America's Fast Food Obsession

W5

America's obsession with fast food has become part of our identity, the negative side of our identity of course. Is there any better example for foreigners to point at, when looking to prove how fat and lazy Americans are? We go and buy cheap unhealthy food without even getting out of our cars! Imagine explaining the idea of drive-through, to the run of the mill Vietnamese eleven year old, who spends his thirty-two hour shifts sewing sneakers.           

            Billy-Bob, "What I like to do, is wait in my car for hour so someone can hand me                                                  disgusting food through a window. Because I am to lazy to get off my fat ass and go inside."

            Phan, "Okay, are you going to turn off the car."

            Billy-Bob, "No"

            Phan, "Does the car get good mileage?"

            Billy-Bob, "No, of course it doesn't get good mileage. It's an American car."

The Drive-through truly is an American phenomenon. Even the way we often see it spelled suggests lazy, "Drive-Thru." I wonder how hard the drive through sign painters union fought to not have to paint those last three letters.

I traveled to Vancouver Canada a few years back. I went there to go skiing, and wasn't really expecting any major cultural differences. I mean it's Canada, our brothers to the north. How different could this place be? The first difference I noticed was no drive-throughs. Even the Wendy's along the highway didn't have a drive through.

I think the drive-through speaks to how willing Americans are to sacrifice quality for quantity and convenience. There is a British Car show called "Top Gear," and on one show they reviewed a Cadillac, the premier American luxury car. The host pointed out that Americans don't seem to understand luxury, and when Americans want to make something more luxuries all we seem to do is make it bigger.

I guess that is why we have decided to make ourselves bigger. There seems to be hope though. American cars are starting to get smaller, and restaurant portions are also slowly getting smaller. Though, it would be sad if one-day iconic American fast food were relegated to the Smithsonian.