Ever wish you could get the inside scoop on what's not safe to eat from fast food restaurants? Well, you're in luck. That conversion happened in this Reddit thread people can't stop talking about: "Fast food workers of Reddit, what should we NOT order at your restaurant?" Restaurant workers spilled, and now the world has a very handy list of fast foods to avoid. But what's the big picture, here? What did we learn from the fast food "don't eat" conversation?
(Aside from the obvious, which is that fast food is not your most reliable source of quality, nutritious food. Everyone knows that already.)
1. Be wary of drink machines. Based on a couple of responses, it sounds like machines that churn out fun, frothy drinks don't get cleaned as often as we'd like them to.
2. Don't trust lemons or exposed ice. Lemons rarely get washed before they get plunked into ice tea or colas. And ice that sits out in the open collects bacteria from anything and everything.
3. Ask questions. Probably the most important question you can ask is, "how recently was that cooked?" You the customer have the right to request freshly-cooked food, not food that's been sitting under a heat lamp for hours.
4. Assume it was actually "made" somewhere else. Unless the restaurant specifically advertises that certain dishes are made fresh, from scratch, on the premises, assume it's all just pre-made somewhere else, frozen, and simply re-heated at the restaurant.
5. Quit ordering from the "secret" menu. Workers won't know what you're talking about. Just order the ingredients you want -- make everyone's lives easier.
6. Trust 5 Guys and In-N-Out. Workers stepped up to vouch for these restaurants. Really.
What foods do you avoid when you eat fast food?
Image via Ste Fou!/Flickr