What obsession does your country's/region's fast food have?
What obsession does your country's/region's fast food have?
I live in Hong Kong and it feels like most American fast food here involves oil and deep fried food. Then I remembered at one point HK local fast food were full of MSGs.
It led me to this question. What is your local fast food obsessed with? It can be an ingredient, spice, sauce, cooking method, etc.
Not exactly fast food but Japan's version of Chinese food is to dump this starchy sauce on everything on the plate.
Looks like what we called Chop Suey in the eastern half of the US at Chinese restaurants. One of the owners confessed that originally Chop Suey was the Chinese equivalent of Kitchen Sink Soup. That was all the leftovers and they put them in a starchy sauce, and stupid Americans ate it and loved it.
In Lebanon, it's getting extra garlic (toum) on your chicken shawarma.
That sounds amazing
We are blessed with insanely good food, and insanely terrible politics!
oh hell yes.
I live in France. For a time we had loads of poke places, still do. Insane that people pay €14 for a bowl of rice...
The biggest up-and-comer now is smash burgers (€15 burger prepared in 5 minutes anyone?), but might be tied with fried chicken which is also everywhere.
Prior to this we had a wave of French Taco joints (which are not tacos at all!).
I don't live in a very large city though, so perhaps Paris, Marseille, and Toulouse have trends I haven't seen yet.
Insane that people pay €14 for a bowl of rice...
I would imagine the expensive part isn't the rice.
That French taco doesn't sound too bad. Sounds like a crunchy kebab.
I've made Canadian style donair with the traditional garlic sauce fries, and this reminds me somewhat of both of those, only put together.
In Canada, our fast food obsession is making fast food as expensive as sit-down restaurants.
But it's still cheaper because you aren't expected to tip.
But the people at fast food restaurants and at sit-down restaurants are paid the same amount hourly, so it doesn't really make sense. But we tip like Americans because culture and habit are hard to change.
But the fast food payment terminal still "gives you the opportunity" to tip
Fast food isn't really cheaper in HK either. Tipping culture is non-existent here so that doesn't cause a difference.
Our fast food isn't really fast, either. I'm not sure what the appeal is aside from known consistency, I guess.
I live in Hong Kong and it feels like most American fast food here involves oil and deep fried food.
That's pretty much universal regarding American fast food.
Yeah, I was about to say I'm in America and most of the fast food involves oil and deep fried food.
Cheese Curds
Yeah, I live in Wisconsin, who'd guess.
Germany: Döner Kebap ist still the most common fast food.
And I will love them until the day I die!
Sadly...Too much Döner joints per km^2
Döner joints per km^2 is the most German unit I've ever encountered
nasi goreng (fried rice) everywhere
Interesting. Fried rice is more commonly found in traditional restaurants for us. Not much in fast food.
That's nice. The best kind of fast food.
Chicago restaurant scene is obsessed with Nashville Hot Chicken right now and it's frankly embarrassing
Oregon / Washington - Deep fried sweet walla walla onion rings:
Curry. Most chip shops will give you the option of chippy curry sauce or Chinese curry sauce. Some of them even do Irish curry sauce. So many Indian takeaway shops in my area and a lot of the non Indian takeaway shops are owned by Indian families. love curry so it's like I'm in heaven lol
It's funny, when someone mentiones curry, the uk is the first place i think about.
Personally indian or japanese places
Then I remembered at one point HK local fast food were full of MSGs.
That's convinient. I always carry a small can on me for emergencies.
MSG was so prevalent until people said it was bad. One of our local fast food chain restaurants still has a "No MSG" poster in some of their branches.
MSG is just a kind of salt. It's absolutely fine and one guy basically said "I always get a headache after eating Chinese food, it must be those darn Chinese people's fault" and created a completely bullshit study out of nowhere and the health food nuts jumped on it and now here we are and even in China MSG has become a dirty word.
https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/body/food/msg-isnt-unhealthy
https://www.foodrepublic.com/1429861/msg-food-safety-myth-origin-racism/
tldr: food tastes better with a little MSG and there's no link between it and any known health issue.
That's terrible slander. At least you know which restaurants to avoid!
Basque country aka northern Spain: fast food is usually kebab places, Chinese places, pizza places, and burger places. There's also poke places but just like 3 and they are not that famous.
There's no predominance where I live at least, you can pick any of those.
swedish burger chains put jalapeños and avocado on everything.
also there's the pizza salad thing
How can fast food have an obsession?
well think of it as trends and it may make more sense. Around me there's a time of year where half the local fast food restaurants are pushing sweet potato fries or onion rings made from local onions that are in season. Most of the 'obsessions'/trends seem to tie in to seasonal food that's discounted.
I recall when tiny burgers were an obsession in the 90's though; burger king had the BK Buddies and suddenly every fast food joint started serving a slider. There was a big salad push in the 2000's.
Würstchen in a bun.
Germany, of course.