Casual
Casual Mom and Deep-Fried Apple Pie Why, you may have asked yourself (I did), has Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC? The reason, of course, is the firm's decision to flee from...
...But for most rational people, setting foot inside a McDonald's or similar franchise means leaving any health-related thoughts at the door...
...Within the confines of a deep-fried, golden, crispy crust lay an apple filling bursting with apple slices swimming in a bed of luscious apple syrup...
...I now struggle for hours in a grocery store looking for just plain old cream cheese...
...When I dine at a fast-food restaurant, I want to order the tastiest and not the healthiest offering on the menu...
...Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC in 1991 only after its customers allegedly demanded it place greater emphasis on its non-fried dishes...
...Instead of the old apple pie, you can now order salads at McDonald's...
...The reason, of course, is the firm's decision to flee from America's new "F" word--fried...
...The great apple pie had been treated like an unwanted member of a family who passed away and was never talked about again...
...The health-obsessed American equates it with cholesterol-clogged arteries, obesity, death...
...Extra-crispy will no longer be an option at Kentucky (don't say it) Chicken...
...Once famous for plump hot dogs and thick, juicy hamburgers, American cuisine will soon undergo even more substitutions like veggie burgers and veggie fries...
...And yet only recently fried food was universally considered part of our American heritage...
...I have already given up hope of finding Breakstone's lightly whipped and salted butter-it has probably been eliminated from the national diet forever...
...McDonald's used to sell an apple pie that I would argue rivaled some of the finest pastries in Europe...
...These days, many McDonald's restaurants offer a 2-for-$1 deal on apple pies, in what is doubtless an attempt to improve the dessert's deservedly low popularity...
...Instead, new "lite" products hog the supermarket shelves...
...They have bought into this simplistic syllogism, with disastrous results...
...Take, for example, McDonald's apple pie...
...This should come as great news to drinkers...
...Remember: Low-fat means low-taste, and fat-free means taste-free...
...Burger King will no longer carry onion rings...
...Only then will those of us who still remember what real food tastes like be able to rejoice...
...Recent studies suggest that some alcoholic beverages are actually helpful in preventing heart-related ailments...
...Thus, American cuisine has become a victim of the easy-way-out syndrome: Instead of exercising, people go on tasteless diets in the hope of losing weight...
...One bite and you were in heaven...
...The American diet had once more been compromised...
...Likewise, I anxiously await the scientific community's report on the benefits of eating fried chicken and deep-fried apple pies...
...Alas, that great apple pie is gone...
...As have other delectables...
...When did this happen...
...Remember when food used to taste good...
...One day I walked into McDonald's, ordered my dessert, and discovered it had been replaced by a much smaller apple pie with only a sparse, flavorless filling on the inside and a thick, desiccated crust on the outside...
...Remember when weekend breakfasts were a cornucopia of double-yolked eggs, sausages, bacon, and (for the truly courageous) scrapple...
...I have decided to forget about anything remotely resembling a healthy diet, at least for a while...
...These consumers have been driven into a dietary frenzy, in part by studies alleging the horrors of the chimichanga, General Tso's chicken, fettuccine alfredo, and buttered popcorn...
...Nevertheless, McDonald's and other franchises have opted to continue on the path towards "healthier" lives...
...Victorino Matus...
...Consequently, for many of us who do work out (or simply do not care about our weight), our otherwise enjoyably liberal diets have been curtailed by healthed-up substitutes...
...Because of the new American diet's firm grip on the national consciousness, scores of restaurants have developed "lighter" offerings to replace formerly sumptuous entrees...
...By eating fat-free foods, Americans believe these days they can remain free of fat...
...Is there any hope...
...I will unabashedly make known my desire for a four-patty Double Big Mac or an extra-crispy thigh, because I want to eat something pleasing to the palate...
...In effect, we are witnessing the loss of something Americans have always prided themselves on: flavor...
Vol. 1 • May 1996 • No. 36
