Talk about the kinds of fast food that are popular in the USA, Belarus and their origin
First of all I would like to point out that nowadays fast-food or the so-called “junk food” has become extremely popular. In fact, being a rapidly expanding sector of the food industry, it affects people from all sections of the community. As a rule, fast-food is served in the form of a “take-away” in restaurants, cafes or fast food outlets. It includes such products and dishes as fried fish and chips, hot pies and pastries, all kinds of sandwiches, as well as burgers, croissants, kebabs, and pizzas, also various drinks, for instance, milkshakes, soft drinks and hot beverages.
But there can be no doubt that from all meals that fast-food places have to offer, the hot dog is the most popular snack. Moreover, its origin has an interesting story. The hot dog first appeared in Germany and at that time it was called frankfurt. In the USA frankfurts started to be sold in the 1860s, and the Americans called them “dachshund sausages”, as they reminded of a dog with a very long body and short legs. Dachshund sausages became especially very popular in New York where they were sold during baseball games by the men who kept them warm in special hot-water tanks. One day in 1906 an American newspaper cartoonist named Tad Dorgan went to a baseball match. When he saw the men selling dachshund sausages, an idea for a new cartoon came into his mind. The next day he drew a bun with a dachshund inside. But as he did not know how to spell “dachshund”, he wrote under the cartoon: “Get your hot dogs!” This burlesque was a sensation, and so was the new name of the snack which is still very popular throughout the world.
Speaking of the various drinks that are sold in fast-food places, I can say without any hesitation that Coca-Cola is a true leader. And it also has the story of its origin, which began on the 8th of May in 1886 when a druggist named John Pemberton from Atlanta made brown syrup by mixing cola leaves and coca nuts. Pemberton started selling the syrup in his drugstore as a medicine to cure all kinds of problems. His accountant Frank Robinson gave the name to the beverage “Coca-Cola”. Apart from that he drew the symbol for the new product that is still in use today. After a few people bought Coca-Cola Pemberton sold its recipe to another chemist Candler who decided to sell it as soda-fountains instead of a medicine. Soon coca leaves were no longer used in Coca-Cola. Today the exact ingredients and quantities of that drink are not known, because the Coca-Cola Company keeps its recipe a secret.
In conclusion I would like to add, that fast food is mainly geared towards the younger end of the market. Nowadays fast-food manufacturers supply prepared snacks to institutions such as schools, colleges and universities. They produce a broad range of prepared meals to be available and to cater for all preferences. Nevertheless, they should pay attention to the fact that today people have become more health-concerned, and fast-food business may seriously suffer, unless it make a few steps to satisfy public growing interest in health, diet and nutrition.
Talk about eating out in Great Britain and Belarus
There’s no need to say, that modern life presents us with more and more changes than ever before. We change everything rapidly: our jobs and houses, our friends and even our spouses. And all these changes have certainly influenced our eating habits greatly. Gone those days when our grandmothers had to spend hours in a steamy kitchen among frying pans and saucepans cooking breakfast, dinner and supper (as soon as one meal was over the preparation of the next one had to be started). Fortunately, nowadays everything is much easier: there’s a great many of various cafes, coffee and snack bars, pizzerias and restaurants where one can have a meal at any time.
No matter what country you are from, I’m absolutely convinced that the place for eating out generally depends on the occasion. For example, if one is going to have a date or to organize some family party (a wedding, a birthday or an anniversary) they are sure to go to a family-run restaurant which is usually quite and very nicely furnished. As a matter of fact, such restaurants are often located in a beautiful, picturesque place and they’re obviously much more expensive than cafes or confectioneries. As for the menu, it is normally rather extensive and there’s also a wide range of beverages in the wine list. In my view, a family-run restaurant is the best place to spend a nice and romantic evening with a friend or a spouse. Besides, if one organizes a party in a restaurant they don’t have to bother what to put on the menu, how to decorate their tiny flat and then accommodate 20 guests there. Moreover, there’s no need to waste time on cooking, laying the table and washing mountains of dirty crockery afterwards. Instead you can simply enjoy the party.
On the other hand, if you are in a hurry, the most suitable place too have a meal is some kind of fast-food places. And everyone knows that the world leaders among them are McDonald’s and Burger palace. Actually, they are very alike: both of them have a limited menu--usually it includes a great variety of hamburgers, french fries, several types of ice-cream, milk-shakes and fizzy drinks, such as Coca-Cola or Fanta. As a rule fast-food places are very crowded, especially during lunch break, and sometimes you have to stand while eating. However, they give you an opportunity to have a quick snack as they situated in a convenient location. What is more, the service there is very fast, and in comparison with a family-run restaurant the prices are much lower.
As for me, I occasionally drop in to McDonald’s or a pizzeria, but on the whole I’m not used to going out. Actually, I prefer to cook and eat at home. That’s probably because when I was younger I liked to watch my grandma cooking and sometimes to help her. So, I picked up a lot of cooking tips from her and now, being a student, I don’t have any problems with preparing dishes.
