I have a weird confession: in my memory, I’ve never once eaten a fast food hamburger.
Growing up, I didn’t care much for my mom’s hamburgers which were overdone. At McD’s, there was a choice of filet o fish and that’s what I always got as it was better than the rare occasions we’d have the at home version—and that was better than hamburgers at my house imo. I loved it when we got fish that my dad or I or one of my siblings or uncle caught. Mom hated it so we didn’t have fish as often as I would have liked. Then there were years as a young adult when I was mostly vegetarian but would bend and eat whatever was served when visiting family, no matter what. They did not care that we were vegetarians so animal flesh was heavily featured. McD’s to my dad was a ‘safe’ place for a woman alone or traveling with children to stop along the interstate and because it made him feel better, was generally very clean and predictable, and the kids would eat it and it was cheap, that’s where we’d stop. Hubby as well, when he was with us.
Now, almost the only place we stop on the road is Culver’s, although once or twice we’ve gotten breakfast at McDonalds. When necessary, we’re flexible and yep, for me it is almost always a fish sandwich.
I’ve come to admit to myself as an adult that I have some food issues. It’s still uncommon for us to eat out and to me, it’s high stakes to pay for a meal out unless I know in advance I will like it. Hubby used to severely restrict what he’d order on the rare occasions we’d go out. But has become more adventurous over the years. Which is how I figured outside a problem always wanting to know with certainty that I will like what I order. In early years, I was the adventurous one but that’s only in comparison.
I’m ‘confessing’ this here as I have noticed that when I admit that I am less adventurous than I used to be/should be, I actually am more willing to try new things.
That said, I grew up eating rabbit, squirrel and occasionally frog legs and later when my dad and uncle started hunting birds instead of mostly small game and an occasional deer, quail and pheasant. Lots of bass, blue gill and crappies, and occasionally catfish. Once dad brought home moose meat from someone he worked worth’s hunting trip in Canada( I think)—not a fan, personally. But mostly it was hamburger, potatoes, pork of various kinds and if mom was feeling fancy Swiss steak. Veggies in season from gardens of family members but Mom favored buying canned vegetables: to her they were modern and meant you weren’t poor.
