“America loves fast food — except if it comes from one of these unpopular chains.”
1. Subway
2. Dominos
3. Burger King
4. KFC
5. Sbarro
6. Carl’s Jr
7. Long John Silvers
Alas, Taco Bell did not make this list. It was concocted in 2018 when the 7-layer burrito still existed to please its admirers and before the many idiotic cost-saving changes to the menu occurred. Recently I visited Taco Bell several times weekly. Chimp. Yum. Now, I drive by without thinking of stopping. There is nothing there I want to sink my canines into. Adios, Taco Bell.
Adding to the Taco Bell idiocy is the parent corporation that owns them and many other food firms is Yum! Brands. Entering their site I sought the contact form. There it is. I enter all that was demanded to send my message informing them they had lost a regular customer but the for required that I enter the time I visited Taco Bell. I tries every permutation of entering the time. 4:30. Nope. (the PM part was a separate entry box) 430. Nope. 4. Nope. four-thirty. Nope. What a great way to avoid having to read what your customer base has to say. Simply do not have a functioning contact system!!!! I will obtain my Mexican-style food elsewhere. No more runs to the border while kicking Chihuahua mutts out of the way for me!!!
Some folks drool at the thought of shoving KFC down their salt-seared throats. Different strokes for different folks was part of the lyrics of a groovy tune long ago by Sly & The Family Stone. Years ago when the chicken pieces were larger with more meat than the mini-pieces of today I enjoyed KFC also. Maybe my sensitivity to salt has increased over the years or, perhaps, KFC has increased the salt content of their vittles. Whatever it may be the saltiness of KFC taters and chicken and other offerings combined with smaller portion size has kept me away from KFC for many years. Colonel Sanders would not have allowed this travesty!!
I can not recall ever eating at a mall food court. For decades I have tried to avoid malls for various reasons. The quality of the clientele has declined in many areas leading to random violence by thugs. In areas away from where thuggery thrives folks have other valid reasons for shunning the mall experience. Malls are dying, anyway. Check it out. Revel in the past by looking at dead and dying malls. I have never heard anybody shout excitedly “Hey!!! Let’s go have dinner at the mall food court!!!!” Never. Never heard that mumbled, either. Hopped over to the town mall’s Web site and Sbarro is no longer listed. Well, they moved on and were replaced by another offering. Maybe I will never know if their vittles are edible or not.
Long John Silvers. Meh. Salty. Menu change was noted a couple weeks ago during one of my rare outings for take-home deep-fried fish and breaded chicken and greasy boring fries and grease-laden deep-fried dough known as “hushpuppies.” Didn’t those used to be a type of shoe? Anyway, I used to eat that stuff. Maybe it is me changing but I get the impression based upon various senses and experiences that food quality is declining and that increased salt is used as a method of covering the decline in quality. I can not offer proof of my assertions that are based upon subjective opinion. One decline I have noticed is the presence of inedible gristle within the chicken that accompanied the two chunks of fried fish. I had to reach into my mouth, grab the gristle and deposit it into the trashcan next to my dining table that is my computer table that faces the TV. Who needs a damn dining table when they never invite others into their shack? Here is what I used to order the three or four times yearly I brought Long John home:
Variety Platter – Fish & Chicken
Two pieces classic battered Alaska Pollock, three pieces classic battered all-white meat chicken, two sides, and two hushpuppies.
I order various sides. The containers conveying the edibles have become nearly microscopic in size. And prices keep rising along with nearly everything in life. Locally, the menu has changed. The variety platter is not offered anymore. Unsure if that is true elsewhere. No problem. After the final meal a couple weeks ago I have decided to shun Long John Silvers permanently. Smooth sailing, Long John. You will have to ply your too-salty seas without me.
Hello Dominos. Nothing personal. I cut back on high-calorie pizza long ago. I do splurge now and then and you are the likely source for my cravings. Your $7.99 plus tax 3-topping large either hand-tossed or thin crust pizza is, to me, an excellent value and imminently edible. Pizza in general is not as yummy as in my youth. Are my taste buds dying? Perhaps becoming more discerning as to what I allow to slither over them? Damned if I know. I still enjoy the taste but not as much as in prior decades. I truly miss the Round Table Pizza crumbled linguica-topped delights when living in northern California. That was a pizza that could win a man’s heart. Nary a pizza joint atop the rural isolated Ozark Plateau where I await Revolutionary or Civil War Two offering linguica as a topping. Oh the sacrifices I make to avoid the increasing incivility and foreign invasion that so many areas within the USA are undergoing. We still have Dominos and Pizza Hut. Only a few independent joints and they are in the crowded, busy part of town I avoid. Dominos is good enough for me when that three-times yearly or so urge to make three or four meals out of a pizza strikes. Knowing that my readers are inquisitive here is my topping choices:
- Pepperoni (a must have)
- Beef (hey, call it hamburger, okay?)
- Varies depending how I feel. Often, either sliced or crumbled sausage
I usually choose the thin crust to minimize calories. Bread of any and every type is fattening. That should be illegal. Once in awhile I splurge and get the hand-tossed to savor the lusciousness. No complaints about Dominos. Ten years ago a Pizza Hut pissed me off so bad that I shunned them permanently, even though I know the outlet in the small podunk hillbilly town does not represent the entire chain of pizza outlets. Consumers can be fickle!!! If Dominos goes downhill I would likely give the local Pizza Hut, different than the one angering me, a try.
Subway. Once in a great while.
Carl’s Jr also known as Hardees in some areas. Apparently owned by the same firm. Their prices keep me away. I prefer Burger King. Their coupons offering a free Whopper when one is bought has me returning every month or two. Edible. Cheaper to make my own damn burger.
That ends my discourse regarding a few selected food outlets.
Happy eating!!!
I Adore Food 