My friends and family back home will often ask me about Dundee, what I like and dislike about this place, and how I feel about it. My answer is usually, "oh... I don't know...", because generally that's how I feel always.
There is one definite thing I can say about this fair city though. And that is that I find Dundee's lack of Taco Bell disturbing. I am currently thousands of miles away from the nearest Taco Bell, and that is about the same to me as being thousands of miles away from civilisation. We have Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken here, which are owned by the same company as Taco Bell (and sometimes in America even housed in the same building as one!) But still none of that cheap steak chalupa goodness that I am desperately craving now.
Fast food chains in America, especially in large cities such as the one I grew up in, are generally open 24 hours (or at least the drive thru window is, and that's another thing that's missing in Dundee that was present even close to downtown Chicago.) I think the McDonalds in City Centre here might close at midnight or something ridiculous like that. That is too early for McDonalds to be closed, in my opinion, and I don't even like McDonalds. People say they like it because it's the same in every country, but I've had it here, obviously in America, and in Amsterdam that one time I was laid over for 12 hours. So yes I can say that they are right and McDonalds is the same in every country. It is equally disgusting in every country. Still, midnight seems too early for a McDonalds to close, at least coming from where I do.
I've seen one Burker King here, and there is no Dairy Queen to go along with it. I did not often get fast food in America, but Dairy Queen was probably my second favourite after Taco Bell. There is no place that I know of to get a burrito the size of your head, which was Chipotle's purpose in the States. Starbucks is scattered around, but honestly Starbucks isn't all that great. Dunkin' Donuts doesn't exist here, but Gregg's fills that void nicely, and does so with sausage rolls.
There is a bright side to all this obviously. If I actually had eaten fast food very often in America, coming here I would have cut back tremendously. Panda Express was another favourite fast food outlet of mine in America, but there are plenty of decent Chinese takeaways here. There is also an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet, right next door to the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet if you are very hungry. And a really nice, although a bit pricey, little diner where all sorts of exciting burgers are served, Ketchup might be Dundee's answer to Red Robin, and it's fabulous. There are probably more places I do not know of, as I have only been here for a month.
And the lack of American fast food outlets here makes me think about my future here as a business student. One lecturer discussed the idea of being in one industry, and investing in another. Seeing how the Krispy Kreme that just opened up in Edinburgh has done successfully so far gives me hope for if I were to someday open up a Taco Bell here.
I think a KenTacoHut up by the motorway is exactly what this town needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment