Статья "Fast food"

Introduction

JUNK FOOD

Definition:

Food that has little or no nutritional value, usually high in fat and calories; sweet or fried snacks like candy and potato chips.

Example:

If you want to lose weight, you should stop eating so much -junk food.

Etymology:

'Junk' refers to old, broken things, or worthless objects. So 'junk food' is food that has no value for your body.

FAST FOOD

Definition:

Quickly prepared food, usually-served by large chains such as McDonalds.

Example:

I'm sick of McDonalds - can't we have something besides fast food for a change?

Etymology:

'Fast' means quick, and 'food' is anything you can eat. 'Fast food' is food you order and get in a minute or two, without having to sit and wait for it.

Fast-food restaurants are places serving a small range of food, such as hamburgers or fried chicken, where customer usually queues up for the food, which is already cooked. One of the best-known fast-food chains is American McDonald’s.

We have learned facts about fast-food restaurants in the USA, Russia and Greece and we wanted to make the project “Fast-food”.

Fast-Food in the USA

McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million people in more than 119 countries each day.

McDonald's is one of the world's most well-known and valuable brands and it holds a leading share in the globally branded quick service restaurant segment of the informal eating-out market in virtually every country in which they do business.

It serves the world some of its favorite foods -world Famous French Fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin. Their rich history began with their founder, Ray Kroc.

Have you ever enjoyed a hamburger, sitting on a lawn? May be you're against all these hot dogs and cheeseburgers, because it's a junk food. Anyway, it is always interesting to find out something about the origin and history of such trifles, which make our life more comfortable.

Pop-Corn

It's impossible to imagine American take-away food or snacks without popcorn. Clear as a day, it is made from corn. But what about the first part of the word "pop". Actually, when you put a kernel of corn on a fire, the water inside makes the corn explode. This makes a "pop" noise. That is why we call it popcorn. It's an interesting thing to know that not all corn pops. A seed of corn must contain 14% water in it. Other kinds of corn have less waters and do not pop. The American Indians, who popped corn a long time ago, knew that special sort. They introduced corn to the first settlers. In 1620 when Pilgrims had a Thanksgiving dinner they invited the Indians, who brought popcorn with them. Since that time Americans continued to pop corn at home. But in 1945 a new machine was invented that changed the history of the product. The electric machine enabled to pop corn outside the home. And soon movies started selling popcorn to make more money. American habit of eating popcorn at the movies is well-known. Many people like to put salt or melted butter in their popcorn, some prefer to have it without. Either way Americans love their popcorn.

The Hot Dog

The original name of the hot dog was the frankfurter, after the German city of Frankfurt. In the United States frankfurters, sausages on buns, were first sold in the 1860. But for Americans the name "dachshund sausage" seemed to be a good one for the frankfurter. In actual fact, a dachshund is a dog from Germany with a very long body and short legs. Dachshund sausages first became popular in New York especially at baseball games, where they were sold by men keeping them warm in hot water tanks.

The Hamburger

An obligatory item on the list of fast food, the hamburger has no connection to ham, but with the German town of Hamburg, which was famous for its steak. German immigrants to the United States introduced the "hamburger steak".

Another important part, due to which hamburgers have become well-known and favourite all around the world is McDonald's, the fast food restaurant. The first restaurant was opened in San Bernadino, California, in 1949 and hamburgers were the main item on its menu, as well as the hamburger remains the main item in all McDonald's restaurants today.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola The world, famous fresh drink Coca-Cola first was an all-purpose medicine, made in 1886 by a druggist from Atlanta, who made a brown syrup by mixing coca leaves and cola nuts. The syrup wasn't a success and then another druggist, Jacobs, had an idea of, selling Coca-Cola as a soda fountain, drink. He mixed the syrup with soda water. Soon everyone was going to soda fountains and asking for Coca-Cola. An immigrant from Ireland, An Candler bought the recipe of the drink and having registered the company, became its father in 1892. In 1899 the first bottling factory was opened.

Fast-Food in Greece

Fast and Junk Food is a habit that Greeks have adopted during the last decades.

The typical Greek fast food is Pita Souvlaki, a kind of bread with a souvlaki in it. In the Pita Greeks usually add tomato, potatoes, onion and tzatziki. Souvlaki kalamaki (meat in a small wooden stick) is another popular choice.

If you wake up early in the morning, or go to bed late at night (after 05.00 am) It's a good idea to taste a cheese-pie or a bougatsa (cream pie) from a bakery.

Many small tavernas offer a very limited menu of souvlaki, french fries, salad, pita bread, and tzatziki.

Traditional Greek "Fast Food" includes the "gyro". Traditionally, souvlaki refers to shiskebab (pieces of pork grilled on a stick). It is minced meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki, wrapped in pita bread.

The gyros sandwich is a very versatile food. Depending on the restaurant it usually has a few standard ingredients: meat, tomatoes, onions, pita, tzatziki, and a great deal of spices (salt, black and red pepper). Many times these ingredients are supplemented with French fries, and ketchup or even mustard! You can customize your own Gyros sandwich at the time you order by specifying whether you want any of the above omitted, or by adding anything else that might enhance the taste. You can even order your Gyros wrapped in double pita bread.

Besides the gyros restaurants you will also find the typical western fast food restaurants everywhere in Greece You will find McDonald’s and KFC in every large town in Greece.

In Athens you will find a lot of international fast food companies, such as McDonald's and KFC. However, Greeks seem to prefer the local fast food chains, such as Goody's and Pita tou Pappou.

In particular corners of the Greek capital city you may find ethnic fast food as well, such as Arabic or Chinese fast food restaurants.

Goodies is by far the largest fast food chain in Greece and you will find a Goodies even in the smallest of Greek cities. The menus of the Greek McDonald's and KFC are vastly different from their American counterparts and you can order beer with your meal. The menus usually include local delicacies (such as octopus and squid) and full dishes of pasta. Since the service and food are vastly expanded the prices of these fast food restaurants are high as well.

For a different kind of fast food (and less expensive) you can visit the local "tostadiko". They are usually small establishments that offer "tost" (or toast) in a variety of customized ways. You can make up your own toasted sandwich on the spot.

The Toast

The term "toast" in Greece refers to what is known in the USA as a grilled sandwich. Greeks have a habit of eating fresh baked bread with every meal, and square pieces of bread that have been sitting at the super market shelf for some time are not very popular. If you order a "toast" you will most likely get a grilled cheese sandwich (even at 8:00 AM), and specifying that you only want the bread toasted might win you a few curious looks.

You could order a tyropita or spanikopita - cheese or cheese and spinach wrapped and baked individually in phyllo pastry sheets.

Fast-Food in Russia

It all started with a chance meeting between George Cohon, Senior Chairman, McDonald's Canada and a Soviet Olympic Delegation at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. It sparked fourteen years of negotiations, and culminated in the opening of the first McDonald's in Russia.

When McDonald's Pushkin Square restaurant opened on January 31,1990 it broke McDonald's world wide opening day records for customers served. To this day, 12 years later, Pushkin continues to be the busiest McDonald's restaurant in the world.

McDonald's now operates 103 restaurants in Moscow, Moscow Region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Samara, and Kazan. Not only does McDonald's in Russia serve more than 200,000 customers every day, but, since opening on January 31,1990, McDonald's has served more than 300 million customers and more than 66 million Big Mac sandwiches.

Pies, cake, small cakes with fish "Russian bistro" did not become hits as could not sate the client.

Some words about a classical fast food in Russia. As is known first restaurant "McDonald's" in Russia has opened in 1990, on the Pushkin area in Moscow. Now in 37 cities of Russia 142 restaurants " McDonald's " successfully work. Daily restaurants "McDonald's" in Russia serve more than 500 000 visitor. For today in company "McDonald's" in Russia work more than 17000 person.

The future fast food, the average meal with the fixed taste it is represented cloudless. If the mad rhythm of a life (and for this purpose there is all the bases) will be kept, means the fast food will develop also. The fast food has won America, it is developed in Japan and the Europe. The more sedately the person, the less it gravitates to a fast food. In capital the peak of popularity of such trade today is already passed. As interrogations, the modern representative of middle class testify, the interested person quickly to have a bite, prefers cafe of stationary type with greater assortment of offered dishes, fast and qualitative service where it is possible to have a rest behind a little table in pleasant conditions. But as a whole it yet does not threaten Russia. The middle class which has certain time for circulation in restaurant was not generated yet, the fast food will live and win.

Conclusion

What to eat in order to be healthy is the most difficult question at the present time. We like to go to McDonald’s and treat ourselves to a pie, French fries, ice-cream or cola. Adults say that food at McDonald’s isn’t healthy. It’s for you to decide. And we tried to make your choice easier.