Real Fast Food

Have you seen the latest McDonalds CEO video yet? I was reluctant to bring more light to this fast-food restaurant, because we all know they don’t need any more help.  However, the video has drummed up thoughts and feelings from a farmer that seems worth a share.

If you haven’t seen the video yet, let me try to bring you up to speed. McDonalds posted a short video of their CEO introducing a new burger coming soon to their menu. The video quickly went viral, for reasons opposite of the creative control of their marketing team. 

It’s one of those videos where you immediately go to the comments, to see if the rest of the world has the same take as you. He seemed to have never eaten a burger in his life, called the food a “product” which screams enough about that burger in itself, and spent way too much effort taking the tiniest bite known to man. The video left viewers distracted by how unreal the whole thing felt.

Many restaurants and CEOs have since joined the viral trend, creating their own videos as a spoof to the original.

This type of viral video will most likely cause more people to actually try the new burger, even with the distrust of brand.  At the same time, what if it can help change our food choices?

I write this not as someone who would never feed her kids McDonalds, but as someone who used to collect McDonalds toys as a child.  I write this as a mother to a four-year-old that would shout McDonalds in his first breath, if asked where we should go get food. His choice has very little to do with the quality of food of course, and all to do with receiving a shiny red box with a giant yellow smile on the outside, holding a teeny tiny plastic treasure next to a pile of salty French fries, all to wash it down with the “spiciest” sprite he’ll ever drink.  

It’s really incredible how those exciting feelings as a kid, fade into distaste as a mom.  I never feel very good after rolling through a drive-thru.  It does its’ job, feeding us quickly when headed to our next destination. However, it often feels too automatic and disappointing. To feed my family of six through a drive-thru requires around $70.00 now too.  As a mom I wonder, can I get more bang for my buck (dollars for nutrients) by sucking it up, and opening my kitchen for a half an hour. 

I challenge us to shift our mind-set in those times of exhaustion, maybe not every-time, but more often.  Are we better off cooking up $20 worth of pork chorizo sourced from a pasture-raised farmer we know and trust? But what if there was no plan, and the meat is frozen?! We’re still better off throwing it in the microwave on defrost-mode, or softening the package in some luke-warm water.  We’ll likely spend under a half hour preparing it all.  Which for me, equals the same amount of time it takes to make it to a fast-food joint and back.

I can run the same scenario, but with $30 worth of grass-fed, grass-finished beef to make some burgers, or $30 worth of boneless skinless chicken breasts served up hot and fast in the air-fryer.  Often times we see the prices per pound of real local pasture-raised meats, and forget to measure the real cost of the alternative. 

If we changed our mind-set more often, we would eat food that builds our bodies stronger and better, while actually saving the money we’d spend at the drive-thru. And it doesn’t stop there either. The choice to support a farmer you know also helps build communities, supports sustainable processes on the land, while putting emphasis on the well-being and welfare of the animals. 

The choice puts money in a bank account of a CEO you know; someone who strives everyday to create living wages for people to work their butts off on the farm. Someone who strives everyday to pay bills out to other local vendors like the family-owned meat processor, local hardware store, or local feed mill.  Your choice makes differences both big and small. 

Let’s take it a step further too, because there are nights when there is absolutely no way I am making myself dirty another dish in my home kitchen.  Where do we go?  How do we choose which restaurant to support?

In light of the McDonalds CEO video, what if we all started choosing based on where the CEO lived?  Do they live near our community – Let’s go!  Do we know them by name – book the reservation!  Do they source their ingredients from local farms we trust – best believe, we’ll be there!

I challenge all of us to be more conscious on where we show support with our food dollars. In the midst of exhaustion or needs for convenience, a slight change in our mind-set around food, can create a better place for us all.

I felt inspired to create a new Fast Food Box (save 10% off retail prices!) – it includes everything that I personally rely on to get through busy weeks on the farm. The Fast-Food size large box would save my family of 6 at the very least 10 trips to a fast-food joint – which would cost us around $700!!

Chorizo = tacos. Ground Beef = burgers. Bulk Italian = spaghetti. Boneless skinless chicken breasts = bbq chicken. Smoked Pork Chops = heat and eat.

The local restaurant industry needs our support too – we know this because we speak to their CEOs and chefs weekly.  January and February are some of the toughest months for local food establishments.  We also understand their struggles because as a small-scale farmer, we face many of the same hurdles. When we all work together – that’s when communities thrive and the heart of America revives. 

List of Local Restaurants that source ingredients from our farm:

https://jakescountrymeats.com/restaurant-locations

List of Local Retail Stores & Farm stands that sell our meats:

https://jakescountrymeats.com/retail-locations