat for pizza.

8) do i still get the penny if i have a tree-shaped odor-thingy hanging off my mirror? find one in every car...you'll see!

Whoa! Intense! "Whatcha got in the trunk?" "Oh... You don't wanna look in there." Yes, you win the penny....

9)don't know that one, my few trips there were spent at the Mark on the Hill, and across the water, eating brunch at Houlihan's, and one very terrifying trip down "THE" street with a drunk mother...

If you head this way again, I've got a whole list. Obviously starting with the silly stuff on the wharf....

10) the best thing i've ever gotten on the street in NYC has to be either 1-my wallet, a killer knock-off;

Yah! Prada cheap! I live for it!

or 2- hot-roasted cashews...

Honest, try a knish....

11) If your gonna get a Hurricane, skip Pat O's and go to the Court. The story of the three sisters is still a classic, the booze flows a little freer, and you don't have to deal with as many tourists. of course, if you want the shirt, go to the Cat's Meow, but that's for another thread... do we have a current one on remembering drunken stupors?

Oh I agree. People have more trouble finding the Court tho, especially in a drunken stupor. I collect the glasses from PatO's though. Total tourst trap...

12) One of the things Virginia does better... bar-b-q at Willie's in Colonial Beach is the best, or you could get a crabcake, which is better than just about anything they can make in Maryland (unless you're at Buddy's Crabs and Ribs in Annapolis, nothing beats that place!)

Delaware makes a stronger claim to crab cakes especially on the beach in the summer, when you need to put "Hot Buns at the Beach" on them! But ribs anywhere east of Memphis are a poor imitation. Too far from the cow....

Of course, I love fast food too. And who can convince me that there is any better 'americhinese' than HUNAN in Dahlgren, Virginia?

Even sit-down, Chinese is fast food. Too many good ones out here to even begin to name, but we also have Vietnamese, Thai, and endless others. The archetype in SF tho is Sam Wo where the waiters are offensive and threaten to make you write your own order in chinese (cuz the cooks don't speak english). Gotta be Szechuan or Dim Sum in my book tho.

 

Oh, Ethiopian! There's a hole in the wall in Adams Morgan in DC that I went to years ago that was to die for....

 

Hot Stuff,

Buffy

[Queso]

little holes in the wall can be unbelievable. if you ever visit san jose, on the border of campbell there's this place called Tsing Tao, in a strip mall next to longs and a laundromat. Best chinese food i've ever had in my entire life.

[Queso]

san jose, california, that is.

[IrishEyes]

Best chinese food i've ever had in my entire life.

Believe it or not, the BEST Chinese food I've ever had was from...PLEASE don't laugh... Trieste, Italy. There is a little place, right across the street from the main pier in Triests, that is just incredible. I was blown away, partly at finding decent Chinese food in Italy, frankly.

 

But then again, the best German food I've ever had was in Pensacola, Florida, at Openheim's...another hole in the wall.

 

And the best Cuban food was in Puerto Rico... Of course, everything tasted good in Puerto Rico. Mona's is awesome there, and Lupi's has the best blue tortillas I've encountered anywhere, including Mexico...

 

Damn it, Buffy, now I'm hungry, and it's still 2 hours til dinner time!!

[Buffy]

Believe it or not, the BEST Chinese food I've ever had was from...PLEASE don't laugh... Trieste, Italy.

Best Italian Food: Unmarked restaurant known only to locals off Harcourt Street in Dublin, Ireland.

Best Indian Food: Take your pick in London. Bombay Brasserie is classic, but the holes in the wall are outrageous.

Best "American Mexican" Food: Juan's on Sixth St in Berkeley, CA

 

The best sushi is in Japan though...(yeah, I'm an Iron Chef fan from back before they dubbed it in English, was way more fun to guess at what they were saying in Japanese).

 

And as Tormod and Yvonne will tell you, you can't order decent reindeer anywhere outside of Norway...

 

Damn it, Buffy, now I'm hungry, and it's still 2 hours til dinner time!!

Time to run over to the Krispy Kreme factory!

 

Bon Apetit!

Buffy

[Buffy]

little holes in the wall can be unbelievable. if you ever visit san jose, on the border of campbell there's this place called Tsing Tao, in a strip mall next to longs and a laundromat. Best chinese food i've ever had in my entire life.

Trying to figure out which one you mean. There are a lot of malls with Long's drugstores in them on the SJ/Campbell border... Kin ya get more specific? I got a meeting there later this week....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[IrishEyes]

You make me miss the West Coast...as evidenced by the flood of memories that has me thinking of the

 

Best All-American Sunday Brunch... the Red Baron, Riverside California.

Best Manhattan Clam chowder... The Crab Cooker, Newport Beach

Best Margarita... the Beach Ball, also Newport Beach; or maybe JT Garcia's in Fort Worth, TX. That's a close one!

Best Fettucine Alfredo...The Tillerman, Las Vegas, NV

Best dinner, because the waiter made my brother serve me... A Sabella's, San Fran's Wharf...

Best chocolate fudge...Solvang, California

Best fast food burrito...Naugles. Hands down. Though Del Taco is a close second

Best fast food chicken... El Pollo Loco. They have NOTHING like that out here on the East Coast, except maybe for the---

Best hot wings...Cluck-U, College Park, Maryland

 

 

Now it's time for some home-cooked ribs...the timer is beeping right now!