The Fast Food Revolution!

Delectible pieces of golden fried sticks of potatoes bathed in the right amount of oil and salt; miniscules pieces of lettuce sandwiched in between juicy meat, the cold burst of sweet yet bubbly fluid--Ahh, the wonders of fast food. Just writing that little piece made my mouth water. We all know its bad for us but yet, we continue eating it. McDonalds, Burger King, KFC. The supersize franchises present in Malaysia. Although I would sell my liver and kidneys for Carls. Jrs., Wendy's and Taco Bell right now, the big three present in Malaysia is enough to keep my taste buds preoccupied.

Fast food chains in Malaysia have grown to gargantuan proportions (appropriate, I might add, for the concept of fast food). Three story to two story buildings, golden arches that stretch up into the horizon, Ronald McDonald sitting on your local bench, Colonel Sanders sauntering in the entrace. We are bombarded by the wonders of fast food. Constant billboards, ads and even the promise of delivery!

I grew up in a place where fast food chains only evolved to a modest one story building. Yes, they're popular in the States but for different reasons. Being a poor student, I lived off the 99 cent menu in McDonalds and the cheap centful goodies at Taco Bell. Fast food is the cheapest alternative. Over here, fast food carries a label, like Addidas or Nike. Fast food isn't cheap. It's a luxury.

Compared to other local food prices, fast food is quite expensive to be a daily habit. This is the thing that angers me. These fast food franchises use local products yet are able to still charge American prices. These companies make big bucks outside of the States. That gets me talking about Starbucks. Hey, I had Starbucks daily in Portland--caffeine was a must to wake me up for work or class. And it didn't cost me an arm or a leg or both! My jaw dropped at the prices Starbucks charged to Malaysians. The cost of goods should match the average salary.

Here's the thing, nobody says anything. So these multi-billion dollar companies make a killing from your pocket.