<p>Sorgum-where are you ? In England I love those " jacket potato stands " where you have a variety of things to put in a baked potato . I don’t eat many salads out ,unless I know the greens are organic . Most greens have loads of pesticides . My D has really influenced me -my Swedish farm girl ( the boyfriend is still in her life ,as she returns for summer #3 ) .</p>
<p>Oh Walter’s! Mathmom and NYMomof2, Walter’s is about 8 minutes from my house and I do my best, when the yen hits, to get there just after the lunch rush to avoid the endless line! Nothing better than sweet potato puffs and a Walter’s double enjoyed at a picnic table out back! Oh, and according to my S it’s not complete without a black and white milkshake to finish off the menu. Now my other secret fast food vices and only accommodated when upstate are Ted’s hotdogs (in Buffalo) and real Buffalo chicken wings - we are partial to Duff’s.</p>
<p>Well, I am in Eastern Europe, where Pizza Hut is good and cheap. And I like McDonald’s for hot summer days when you can sit and drink beer with occasional French fries or whatever. They used to have weak beer on draft, but now seems like mostly in cans.</p>
<p>Bunsen, I have never eaten @BlueCsushi, but I do eat a burger at the Blue Moon about every other month or so. They have gluten free buns & beer, plus it’s grass fed!</p>
<p>I generally think of “bad” fast food, as fried. So Pike st fish, Ezells & the Blue moon go on the bad healthy list. ( ok, Ezells isn’t so healthy)</p>
<p>Pizza is fast food, & although I never had a chance to miss it during my soccer Mom days, I miss it now. But hearing about what they have now in the UK makes me lose my appetite.
[enough calories to support a developing country](<a href=“Pizza Hut UK's Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza and Burger King's Bacon Sundae makes us ask - what obesity crisis?”>Health News - New York Daily News)</p>
<p>runnersmom, Walters is about the same time from my house - I think we will have to have a CC meetup there one of these days! There are several more posters within easy driving distance, although they might not all be hot dog lovers.</p>
<p>I was about to say “i NEVER eat fastfood”, but then Snowball mentioned Costco hot dogs. I went on my once a month trip there yesterday and, like always, had a hot dog on the way out. Not REALLY fast food, more like an “apre le discount shopping amuse bouche”. ;)</p>
<p>I rarely eat fast food now but over the course of a year, I lost about 10lbs by eating a regular cheeseburger, side salad, and fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonald’s everyday for lunch. It was a drastic reduction in calories from my up until then normal workday lunch. I used to eat Chik-fil-a on occassion but stopped for personal political reasons. Now I typically just eat soup and maybe a salad from the nearby hospital caf. I don’t make a real effort to eat “healthy” but I’ve always enjoyed vegetables and disliked fried foods. I don’t really consider chinese take out as fast food. If it should be considered so, I eat fast food ALL.THE.TIME</p>
<p>Another sort of fastfood (that many claim is not fastfood, but it is) are the various fantastic food trucks popping in and out of town. For the last two years we have been attending the LA Street Food Fest. [Street</a> Gourmet LA: LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event, Pasadena,CA, Saturday, July 16, 2011: Baja Cuisine Comes to the Rose Bowl for Street Food’s Biggest Day](<a href=“http://www.streetgourmetla.com/2011/07/la-street-food-fest-summer-tasting.html]Street”>Street Gourmet LA: LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting Event, Pasadena,CA, Saturday, July 16, 2011: Baja Cuisine Comes to the Rose Bowl for Street Food's Biggest Day) Young, creative, cheap and fantastic dishes. Mostly modern plays on traditional ethic dishes. Hands down, the best dish last year was the “cheeseburger dim-sum”</p>
<p>IMHO, Blue C Sushi is the McDonald’s of sushi.</p>
<p>There are great beef burgers, and there are not. Just as there is great sushi, and there is Blue C. But that’s OK. Just know what you’re paying for and getting.</p>
<p>I wasn’t going to reply on this thread…but it all depends on what you call “fast food”. The OP (and others) are highlighting the fried food havens. I will confess that when I travel I always get an order of McDonald’s fries along the way.</p>
<p>I do eat at Panera, Chipotle, Subway…and those are certainly “faster” food. I don’t usually eat fried foods (except for those Mc’D’s fries every so often)…but I do like Panera, Subway and Chipotle.</p>
<p>Cosi is along the lines of Panera - good bread (although it’s flatbread, so less carby than Panera) and good sandwiches, including many low-calorie and vegetarian options, and great salads. They also have soup and pizza, although I haven’t tried them. I guess they must be a local chain. We don’t have Panera around here.</p>
<p>We have Cosi here in Philly. I love their hot apple cider in the winter.</p>
<p>I don’t eat fast food unless I’m driving somewhere and nothing else is available–then I’ll opt for Subway or coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. I usually get the Veggie Delight at Subway. </p>
<p>I’m married to a foodie who refused to take the kids to McDonald’s or any of the fast food places in our area–one exception was a local pizza place. In the last few years, I’ve lost over 40 pounds and have focused on eating healthy–trying to opt for organic whenever possible. I did go with my D to a Cosi on the Main Line in Philadelphia area. It was fine–I had a big salad.</p>
<p>Since I’ve turned over a new leaf and am working on eating more healthy, I don’t hit fast food places like I used to. Haven’t had my go-to lunch (In N Out cheeseburger, fries, and a vanilla shake)–1455 calories-- since last June!</p>
<p>My “I’m being good” eating-out lunches are: Rubios (2 street tacos and a side salad)–245 calories; Panera (You Pick Two with the veggie soup and a 200 calorie salad and an apple instead of chips)–350 calories.</p>
<p>My “splurge but don’t go crazy” lunches are: Chipotle (hold the sour cream and most of the cheese on my burrito bowl); Daphne’s Rustic Greek Flatbread Pizza (460 calories)–hold the baklava, LOL!</p>
<p>I LOVE the 5 Guys spicy fries!! Hey, every now and then a person’s got to let loose!</p>
<p>[My sister’s nickname for me is “Cal-Gal” and it doesn’t have to do with the fact that I live in CA…]</p>
<p>I havn’t been able to eat out since restaurants in my state began publishing calories counts. Who knew what we were eating? The other day a friend insisted on going to Olive Garden. The food looked terrible and there wasn’t much under 1000 calories except soup.</p>
<p>When I was a teen my standard McDonald’s meal was 3 (yes, 3) Big Macs, large fries, an apple pie (they were deep-fried in those days), and a large Coke. </p>
<p>:eek:</p>
<p>My calculator BROKE trying to add up those calories, notrichenough!</p>
<p>notrichenough, are you male or female?</p>
<p>I’m glad that calories are now published on restaurant menus. I don’t always get the lowest-calorie choice, but I can make decisions about whether a particular dish is worth the calories or not. I’ve been surprised at how high the calorie count is on certain dishes that don’t seem that indulgent.</p>
<p>I saw calories posted in NY and California .Except for Chipolte ,nobody posts calories in NJ !!</p>
<p>It’s got to be close to 3000 calories. I was very thin when I was a teenager, it didn’t matter what I ate.</p>
<p>@NYMomof2 - I’m male.</p>
<p>I liked Five Guys, too, until I read the calorie info - a regular cheeseburger is 840 calories, and 60% of the calories are from fat. Throw in some fries, yikes.</p>