Fast Food Fiasco

 Lately, we’ve been doing an awful job of making meals for ourselves. This stems mostly from my surgery and the consequent club on the end of my left arm. As I mentioned last week, it’s amazing the things a right-handed person can’t do without their left hand. And it’s depressing.

 Michael and I usually share kitchen duties—one cooks, the other cleans on any given night—but he’s done more than his share since July when I broke my wrist. Without complaining, I must add. Thank you, Michael. 

 Many nights of late we have looked at each other blankly when the subject of dinner is broached. Or we fail to bring it up until it’s too late to reasonably cook a meal. At that point there are only two choices: pickup meal (AKA free-for-all) or fast food.

 Last night we chose fast food. We’ve cut back on eating out quite a bit because it’s become so danged expensive. We pay for fast food now what we paid not too long ago for a nice-ish meal in a nicer-than-takeout restaurant.

 We haven’t been to Taco Bell in a while, but there’s one close by, they’re historically reasonably priced, and they’ve been advertising the return of the caramel apple empanada lately. Caramel apple empanadas!!! I love them and that’s where we went.

 On the way, I pulled up my assortment of restaurant apps to see what specials and rewards I had available. Practically none, but if I checked in at the store kiosk instead of ordering from the counter, I could accumulate more points. So I did. And that’s where it all started to go to hell.

 It is a giant pain to use those kiosks and it took forever to find things on their confusing menu. (Tip: it doesn’t match the above counter menu!) We never did find the empanadas, which were on the big menu, so Michael went to the counter to ask. “We’re out,” came the curt reply. No further explanation was offered and we still don’t know if they were out yesterday or permanently. If you have insight into this, please share!

 The soft tacos that Michael always gets are no longer rolled up. Now they are folded like a crispy taco. You certainly can’t eat them that way since the tortilla flops around, so now I guess we’re all expected to finish the prep on our soft tacos at the table. Why?

 I had been craving a Mexican pizza as well as the empanada and they did have that, but it wasn’t tasty. Neither was my cheese roll, which wasn’t hot and had gotten scrunched up. We ate the food, but it was joyless and depressing. And it cost $23. Seriously, two or three years ago that was a less than $10 meal.

 McDonald’s is just as bad on all counts. I know the buns are smaller. And the fish sandwiches—which I inexplicably like—no longer come with a full slice of cheese. Now it’s a half slice unless you order and pay for “extra” cheese. C’mon people. You cut the slice of American cheese in half before you put it on my sandwich? What a waste of time and customer satisfaction.

 It chaps my butt every time I pay for that extra cheese that used to be included.  And if you haven’t noticed, the picture on the menu still shows the cheese hanging over the edge of the bun. Ha! False advertising there.

 The fast food restaurants want us to use their apps so they can track us and bombard us with advertising and, of course, sell our information to other companies. They want us to use the kiosks so they can cut back on staffing even more. Their supposed deals and rewards are come-ons to get us to use their apps and kiosks; they’re rarely worth the time and trouble. And the deals usually expire before you can even use them.

 I’ve had it with the whole business. It’s too much time and money and aggravation. I’m ready to uninstall all my fast food apps, order in the store, at the counter, and pay what I have to without worrying about deals. Like the good old days.

 Except Pizza Hut. I regularly earn a free pizza from them and I appreciate it very much. Thank you Pizza Hut!!

 What’s your fast food gripe? Here’s your chance to get it off your chest.

 Ciao