Fast Food, draft

Every student on campus can tell you that after your first semester of eating at the same five food places, eating becomes more of a chore than a treat. This will be especially true for the spring 2011 semester, while The Press, Mexican food and salad places are closed down for renovation. This semester the only on-campus food options are either Prof’s Place or the cafeteria, but the wonderful thing about Glassboro is that on-campus food is not the only place to find fast, affordable food at any time of the day, or night. Delsea Drive is home to six different types of fast food restaurants, or “joints,” that offer great food for reasonable prices. With all the options offered, it is easy to find someplace that fits inside your time and cash constraints.

One main reason people choose fast food restaurants is the convenience they offer customers. The drive-through is an essential part of this trend, allowing people to order and pick up their food right from the seat of their car. Checkers is the mogul of the drive-through type fast-food joints, dedicating both sides of their building to the drive-through. This is the most effective way to control long lines, however, the business sacrifices indoor eating space, so customers can only order to-go or via the drive-through.

Another great feature of fast food joints is their dollar menu, the single greatest invention in restaurant history. The dollar menu is great for people with big appetites who are strapped for cash—and no, that does not only include potheads. Plenty of college students, who would otherwise be unable to curtail their hunger, can now order two McDoubles, Double Stacks, Jr Roast Beefs, or Buck Doubles (McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Burger King, respectively) and for just $2 enjoy four patties, or slices, of fast-food beef. The dollar menu also features small drinks, which are perfect for people who are eating inside the restaurant and do not mind refilling their cups a few more times than usual, as well as small fries which, considering their small size, are among the most expensive items on a fast food menu.

The students at Rowan University are blessed with the presence of six major fast food restaurants within a mile of each other, but if they do not know how to utilize each of their unique and sometimes hidden specials, they will certainly be missing out. First, Taco Bell’s dozen-tacos-for-$10 “party box” is still available for those who know to ask for it. Generally, soft tacos cost almost a dollar and a quarter, but the box offers a generous portion for just 66% of the cost. Checkers’ 79-cent Sundays are perfect for commuters coming back to school Sunday nights. At that time, they offer a special burger and shake for just 79-cents each. Best of all, when eating inside McDonald’s, instead of buying a medium or large soda, which can cost upwards of two dollars, one can simply order a $1 Sweet Tea. The server will supply a large, empty cup, which can be taken over to the soda fountain and filled with the drink of preference for half of the cost.

One major stinking point when dealing with fast food restaurants is their nutritional value—or lack thereof. Morgan Spurlock shot a documentary “Super Size Me,” where he ate three McDonald’s meals each day for an entire month and gained 24.5 pounds, which amounts to almost a pound per day. However, he chose to not exercise for that time and had to clear his entire plate of food before he could leave. Soso Whaley made a rebuttal documentary called “The Mickey D’s Diet” and, in an interview with Fox’s Neil Cavuto reported, “actually, I did [eat McDonald’s] 90 days and I lost almost 30 pounds.” Her rules were different; she would eat food that totaled less than 3,000 calories per day, while Spurlock averaged closer to 5,000, and would stop eating when she felt full. This just goes to show that, while eating gross amounts of fast food and being as lazy as possible might be bad for you, so is being as lazy as possible, though eating gross amounts of fast food might not be. I am not suggesting to eat every meal at a fast food joint because that might start to get expensive, but it must be noted that a 540 calorie Big Mac from McDonald’s or 1290 calorie Triple Baconator from Wendy’s will not grow your waistline all by themselves.

Whether people are in search of a quick meal because it’s nearly 2AM and they ran out of food in their dorm, or because they are on a budget that allots less than $5 per day on food, one answer to their plight will be fast food restaurants. Taking a break from studying to enjoy a McDonald’s McGangbang, which is a McChicken inside of a McDouble, could be a great way to relax and relieve some stress. A McFlury or Frosty have never failed to brighten anyone’s day, and during the St. Patrick’s Day season, McDonald’s will be bringing back the Shamrock Shake. Now, we all know that fast food should not serve as comfort food