Have It Your Way

Looks tasty, doesn't it?

I've been eating fast food all my life. There are fond memories of pulling up to those golden arches after preschool for a delectable Happy Meal lunch, memories of collecting those little Pokémon trinkets at each Burger King visit, memories of warming up after a long winter's day of sledding with hot Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers and fries. Fast food has infiltrated our way of life; I never think twice about the impact it has, because, shit, what's better than a Checkerburger and spicy fries after a night of drinking?

It's somewhat amusing, when you think about it. There are so many reasons why we should NOT be eating this crap Ronald McDonald feeds us, and yet, I continue to go back, time and time again. What's wrong with it, you ask?

• First and foremost, the food itself is grossly unhealthy. I'm way too lazy to look up facts and figures, but eating a Big Mac will probably take a few weeks off your life.
• Not only is it low in nutritional value, but the way the food is handled is often unhealthy. No cook would think twice about picking a burger off the ground and feeding you with it.
• Going deeper, the meatpacking industry is in shambles, and has been for years. Big Corporations take advantage of the lowly immigrants who work in the plants. They regularly get underpaid and under compensated for injuries.
• Big Corporate doesn't give a shit about you. If they can roll a profit, they'd gladly and knowingly feed you E coli—and have many times in the past.
• Kids are manipulated. Cute characters like Ronald and fun toys bring in the children from all over. And if the kid likes it, they become lifelong customers, not to mention they bring in their parents as extra customers.
• Salads? Sir, when someone gets a salad at McDonald's, and they use the dressing, it contains more fat than a burger.

Fuck it, that's enough rant. Nevertheless, it's important to examine why exactly we continually visit fast food joints when it's painfully obvious how bad it is for us. Personally, I feel sick every time I eat a burger from McDonald's, and yet, I find myself ordering two double cheeseburgers every time I go (which is often). Why? Why?

I've reached the conclusion, as I'm sure countless others have in the past, that it is an addiction. Much like alcohol or drugs, fast food takes hold of you. You get cravings that have to be nourished or else you'll be uncomfortable. And just like the threat of a hangover never deters the average drinker, so too does the threat of queasiness, obesity, or E coli do nothing to deter me from supersizing.

It's a terrible problem, a problem that no one will ever be able to do anything about. Not that anyone wants to, either. Hell, I could write a million more blog posts about the horrors of fast food, but still I'll go out on a Friday night, short on cash, and pick up some Wendy's. Usually, I am an optimistic person, but I've come to accept that this is a lost cause.

Now if you'll excuse me, a hot and juicy Quarter Pounder awaits.