| Love it or hate it, fast food is embedded in | | | | aficiandos among us who positively love fast |
| American dining culture. Fast food | | | | food. Usually, they have one particular fast |
| restaurants cater to our modern need for | | | | food chain that they adore, and one or two |
| convenience, cheapness and a "no surprises" | | | | specific menu items that they crave several |
| experience. | | | | times a week. |
| | | | |
| While it is fashionable to sneer at them, if | | | | If you happen to be one of these fast-food |
| pressed many of us would confess to really | | | | conoisseurs--or you know someone who is--the |
| liking at least some of the menu items | | | | good news is that it's easy to obtain the |
| offered by the major chain fast-food | | | | recipe for that "gotta-have-it" menu item. |
| restaurants. Most kids love those places, as | | | | You can then make the favored dish at home, |
| you probably know if you have youngsters. | | | | saving you at least a few trips to the |
| Children wield a lot of influence with | | | | drive-through. (Of course, you'll miss out on |
| parents looking for a place to eat that will | | | | having the burger or burrito or whatever come |
| satisfy everyone in the family; hence the | | | | nicely enveloped in the restaurant's |
| great effort on the part of fast food | | | | logo-printed wrapping paper, but you can't |
| restaurants to market special meals and toys | | | | have everything.) |
| to the younger set. | | | | |
| | | | Recipes for many of the world's favorite |
| The fact that half of the food ordered at | | | | fast-food items can be found by doing a web |
| fast food places now takes place via the | | | | search for them. Or, you can purchase one of |
| drive-up window should tell you all you need | | | | the books of "secret" restaurant recipes |
| to know about the success of this type of | | | | available in most of the big bookstores. |
| restaurant. We Americans practically live in | | | | Conveniently downloadable ebooks, filled with |
| our cars, so if we're eating a large part of | | | | such recipes, are also readily to be found. |
| our meals behind the wheel, you know this is | | | | |
| one marriage (cars + food) that really will | | | | One tip: As the name implies, fast food tends |
| be "'til death do us part." | | | | to be eaten on the run. But if you decide to |
| | | | make your favorite fast-food meal at home, |
| If you're one of those who resorts to this | | | | try slowing down and enjoying it at a more |
| type of fare only grudgingly, or because the | | | | leisurely pace. "Slow fast food" -- now |
| kids are bugging you for it, you might be | | | | there's a concept. |
| surprised to learn that there are fast-food | | | | |