When my girlfriend left town, fast food became a larger part of my life. I pulled into a KFC drive through yesterday while we were talking on the phone, and she heard me ask the cashier if the chicken strips are boneless (they are).
"Oh, baby," she said. "You need to eat better."
I agree with her on the KFC issue. Between the chicken and the Taco Bell, I think I had something to do with Yum! Brands' stock shooting up a dollar since she flew to New York three weeks ago.
But there's a world of difference between Taco Bell and Taco King, and that's where I would argue that I've been eating just fine by myself. Over the past 21 days I've eaten at the Northern Lights location of Taco King about 10 times, which means the local chain has been responsible for about 20 percent of my total calories. (I'm also now on a first name basis with at least one of the guys who ladles my beans.)
It's an impressive place. Three workers in green polos handle the entire operation, from the cooking (delicious) to the cleaning (always sparkling) to the cash register (the prices are very reasonable). You order your food and sit down, and within five minutes, and often within three, a piping hot plate is set before you.
"What kind of meat on my tacos? Why, carne asada, of course."
So there's not a huge difference in any of the meals I order, obviously. They are all the same ingredients, beans and rice, corn or flour tortillas, and some assorted cheese and veggies. (Plus the carne asada, duh.)
The tiny patty of cheese melting down into the beans, the burning hot strips of steak meat sizzling on the plate -- delicious -- and that's even before I add any salsa.
Each Taco King location (Anchorage has three) has a sauce stand with six containers of savory toppings for your meal: Sour cream, pico de gallo, jalapenos sliced long-ways, and three salsas in ascending order of hotness. (I'm a medium man, myself.)
So yes, when my girl gets back to Anchorage and exotic dishes like stir fry and pasta re-enter my dining schedule, it'll be nice to no longer live alone, like a sad, hungry hermit. But I'm having a good time now, and Taco King will still enjoy a heavy rotation in my caloric schedule even after she returns.
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