Fast Food and I

                                                                 

   Since the early 1980’s my mother has collected McDonald’s toys from their Happy Meal’s.  Not just a few, she needed the whole set.  “They are worth nothing if you don’t have all of them” she would say.  It took a while for McDonald’s to realize people were actually collecting the whole sets of toys.  In later years they would sell the sets without having to purchase a Happy Meal.  So growing up we had to go at least three times a week.  My mom would pull into the drive-thru and ask the embarrassing question, “What toy do you have today?”  We would drive to many different McDonald’s around town to see if they had different toys that the others.

   As you can imagine McDonald’s was a big part of my life.  I was never really excited to go.  I only got to make two choices.  What type of soda I wanted and weather to have a cheeseburger or chicken mcnugget's.  I always had to get a Happy Meal.  Other choices on the menu were out of the question.

   It was not a treat, it was forced.  It was however a chance to get out of the house and to spend time with my Mom.  I knew she enjoyed collecting the toys and it prevented me from standing in front of the fridge, starring at its contents, trying to decide what to make myself for dinner.  If left to my own devices I usually always made macaroni and cheese or a tomato sandwich.

   I never learned how to cook.  It never interested me.   Eating out is still a big part of my life.  I have just upgraded from fast food to restaurants.   I love fish over meat.  I enjoy eating vegetables, fresh fruit and salads.  I prefer these choices over fast food any day.  Yet, the convenience of fast food keeps me going back.  It is cheap, easy and familiar.  I wish I was raised with better eating habits.  Eating fast food and junk food has shaped my eating habits as an adult.

   Now that I am a mother I try and make better choices for my son.  I fall short of perfect all too often, but I am proud that my son prefers healthy options over fast food.  If asked what he would like for dinner, he would smile and say “sushi.”  It is our favorite.  We love seafood.  My son eats his vegetables.  His favorites are corn, Brussels sprouts, soy beans and artichokes.  The only vegetable he doesn’t like is broccoli.

   I still have those days that get so busy you are glad that breathing is a natural reflex or you would forget to do that too.  It is those days I find myself in the drive-thru of some fast food joint.  I let my son pick what he wants while I stare at the menu trying to find the healthiest choice on the menu.  I am thankful they post calories now.

   I wish I could say I always make healthy choices and that our meals are always thought out and full of everything our bodies need for the day.  That is just not the case, but I do think about how to make little changes towards healthy eating habits.  I still eat at McDonald’s every once in a while.  Believe it or not I still order a chicken mcnugget happy meal, just like when I was little.  I do not keep the toy.  I usually throw it away.