For fun: what do your kids order at the fast-food drive-thru?

[SKL]

Dead leaves? As in, how much pulp went into the box?

 

If we do fast food, the preference here is for In-n-Out. The kids get a cheeseburger, plain (like they do any fast food place.) In-n-Out is their preferred place over any national chain and there's no kids meals options. Their shakes, however, are sugar overloads so we tend to split one among the 3.75 of us who do like them (the toddler loves a good ice cream shake.)

 

For those wondering, In-n-Out is a west coast chain.

 

LOL about the dead leaves.  Since my kids were 2, I have offered them the option of earning spending money by picking up leaves in our backyard.  (We have an abundance, so this is a pretty limitless moneymaking opportunity if you're little.)  I should not have said "bags," because we use buckets and after they are full, we dump them down the hill / ravine.  Anyhoo, this is what I go back to when my kids ask for stuff when we are shopping.  "Sure, you can buy it, when would you like to start working toward it?"  It goes over better than "no."  ;)

[mrs.m]

KFC seems bigger in China than McDonalds, an exciting point to ponder.

 

 

America has a terrible relationship with food. I suspect other places do not have drive thru because culturally they make time to sit an eat, preferably with family or other people. A drive thru encourages the whole disconnect people have with food (where it comes from, taking the time to eat and be satisfied). OK stepping down from the soapbox. 

 

Some of us go through the drive-through and take it home to still sit down to a meal and spend time with the family. The restaurants are noisy and not as cozy as our home. It is possible to enjoy the food to satisfaction, too. A Smashburger on a whole wheat bun is so tasty! I really enjoy McDonald's Southwestern Salad. Pad Thai or a Curry called in to pick up in their drive-through is about the best thing ever and generally a cheaper way to feed my family than a burger joint! And our local food truck, while not a drive-through, but still faster food, has the best fish tacos! There is nothing better than picnicking outside the food truck when they stop nearby.

 

And it's not like we do this everyday either. There are some days, that I'm not going to cook because I'm tired, sick, or just not in the mood. Most moms I know take this approach and are very careful about their food sources the majority of the time. It's trendy around here to eat clean, organic, and local. But balanced people still will hit the drive-through every now and then when life throws a curveball.

 

 

To answer the OP's original question:

My boys generally get a cheeseburger, ketchup only, and small fry.

My DD loves a bacon cheeseburger, fruit, or yogurt.

[SKL]

That's right, it's a matter of balance.  We've been blessed to have no known allergies or the like, overall good health, and an active lifestyle.  An occasional McChicken or cheeseburger isn't going to do us in.  :)  I've been closer to the "good" extreme at different times in my life, but right now I'll do like the Buddha and take the "middle path."

[poppy]

I have never ordered water at a drive through..... do they give you bottled water, or can you get a glass of tap water for free?

[unsinkable]

I have never ordered water at a drive through..... do they give you bottled water, or can you get a glass of tap water for free?

They'll usually ask which you want.

[unsinkable]

Most of my family is vegetarian, so

 

DS (15)'s orders:

 

At Burger King, vegetarian burger with extra tomato and extra onion, with side of onion rings

 

At McDonalds, a big salad, apples on the side, skim milk, and water

When my son stopped eating meat, we'd get the Gardenburger at BK...it was good! It was the one where you could see the bits of veggies in it, not the beigey- gray fake meat kind.

[nmoira]

The only thing we ever get from fast food drive-thru is a Burgerville shake once or twice a year.

[regentrude]

America has a terrible relationship with food. I suspect other places do not have drive thru because culturally they make time to sit an eat, preferably with family or other people. A drive thru encourages the whole disconnect people have with food (where it comes from, taking the time to eat and be satisfied). OK stepping down from the soapbox. 

 

:iagree:

 

Speaking solely for our family: If we could not take the time to sit down at a table to eat but had to resort to eating on the go in the car, we would seriously evaluate our schedules and priorities. It is not a question of being busy, but of valuing meals highly enough to make time and space for them.

 

ETA: I do understand that some people take their drive through food home. I know, however, plenty of people who wolf down food in the car on the way to activities. These are not healthy eating habits I wish to model for, and instill, in my kids.

[Annie G]

:iagree:

 

Speaking solely for our family: If we could not take the time to sit down at a table to eat but had to resort to eating on the go in the car, we would seriously evaluate our schedules and priorities. It is not a question of being busy, but of valuing meals highly enough to make time and space for them.

 

 

I value family time and home cooked meals but the reality is that our kids spent years doing musical theater and the rehearsals were an hour away, started at 5 PM, and went until 9 PM. So we left our house at 3:45 and arrived home after 10 PM. Yup, we ate meals on the road. Sometimes fast food, but often something I prepared at home. We were together, eating food we needed to nourish our bodies.    There are tons of situations where the logistics require eating on the go.  I don't think a meal at a table is so important that it necessarily trumps other worthwhile activities.  

[jhschool]

I have never ordered water at a drive through..... do they give you bottled water, or can you get a glass of tap water for free?

DS always gets a bottle of water (or two).

I bet they would give a cup of water for free too but

I never thought of that...

[Baseball mom]

My big ole boys likes the new quarter pounder meal with bacon, large fries and large coke.  Then the oldest usually eats part of my meal too. 

[Luanne]

It didn't matter where we were getting the food from, my daughter always got chicken nuggets and French friends when she was a child.  Now she usually gets a chicken sandwich of some kind.  She has loved chicken since she finally got teeth and was able to eat it.

[SKL]

I always ask for a glass of water if we don't already have a water bottle in the car.  They give it for free.

 

We also usually get water when we go into restaurants / fast food.  If my kids want milk, they can have a glass when we get home.  Too much waste otherwise, in my experience.

[SKL]

I think family time can mean different things for different people.  In our case, important things would not get done if I was too rigid about having a sit-down meal every night.  Every family has its own needs and priorities.

[Jenny in Florida]

DD17 ordered chicken nuggets with ranch before she became a vegetarian again. She'd probably just ask for fries now.

Last I checked, McDonald's fries are not vegetarian. In fact, I believe they paid a settlement to a group of vegetarians many years ago after claiming the fries were free of animal products when it turned out they were not. They still use the beef flavoring in the fries nowadays, as I understand it, but have stopped lying about it.

[Jenny in Florida]

I value family time and home cooked meals but the reality is that our kids spent years doing musical theater and the rehearsals were an hour away, started at 5 PM, and went until 9 PM. So we left our house at 3:45 and arrived home after 10 PM. Yup, we ate meals on the road. Sometimes fast food, but often something I prepared at home. We were together, eating food we needed to nourish our bodies.    There are tons of situations where the logistics require eating on the go.  I don't think a meal at a table is so important that it necessarily trumps other worthwhile activities.

Yep. In our case, it's two kids who often had/have theatre auditions/callbacks/rehearsals and/or dance classes or voice lessons in different locations at the same or overlapping times. Since performance is a passion for each of them, I simply cannot imagine saying, "I'm sorry, child. I realize this is the thing that makes it worth getting out of bed for you every day, and you have talent at it, but I think it's more important that we all be home to eat dinner together than to make room in our schedule for you to pursue this passion. Now, please pass the peas."

 

We do our share of wolfing down decidedly less than healthy choices. However, mostly I try to use fast food as a supplement, a convenient, inexpensive addition of something warm and appealing to dress up a dinner otherwise made up of items from the cooler in the backseat of the car.

 

Both of mine are active and ridiculously healthy. They are also busy, vibrant, interesting individuals with varied interests. So, hitting an occasional drive through doesn't seem to have done them any harm so far.

[TrixieB]

My kids have never been to a fast-food drive-thru.  When we go for fast food at a place that has a drive-thru, one kid gets a burger and fries and the other kid gets a salad and fries.

 

My favorite drive-thru is Starbucks, without the kids.  :D