In Europe, Americans have a “fast food” reputation. A reputation of having lost the art of cuisine, of good food. Their reputation seems to be one of always eating at fast food restaurants. For many, when they hear “America”, the first thing that comes to mind is a burger.
When I came here, I was surprised to see so many fast food restaurants, and I was even more surprised when I discovered that people in America eat, more or less, fish twice per month. Just for comparison, my family and I usually eat fish 12 times per month.
This is mostly because these two cultures are totally different. When Spanish people go out for dinner, they walk to a restaurant, and normally the prices aren’t too high. Plus, fast food places are rarely seen, and most people view them as a bad thing. Here people take their car, and restaurants like Mcdonalds or Moe’s are much more abundant than the fancy ones, which are also really expensive. And I also feel people here don’t have time for nicer restaurants.
I personally think that eating this fast food every day is not healthy. But, obviously, people don’t eat it every day and every meal, as Europeans exaggerate. In fact, a lot of these fast food restaurants actually serve pretty healthy food. Panera Bread, for example, is one.
Also, this difference- as I have noticed- is due to the fact that American people don’t cook as much as Europeans do. So they just go out for dinner, or they buy something quick and easy. Maybe it is because people go with haste, or maybe it’s just easier, or more economical.
A lot of people claim that American food chains only care about making money, and not about good and healthy food.
This may be true sometimes, but now that I have tried it, I can’t understand how I have survived 16 years without Mac and Cheese or Bojangles. Once you try it, there is no going back, they say…
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