Fast Food, Obesity, and the millennial generation

Prior to the 1920s, all cooking and dining took place at home. This shifted when Roy W. Allen, Allen Wright, and Frank Wright launched a roadside "restaurant" named A&W, which became a restaurant in 1923 in Sacramento, California. In 1921, Walter Anderson and Edgar W. established the first restaurant, White Castle, in Kansas. It operated like an assembly line and was initially only in Kansas. While it brought change to Kansas, the rest of the states largely remained unaffected.

Then the 1930s the drive-in restaurant was born. So now we weren't eating at home every day. Still, at this point, all we have is hamburgers and french fries. Then in 1947, we get our first drive-thru restaurant in Springfield, Missouri. The restaurant was Red's Giant Hamburg. This started a drive-up booth. Where you had paper items instead of china and glass. At this point, people were still eating at home in most states. Then about a year later In and Out opened. So now, even though we have two fast food "drive-throughs", most people were still eating at home.

In the early 1950s, drive-thru restaurants began expanding to multiple locations. Around the same time, television became popular. As a result, women started cooking less frequently, with TV dinners becoming the new trend. This shift led to a habit of eating in front of the TV instead of cooking every night. Then, commercials emerged. People weren't initially eating "fast food" because they weren't aware of it. In 1955, McDonald's opened, establishing locations across several states. The food was affordable and convenient, eliminating the need to use a microwave. Now, people could simply drive, pick up a bag of food, eat, and dispose of the trash.

As the years go by, more and more drive-through restaurants were built. Making feeding your family easier and easier. Then the shift to needing a two income household happened too. Now moms weren't at home all day cooking and cleaning. They were out working all day. They come home tired and they don't want to cook or clean. Fast food became the convenient option. Instead of coming home and cooking, you could just stop and pick up a meal on the way home. No dishes, no cooking. Just eating.

By the time we reach the 1980s, the concept of family has changed. In some households, fathers are absent, leaving mothers to handle all the financial responsibilities. The tasks of cooking and cleaning are often passed on to the children. The mother only needs to leave money for them to buy food. As a 12 or 13-year-old, you're responsible for feeding your younger sibling. Instead of going to the grocery store to buy ingredients, it seems easier to just pick up a few hamburgers and fries.

As we entered the 2000s, convenience became paramount. People no longer have time to cook, as we're constantly in front of screens—working, scrolling, or playing video games. We prefer food to magically appear at our doorsteps rather than spending time cooking and cleaning. This shift has led to health problems. We often reflect on how our grandparents and great-grandparents lived longer lives because they didn't consume the processed foods we do. They harvested their own food, grew their own vegetables, and had community grocery stores with homemade foods for bartering. They didn't need to focus on being health-conscious because they were aware of what was in their food.

Fast food offers convenience, but it comes at a significant cost to our health—both physical and mental. We face increased anxiety, depression, and numerous health issues. While we may no longer need to cook and clean, we're now reliant on medications to address the health problems that our quest for convenience has created. Should we return to cooking and cleaning at home? Absolutely. Convenience should not take precedence over healthy living.