Originally Posted by
mrodgers
Fast food places? I don't even have that (and that definitely is a good thing.) I don't get a lunch break. I work while I eat. I never understood the whole "home cooking" confusion on just about all off-topic forums as I've never eaten out. My wife has made homemade and home cooked meals since we got married. Why does 90% of the US eat out constantly? Eating out is an every few month treat for us, and it certainly isn't crappy fast food (when I can get a good real beef hamburger and fries for 4 for the same cost at a real restaurant as I can with fast food.)
At work, there's a Wendy's 2 minutes away, a McDonalds, a KFC, and a Taco Bell 5 minutes away, and half a dozen taquerias within that same distance. In the morning, making a sandwich takes time and you have to remember to do it.
As for why so many people eat out so much, many families have two working parents, who get home tired, hungry, and cranky. And often the temptation to go someplace and let someone else do the cooking is too great. And fast food around here is much cheaper than eating in a real restaurant. Probably half the price, or even less, to get a fast food burger vs. a good burger at a good place.
Where I grew up, this wasn't a problem. The nearest fast food was a 20 minute drive. The only restaurant closer served food about the same quality as a school cafeteria. Blech.