I’m genuinely curious. Years ago, I was a chubby young pothead who lived on fast food. Taco Bell, McDonald’s, KFC, you name it—I ate it. Back in college, fast food probably made up at least 50% of my diet. And it wasn’t just because it was quick and cheap—I actually enjoyed it.
But these days, I find myself craving it less and less. Besides being more health-conscious, it just doesn’t hit the spot like it used to. It’s more expensive than ever, mostly bland, and I feel terrible after I eat it. So what’s changed? Is it just part of the enshitification of everything? Have I just gotten old, or has fast food really gone downhill?
Seeing the brand names you cited, I’ll assume you’re in the US, so my comment may or may not be as useful as some brands are way different in France (for example, Subway is decent most of the time).
Growing up I sure got less and less attracted to fast food, and trying it occasionally did feel bad in some case. Although there’s a definite shift in not wanting to clog my own arteries, it’s not all there is to it. Some brands really feel awful now (McDonald’s being the worst fast food out there these days), but there are also other that still “hit that spot” (BK mostly). I think it’s safe to say that some big names let themselves go bad, AND it is still possible to find good fast food stuff.
With that said, it do gets more expensive, as everything else. The craving for fast food really become less common as time pass, and although it’s still good while eating, there’s still a tinge of guilt afterward, knowing it’s both too expensive for what it is (I mean the actual food, not necessarily that it’s too expensive for service and stuff) and that it’s not that great for yourself.
I’d say if you keep them as an occasional treat and know a few good places to indulge, it can work. But it sure feels like it requires more thinking than just dropping in any fast food joint to have a good time.
Is it just part of the enshitification of everything?
Yes
Have I just gotten old
Get off my lawn.
Yes, and you can thank private equity for it.
Fast food is called “fast food” because it’s fast, not because it’s food.
Apart from that, there is probably no production chain that has profited better from making things the cheaper way than anything related to food.
So this does not just concern fast food, but the HFCS loaded soda you drink, your bread swimming in dough raising and stabilizing chemicals, or your tinned soup made from water, starch, food coloring, flavors, and preservatives.
Just because of the masses produced and sold, any cent saved on a single Burger quickly adds up to a million dollar in extra profits. Don’t expect them to waste that money on better ingredients or flavor, as long as you keep buying that stuff, they keep on making it worse to save yet another cent.
Yeh you don’t like it, sure, but the question was whether it had gotten worse in some way that’s quantifiably different to how it used to be in the past, or if it’s just OP’s personal taste changing.
Mmmm, tastes like supply chain optimization.
