Fast Food Guilt

I have fast food guilt and unfortunately, more than one kind. The first and usually most convincing guilt I have is the fact that fast food is expensive. We as a society spend 6 dollars or more for a burger, fries and a drink when we could make it at home for less expense. If you eat out at least one meal a day then a conservative estimate would have you spending $168 dollars a month on fast food. Yikes! I know the rationalizations that I make such as, "it's just faster" or "I don't have time to shop for real food." are silly and usually irrational. On $168 dollars a month I could pay for all my meals. Not just one a day.

The second type and should be more pressing is the fast food guilt that results from how much excess food we eat. It is difficult to ignore the cashier who tells you that for only 25 cents more you can upgrade to a Biggie size! The penny pincher in you says that it is such a good deal that you shouldn't pass it up. However the next problem that arises is one that I blame on our parents.

As a product of the late 20th century, our habits come from what our parents taught us and they of course learned from what their parents instilled in them. If your grandparents are of the same generation that mine are, they remember WWII and also the Great Depression. Our grandparents remember when food was rationed and work was scarce and people were just scraping by. Because of this, they in turn instilled in their children (our parents) that everything we have could be taken away at any moment. The way they did this was by making every cent and scrap of food count. My Oma could make a can of tuna feed 50 by adding a supplement common in food storage known as TVP. I have no idea what this actually is composed of but I know my uncles weren't very fond of it. To this day my Oma continues to be extremely frugal with her money and probably has enough food to feed her children, grandchildren AND great-granchildren for at least a year and she lives by herself. This is a byproduct of her upbringing. In return our parents (or at the very least mine) told us that we must eat everything on our plates at meals because they are starving children in Africa (or more specifically Ethiopia, or some other 3rd world country) As a result America has become an obese nation and there are still starving children in Africa. (It really is a ridiculous notion that eating all of OUR food will somehow benefit the hungry or make us feel grateful for something we have never had to go without) Fast forward to now and because of my upbringing, I have a difficult time not finishing all my food when it is placed before me whether I am hungry or not. So to upgrade to Biggie size is not just a mere quarter but also adds up to a lot more empty, useless and ultimately unfulfilling calories. Luckily with the health craze more fast food establishments are offering alternatives to fries, like potatos and apple slices and such. You can also now get a pretty decent salad at most fast food places as well.

The purpose of telling you all of this is to report that my #1 concern (aka moola) is becoming more obsolete. With the economy what it is and everyone being in a panic about gas prices, Taco Bell has improved the dollar menu. I have not had a vehicle for at least two months now and no groceries, so when on the road for work I stop and get things at the evil, vile money sucking holes that serve fast food. Taco Bell now has some pretty hefty meal options for only 79 cents. The problem I have had with "dollar menus" is that usually the food is not substantial enough to make a difference anyway so you might as well spring for the full meal. NO MORE I tell you. I can now get a substantial meal for as little as $2.37! (plus tax). I may in fact be starting a new anonymous group, much like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). I believe we shall be called GAFFA. Guilt About Fast Food Anonymous. I know it's lengthy and not really the same format, but until I can come up with something more clever that's what you get.

I'm thinking about pizza for dinner. That doesn't count, right?