I have taken to paying a small fortune for portions of food far too big to be healthy. For dinner the other night I found myself in my local branch of Wendy’s, a relative newcomer in Malaysia’s ever-growing fast food “scene” – although word has it that they used to trade in several locations across KL before upping sticks and exiting the local market entirely in the 80s. Having been there only once prior, I opted to pay the extra RM2 to upgrade my rather piggy mealset of double-cheese half pounder into their largest size. When it was placed before me, I was shocked by the size of it. I had quietly complained about the RM17 pricetag, but only when I saw it that it made sense.
Although quite tasty, through sheer size, working through the monster turned out to be a laborious endeavour. The two-tier burger must be one of the best I’ve had in any of the fast food places in Malaysia. The kick from the small squirt of mustard complemented the meaty beef patties very well and was a pleasant change from the usual ketchup-and-burger combination. It also had the only fresh, crunchy lettuce I had ever found in a fast food burger. Unfortunately the “chef” must have got overexcited with the salt shaker on my giant serving of chunky-cut fries. Had he exercised some restraint he could well have converted me from an ardent fan of McDonald’s fries into an official Wendy’s fries habitué. The fantastic feast was washed down with the biggest glass of coke I had ever had in one sitting.
Nonetheless, although full and content, I left the place feeling slightly ashamed of myself for not even considering not asking for their largest size. I had made myself a promise to rein in my unhealthy eating habits, but it was not met on this occasion. I could not help the needless self-flagellation but it was perverse that satiating my own desires with a positive food experience evoked such guilt and shame.
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