Chip off the old block

The problem with not eating fast food on a regular basis is that you don’t know how the menus work. Today I ventured into the city centre to buy tickets for a concert and as I hadn’t eaten lunch before hopping on my bike and cycling in, I thought I would catch up with Colonel Saunders and see how things are with his KFC. However, when I got to the KFC concession stand in the city centre mall I couldn’t be bothered to queue (it is, after all, just seasoned chicken remember).

I therefore decided to try some New York Fries. Less damaging than KFC (no meat at least), and probably cheaper (although on reflection I’m not sure it was). I always approach fast food menus with a little trepidation as they’re not quite as simple as they should be. To me, at least, it seems there are endless permutations of items and to simply ask for a burger and chips would just leave everyone confused (if not a little disppointed given the creativity that's gone into producing those menus). Anyway, the menu at NYF didn’t look too complicated (although I did wait until the customer in front had moved off so she wouldn’t actually hear what I was about to order). At the time, the chances of walking away with a simple portion of fries seemed out of reach, so I asked for a portion with sour cream and tomatoes (these were two of the four ingredients under the heading “Veggie Works”). The woman behind the counter – see what I mean? I don’t even know the correct term for someone who dishes this stuff up! – explained that the Veggie Works included all four ingredients. I knew then that I had screwed up, so said that that would be great and yes, please. I walked away feeling very grateful for her patience in dealing with someone who obviously belongs in the first half of the 20th century.

But thrifty NYF ain’t. $4.99 for a bowl of about thirty fries, covered in Cheez Whizz, sour cream, chopped tomatoes and green onions. And half of those fries tasted of little else than the plastic cheese. Next time I’m standing my ground and having just the fries!

On a green note though, I kept the plastic fork the woman advised me to pick up once she’d handed me my fries. I will keep it in my bag with my plastic spoon. I find it difficult to use this stuff and then throw it away. I’ve been carrying the spoon around with me since I found it impossible to throw away one of those plastic stirrers you get in the coffee shops (I think I’ve also got that in my bag too!). The spoon’s great though: just use it to swirl your milk into your coffee, stick it in your mouth to wipe it and then put it back in your bag. Although I sometimes take a little extra care with hygiene and use an old tissue I might have in my bag to wipe it clean...