Not too long ago you didn't have chain restaurants. Every town or city didn't look the same. If you stopped for a bite to eat in Phoenix, you couldn't eat the exact same food in Chicago. Restaurants and Cafes were unique to their location.
Now the same fast food joints and diners are spread out all over like the lines on a map. The people pushing this change called their food "comfort food." It was comforting to know the same menu and food was available at a particular restaurant regardless of your location. It was a good idea and it worked. Now a Denny's diner in Phoenix has the exact same menu as a Denny's diner in Chicago. McDonalds, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Wendys; there now in every town and city in America with the same menu and food. A hungry traveler in search of an inexpensive bite to eat sees the same restaurants no matter where he's located.
Not too long ago I remember traveling down the freeway and passing empty, abandoned buildings with a "Cafe" sign still visible. Back before there were fast food restaurants there were independent Cafe's. Hungry travelers would stop at a local Cafe for a bite to eat and a cup of coffee. A waitress greeted you at your table with a glass of ice water and a menu. Menus were created by the food available locally and by the cooks skill set. Cafe menus were different from one Cafe to the next. Now those unique Cafes have long been out of business thanks to comfort food.
Comfort food changed the restaurant landscape by pushing independent restaurants out of business. So much of what you eat now is controlled by big business who makes comfort food with ingredients that sounds like your reading a chemical laboratory supply list. This makes the food less expensive to produce, improves shelf life, improves taste, and raises their profit margin, but it makes the food less healthy contributing to all sorts of health problems like obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
We are all responsible for what we eat, so it helps to know the food sold at fast food restaurants may be fast and easy, may be "comfortable," but that comes at a cost for your health. Staying healthy and taking care of yourself sometimes requires choosing the uncomfortable choices.
