You Are Where You Eat

I have realized that one of the most powerful weapons against tempting foods is the nasty environments that often accompany them. Here are some places that have decent, but unhealthy, food that I will never go to again because the environment made me sick:

1. The Chicken and Waffles Place (Jack London Square, Oakland): So I've been here 3 times - the first 2 were okay, I had some good food. I think the name "chicken and waffles" automatically implies it didn't have a lot of healthy options so I don't think I have to go into detail on the food. Anyways, so the third time I'm there, we sit in a dirty booth, and it's the middle of the day so the daylight is shining brightly on the faded tapestries and questionable stains on our table. And the food just reflected this - everything just looked and tasted, well gross and unclean. I can never go there again and thinking about it makes me sick. I'm all about supporting Black-owned businesses but I think that it's better for my diet if I don't go there.

2. Taco Bell (Telegraph/West Grand, Oakland): One night I go, order my favorite (Mexican pizza) and bring it home, very excited. I eat Mexican pizza in layers - the first layer on top of the shell which is cheese and tomatoes, then the first layer of shell, then the meat and beans layer, and then the bottom shell. I have been doing this since I was a kid. Well this particular night, as I am eating my first layer, I notice a hair. Now, I'm not initially shocked because if you know anything about me, my hair sheds a lot all the time, and I find it everywhere. But this wasn't my hair. How do I know? Because it was BAKED into the cheese mixture. It had been there a while and thus could NOT be mine. I am disgusted and throw it away (and the $5 I used to pay for it). This particularly Taco Bell and I parted ways after that. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't been there since, but it took about a year and I've only been there maybe 5 times at the most over the last 4 years (and at least 2 of those times I was with other people who wanted to eat there because it was the only place open past 3am).

3. Ahn's Burger (West Grand/Bellevue, Oakland): Now this one is recent. I love their greasy hamburgers, thick milkshakes and crinkled fries. But I have always gotten it to go. I go with my friend recently and we eat inside the restaurant. Big mistake. I saw things I hadn't seen before - such as the area where they keep the money is right next to the grill. I'm no Safety Inspector (anymore) but that doesn't seem hygienic. I see little washing of hands. The whole thing just was unappetizing. I haven't been back since and I have lost my desire for the cheeseburger.

4. Whole Foods (Oakland): So the one time I eat here was the one day all the cleaning people seemed to have the day off. The only table available is available because someone has clearly spilled something sticky and pink on the floor underneath it. I have to scrounge for some napkins to clean off the nasty table. Whole Paycheck is expensive, but the money you spend there clearly doesn't go to cleaning up the dining area.

Now, it is NOT a bad thing these places are off my radar - except for Whole Foods, they were all unhealthy. And Whole Foods is expensive so it'll save me money to not eat there again. I'll miss walking down the street to get a burger or the strawberry lemonade at the Chicken and Waffles place. But no meal is worth hair in your cheese or something sticking to your leg. It's just not.