Fast Food Abroad

Out of all of the food I imagined myself eating in Paris, American fast food was absolutely not on the list … and yet here I am. At home, I don’t really consume a lot of fast food aside from my Taco Bell addiction but that happened because you can vegetarian-ize the entire menu! After I went vegetarian at age 11, my parents and I found ourselves struggling to find vegetarian options that were also cheap and fast. Subway was our go-to as a family, but Burger King also hopped on the vegetarian-option train very early when they started offering the Impossible Whooper when I was in middle school or early high school. In the US, McDonalds and other fast food chains are essentially not an option for me unless I just want dessert, something fried, or a fish sandwich (but I have trouble trusting fast food fish options). I have a very distinct memory of being probably 12 or 13 (a couple years into not eating meat) and going to Wendy’s in a small town in Virginia where some of my family lived, and the only available option to me was a plain baked potato. In France, I’ve discovered that the complete opposite is true – I have options at pretty much every American fast food chain that operates here (which sadly excludes Taco Bell). 

The night before Bastille Day, a group of us watched Mamma Mia, and then we had a hankering for McDonald’s afterwards so we ventured out into the night at 10:30 to the closest McDonalds. McDonalds offers a couple vegetarian options including sandwiches, wraps, and salads, but I got the Veggie Avocado sandwich and the potato wedges with “Deluxe Sauce,” which is basically Ranch – pretty decent but not my favorite fast food option ever. A couple days later, on the 17th, I ventured to Burger King and discovered their “Crousty Chevre,” or fried goat cheese and it was GLORIOUS. I also ordered a cappuccino (not available at home) and ate my goat cheese with Heinz curry sauce (also not available at home). On Monday, a group of us caved and ordered Pizza Hut on Uber Eats (which was a process) because we were starving, desperate, and exhausted after trying to survive the 106 degree heat. I don’t know how everybody else felt about it because while it was good at the time, in retrospect, it was very mediocre. On Tuesday at Les Halles, a group of us got McDonalds before watching the second Minions movie – I ordered the same thing and it tasted the exact same as the first time. Finally, tonight I ordered Burger King through Uber Eats because I woke up from a nap around 9 and after a little while, realized I was hungry. All of the grocery stores around Cite U close around 10, and the boulangeries were also all long closed at that point. If it hadn’t been so late, I likely would have gone to the bakery or grocery store and gotten a pre-made baguette sandwich, but it was too late for that. This time, I got the “King Fries,” which are just fries with cheese and onions (no meat!) and they were just as good as the Crousty Chevre. 

I’ve found that vegetarian options are more available at fast food chains than at independently run restaurants or bakeries in Paris, which is actually the reverse of the situation at home, but I’m not sure why that is. Possibly because French restaurant culture still disregards vegetarianism (and gluten-free options etc). At home, there are usually more vegetarian options at independently-run restaurants than at fast food chains. I’ve also noticed that fast food seems to be more expensive in Paris than at home. Maybe because they use fresher ingredients in their fast food here. 

Tonight (July 21) marks the fifth time I’ve eaten fast food in Paris, and I can’t help but feel a little guilty and ashamed that I’m eating American fast food in Paris of all places … but it’s just so accessible and there’s new things to try! To our credit, it took us almost two weeks (the 13th) to eat at an American fast food chain. I like to think that eating fast food is just a physical manifestation of homesickness, even though I don’t think I’ve been homesick at all. I think I’ll try to reel it in with the fast food in Paris, but I’m glad I got to try menu items that aren’t available at home, because that’s absolutely still an authentic travel experience.