by Hannah Lauder

Created on: June 06, 2009

Remember your childhood days? No doubt many of us have sat with friends, peevish at the thought of the fare concocted by our mothers and delighting in lovely notions. Wouldn't it be neat if we had a McDonald's in our house? In our basement? In our bedrooms? There could never be a fast food joint close enough for our tastes.

And yet, fast food is convenient. It is convenient to buy, convenient to eat and extraordinarily conveniently located. In the industry, the only mistake is the lack of pickles on your hamburger. When taking a drive, you cannot escape the fact that you are frolicking through a bounteous field of salt, grease and other ingredients of somewhat dubious origin. Fast food signage is often placed quite high as a shining beacon of gluttony, to be seen from afar or even from the air.

But what if you find yourself literally frolicking? Many find themselves within walking distance of a McDonald's, across the street from a Burger King, with a White Castle around the corner and an Arby's right behind it. It may seem ironic that one can partake of physical activity to indulge in something so incredibly lazy and indulgent. This is the reality of the situation for those of us who live near a busy road or a larger metropolitan area.

Not to assume that each and every human being is particularly inclined to fast food. In those slow moments many would rather knaw at the dry yet still edibly orange carrot stick gracing an empty fridge than be bothered. Even when there are other alternatives, however, it is all too easy to slip out for a Whopper or whatever you happen to crave.

Naturally we should not place all the blame on the major fast food corporations, who are out for an easy profit, and therefore, through extensive marketing research choose prime, heavily-populated locations in order to hawk their wares. Comparable to, say, writers, who do more or less the same thing. Indeed, it is up to us to make well-informed, nutritional decisions, practice self-control and healthy living habits to ensure a better quality of life.

Oh, but speaking as someone who has that Burger King and McDonald's right up the road, it is so very deliciously unhealthy, so delightfully convenient. Most of the time, however, I find myself too lazy to traipse up there for fries, sugary coke and nuggets. So I sit around and eat the carrot instead. Too lazy and impatient am I, even, for fast food.

Does living near a fast food establishment affect your health? It all depends on how much energy you're willing to put into it.

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