Fast Food

This year I decided to give up fast food for Lent. I was surprised with the level of self control that I showed, because the cafeteria hours on campus often force me to eat an early supper and hit up the fast food joint late at night when I get hungry again. Overall, I felt much healthier and energetic. To be honest, I don't really need fast food to survive. If I can go forty days without it, I can go a year. Or so I thought. A few days after Lent ended I had my first fast food in over forty days. It was glorious. I enjoyed a Dorito Loco Taco Supreme from Taco Bell. This is what I had waited so long for while all of my friend told me about how delicious this culinary masterpiece was. While I always thoroughly enjoy the taste of fast food, I always regret the indulgence afterwards. I feel slow and tired after eating any sort of fast food; however, the drinks aren't necessarily that bad, and I really like the smoothies, slushies, and limeades. On top of all this, I have been reading a book called the McDonaldization of Society. Essentially this book spells out the many ways in which modern society has shifted in order to operate efficiently and at lower quality for the sake of profit. At the forefront of this societal shift was McDonalds and the extremely successful business model that Ray Kroc Pioneered. I now view McDonalds and all other fast food outlets as huge, profit-seeking monsters that dehumanize people and provide low-quality product that slowly kills the consumer. I digress. The point is that I feel as though a long-term avoidance of these products should be imminent for myself. With my track record for self-control I will simply do my best to make healthier, more friendly choices. In the end, McDonalds can count on my to ask for a free cup of water three to four nights out of the week regardless of my patronage, simply because it is a convenient place to hang out late off campus since they are now open 24/7.