It’s nice to go out to eat: you wander in and take a seat, peruse the menu until someone pops out of the kitchen to take your order, eagerly await your food and try not to down your whole drink, and then just when you think your stomach is going to implode you are presented with…a hot dog?
Fast food in the states is fast. You order it at a counter and once you are done collecting ketchup packets and napkins your pick-up number has probably been called. Not so here, and this is possibly part of why McDonald’s is surprisingly unpopular (their desserts do so well though sometimes there will be just a desserts place without the burgers and things. odd.) Fast food is mostly the same sort of food, but it’s served more like you’re in a cafe or something. I say mostly, since you can see the hotdog above has some extra trappings like a quail egg, pineapple sauce, and chips. And that is minimal for here. There are hamburgers the size of people’s heads.
Another offering is my new favorite comfort food—choripapa. It reminds me of this stuff I used to eat for lunch as a kid that was sliced sausages in baked beans, but maybe even better, since it’s sausages in french fries. Good sausages, not U.S. hot dog nonsense. Deeeelicious if not particularly nutritious.
Some other things that somehow made the cut to be “fast food” are crepes and lasagna. I have no idea where this came from. Pizza is also often around, but usually it is mentioned separately. I guess if lasagna is pre-made it can be served pretty quickly…but generally things that require utensils aren’t fast food in my mind.
So now you know what to expect when you find a place offering Comidas Rapidas. Our local place is classy enough to have black lights that make the orange chairs glow and a DC comics inspired decor. Excellent atmosphere for excellent food.
Manu
syd
Don't Give Papaya 
You’re… so unvegan.
It hurts my heart a little bit, but I’m not sure why.
aw, yeah but only here because I trust where the meat comes from. (and only sometimes, since it still makes me irritable) I kind of feel unfaithful to my angry vegan teenage self, but since fake meat is not really here I get sad getting all my protein from beans and grains (especially since they don’t really do canned beans and soaking them is such a pain). I would send you some choripapa if I could and then you would understaaaand. Alternatively, you could visit.