FAST FOOD BLUES

FAST FOOD BLUES

I guess most Americans are usually in a hurry. Our fast paced lives don’t allow for a big sit down, break out the fine china, 3 course meal, except on weekends and holidays.(ok maybe on Thanksgiving) Come to think of it how many young families even have china, or china cabinets anymore. Paper plates and foam take out boxes seem to be more standard faire in most kitchens. Let’s face it, a good home cooked meal takes time and planning. Active families have to contend with work, sports, and mismatched schedules. We are a mobile society and a lot of our activities revolve around time in the family car.

So where do most of us turn to, when time and money is in short supply and hunger strikes…you guessed it,..the fast food restaurant. We can walk in or make a pit stop at the drive thru and get a quick meal in a matter of minutes. Burgers, fries, chicken, subs, or Tacos are available 24 hours a day. Is the taste as good as a nice home cooked meal ? No….but heck, at least it’s cheap and fast. We can have what we want, when we want it, by just taking a short drive.

When I was a kid, the evening meal was a place for the family to get together and discuss the events of the day. It was a place for the family to gather together after a hectic day and spend some quality time together. It was a private time for just the family, no television, no phone calls, no distractions, and a hearty meal prepared with love by my Mom. Today, our values have changed and its all about speed, convenience, and supersizing a #3 meal. We are just a likely to eat in the car as around the family table.

We are conditioned to getting our meals on the run. I have to admit; the fast food guru’s do a great job in their marketing. They flood us with television, radio, billboards, and print ads. Their highly recognizable signs and logos beacon to motorist from California to Florida. Each concept has opened thousands of stores nationwide and worldwide. One can hardly drive a few miles in any direction without passing a fast food outlet of one type or another. Their distinctive signs and recognizable store fronts are a constant reminder to hungry drivers. (and those in need of restrooms)

So, weather you are in the mood for a burger, a shake, or even some fries, there is a good chance you will soon find yourself at your favorite fast food restaurant. We are all so conditioned to eating fast food that the very thought of a piece of fried chicken, burger, or taco, brings to mind one of these national chain restaurants.

The funny thing is that most of us realize the food we purchase is likely to be very fattening and high in calories, yet we still find ourselves strangely drawn to that drive in window. I’m particularly impressed with how the kitchen magicians at these places can continually re-market the same basic ingredients under new and catchy names.

They continually conjure up new and exotic monikers for their burgers and then sit back and watch sales increase, as their hungry clientele rush in to sample the new offering. The marketing team, takes carefully orchestrated pictures of each menu item for display in the restaurant. The high gloss pictures depict a tasty and visually appearing rendition of the food, that is seldom ever captured on the actual production line. I’ve often sat there looking at the food I was served then back up at the picture again, and wondering if I was in fact served the same item.

Also, they have us conditioned to ordering our meals while hanging out the window of our cars and yelling into a small box. Then it’s “by the numbers”.(Give me a number five with a supersized coke and fries). We then drive back home with the smell of hot burgers wafting thru our car and while nibbling on some French fries, only to find out when we get home that they shorted us a double burger.

One of the keys to prospering in the business is to design menu items that can be assembled quickly and with a minimum of culinary skill. Almost everything is pre-packaged, pre-cut, and pre-measured. This system ensures a consistent product that can be served up in a matter of minutes, with a minimum of human intervention and waste. Some of the food is cooked to order, but much of it is prepared in batches and then kept in warmers or tossed in the microwave for a quick “heat-up”.

There is a new trend in the restaurants towards healthier food offerings. Most franchise now sprinkle in a few salads and low calorie alternatives, but lets not kid ourselves, the reason we go to the these places in the first place is for that good old fashioned fried and fattening food. Let’s face it, there is nothing like a greasy double cheeseburger and some fries to help clog those arteries. The nutritional value of these quick meals may also be in question and could possibly be leading to a more obese America.

The funny thing is that most people will readily acknowledge that the food is not very healthy nor is it particularly well prepared, however it is definitely a part of the American diet. Even though many of us will complain about the food and the service, we find ourselves going back often. I’ve also noticed that despite the less than perfect level of quality, we all tend to seek out the very same familiar named restaurants when we travel across the country and even on international trips. Good or bad, for the most part they offer a consistent product in all the restaurants in a chain.

Let’s face it, not everyone has the time or desire to cook every meal at home. I think most of us frequent these fast food places more often than we would like to admit. The fast food restaurant is here to stay. They are big business with billions and billions served, and have become part of the American lexicon and the American diet. Next to Disney, tourists from foreign countries always make plans to stop at one our fast food restaurants. So, say goodbye to tradition and home cooked traditional meals and please pull forward to window #2. It’s the Fast Food Blues.

Please feel free to contact me at: pooritalianboy@gmail.com

P.I.B.

A GOOD STEAK

A GOOD STEAK

If you've read any of my other blogs you will notice that I have pontificated on a wide variety of subjects, running the gambit from humorous to serious. Now, its time I spend some ink (actually a few electrons) on one of my favorite topics .. Food. And you will be the beneficiary of my many years of experience.

If I had to give you a list of the “Top Ten” of life's pleasures, a great steak would definitely make the list. (the truth be known, it might make the top 3). Anyway, it amazes me, at how many places fail to deliver this simple pleasure of life.

Probably the best way to insure having a great steak is to make it at home on the grill. It doesn't take a great chef to make a great steak, but you have to start off with the right raw materials.

You won't be able to find a great steak at most supermarkets for several reasons. The supermarket must cater to a large cross section of people, hence the huge variety of foods they keep in inventory. Most people at the grocery store, are not looking for, or are willing to pay the premium price to buy a great steak.(they are more interested in a sale on Cocoa Puffs) Most steak connoisseurs are buying their meat at a butcher shop. Also, the grocery stores don't have the time or expertise to cut and age their own meat. Plus, for the most part they are bringing in choice, select or commercial quality meat, and not prime beef. ( a higher grade that costs more)

Anyway, the next best place to get a great steak, is at a really good steak house .Oh, yes…you are going to pay a big price. So get out your wallet, quite whining, and man up, because it should be worth it. I purposely do not order a steak at a fish restaurant, a Dennys, a salad bar place, oh no….these types of places (with very rare exceptions) do not understand a great steak. I also stay away from fancy new wave, artsy and fusion type places. When I'm really hungry the last thing I want is a few specs of food on a large plate garnished with a few sprigs of veggies , dusted with some confectionary powder, and some squirty designer sauce, that spells out the name of the restaurant. I want man food, and plenty of it…damn-it

On the other hand, there are few greater disappointments than going to a steak house and not getting a great steak (especially if you've driven all the way over there, wore your clean socks, and got dressed up in your Sunday best for the momentous occasion.

I'm going to give you a few "tells or signs" to let you know if you are in for a great steak or a big disappointment. First: Most really good steak houses, wheel around a cart to show off the cuts of beef they offer. Puny little salad places, would prefer you not see what they will be cooking. Next, when you look at the menu, the steaks should be the main attraction, not a small italicized footnote at the bottom. Also, I always like to see a selection of cuts over one pound. Although some people won't eat that much, I sure as hell can, and the very presence of the larger cuts usually means they cut the meat in house and cater to the big carnivores.(my favorite places have the “if you can eat this 42 oz. steak your meal is free ..now that’s a steakhouse)

Alright, you made a selection and are waiting for the main course. You will most likely be served some bread and butter while you are waiting, if the bread is not tasty and hot, you might as well turn around and leave, because, if they haven't paid attention to quality at this point, your food will probably be only average at best.
Next, take a look at the silver ware, especially the knife. If you see a little butter knife looking tool with some serrations the size of guppy teeth, you guessed it .. run. A real steak house has a real steak knife, the bigger and sharper the better. I'd like one the size of a machete, if possible. A smooth dull knife makes even tender steak harder to cut.

Speaking of tender, who wants to pay top dollar and end up with a tuff, small steak the size of a hockey puck. I've had some that were not only hard to cut, but I felt like I had to clamp on it like a gator and do the slow death roll, just to tear off a piece. A proper serving should just about hang over both sides of the plate. (and I'm not advocating smaller plates here ..if you get my drift).

I could go on and on, but at the end of the day, you should leave the steak house, with a smile and satisfied, not ready to stop at the first burger place you pass on the way home.

For those of you that don't like steak, or perhaps you are vegetarians, I'll try to write another article, just for you. But, frankly, it’s going to be hard for me to get equally passionate about creamed spinach.

P.I.B.

TRY IT- DIET

TRY IT- DIET
Maybe it’s just me, feeling a little self conscious lately, but it seems like everyone is talking to me about the best diet to go on. I wonder if that amounts to some type of hint.
Ok, so the poor Italian boy loves his pasta, big deal. Since when is eating well a crime ? I’ll be the first to admit that I weigh a few more pounds then I did in high school, but who doesn’t. Maybe I’m making a statement. Maybe, in my own way, I’m speaking out against bulimics. So what if my six pack has turned into a whole case. I guess that means I’ll never be a Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig poster boy or charter member.
Everyone I talk to is on one type of diet or another. It seems like Americans are obsessed with dieting. There is the “hi-low” club: low carb, high carb, low fat, high fiber, low sodium diets. Not to mention, no sugar, no whites, egg whites, no bread, only citrus fruit, South Beach, Nutra-System, Scarsdale, or Atkins diets. There are also advocates of the “Just” diet…just chicken, just tuna, just salads, just grapefruit juice, just water, and just fish. Not to mention vegetarians, vegans, calorie counters and Jarrod on all the commercials that only eats Subway sandwiches.
It seems like everyone is also focused on how many pounds they have lost, and have an overwhelming desire to tell me about it. Some relate to the number of days: I lost 10 pounds in the first month alone… I lost 23 pounds in 23 days. Some relate to sizes: I lost 3 pants sizes…I lost 2 dress sizes…and finally someone told me they lost 2 pants sizes and 2 dress sizes (obviously a cross dresser)
To make matters worse, some people I know are taking this thing to the extremes. They are not only on a diet but they are taking one type of supplement or another to speed their weight loss. Aside from the lousy food they are taking ginseng, garlic, and a largely unknown extract from some weird Chinese roots to “speed their metabolism”. They look like they are suffering from malnutrition, and they have cabbage soup bad breath, and the shakes all the time but…Hey, they are losing weight
Call me a skeptic but I’m not sure that all the advice that people give out is medically sound. Like: “drink 32 quarts of water a day” …shit, I’d drown or slosh to death, if I drank that much water. Although maybe when you think about it, the “aqua- man” thing just might work. I wouldn’t have time to eat, I’d be so busy piss’in all day long. So, if you don’t mind I will pass on all the fasting, purging, and coffee enemas.
Also, I’m not sure that eating some of the things people are advocating, even have any nutritional value at all, never mind taste. I don’t care how many calories I save, I want my food to be edible and not smell like cow dung. So, for me at least, that leaves out the ingestion of beach sand, peanut shells, and ground up cardboard to save on calories. I don’t care what my good or bad cholesterol reading is. After all what am I..Gandhi ?
I don’t know about dieting in general, it’s just not for me. I’ve never really been very good at the whole abstinence thing…Or maybe I should write my own diet book like Oprah, maybe the “Lasagna diet” . They say you are what you eat…I guess that’s why they call me The Poor Italian Boy
P.I.B.