In-N-Out Ick

Steve and I were running errands which stretched over the lunch hour. We opted to grab a bite from some fast food joint. I suggested that while I drove to our next stop, he scout out the joints we passed and we could stop on our way back, his choice. He opted for In-N-Out Burger, something neither of us had tried.

Nor will we ever again.

Steve ordered a burger, fries, and Coke. I think his Coke was OK, meaning standard Coke, something he enjoys. I asked about his burger, and he wasn't all that impressed. It was food, period.

That was not something either of us felt confident about claiming for the rest of our fare.

Not having a yen for a burger, I opted for a small chocolate shake, figuring if that was all I had, I could pretend it was justified in quantity of calories and carbs. I will give it credit for chocolate flavor. However the texture was that of some kind of goo holding together a bunch of air. Maybe they substituted some kind of gum additive for milk product? Once the level was down in the cup, I slipped the lid off and took a look. Whatever it was, it still thickly coated the cup evenly on all the surfaces which had originally contained it. Now any real shake would have slid down the sides to the level of what remained, leaving only the thinnest coating to testify that the cup had originally been filled, with just enough color to suggest vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, or whatever.

I really want to see an ingredients list for whatever that was.

Or wait: maybe I don't.

Feeling greatly unsatisfied by what I'd ordered, I decided to help myself to a couple of Steve's fries. I knew his portion was way bigger than he could eat. So I reached over, grabbed a couple, and bit into... what, exactly? There was certainly salt there, and not a lot of oil (on the face of it, not necessarily a bad thing to avoid a grease bomb), but it somehow missed being "potato". It wasn't that it tasted bad, it just didn't taste. Like it wasn't actually there. Like I was chewing... hmmm... air.

I looked at a couple broken centers, and saw quite plainly that these "french fries" were not, in fact, a cubed stick cut the length of an actual potato. I cannot say with surety that it didn't contain any actual potato. But whatever it contained, it was a highly processed substance puffed up with air holes, or even a central tube of air down the length of one piece we examined.

In-N-Out Burger? We're staying OUT OUT OUT.

Forever.

And I'm looking forward to supper this evening, at home. Not quite sure what it'll be, yet, but by the time it goes in my mouth, you can be sure I will know what I'm eating!