Fast food has a long history. It started in America in the 18th century. Initially, cheap and substandard types of burgers were available only at stalls in fairs and circuses etc. Later in the 19th century, the first food chain called “White Castle” came into existence, which served high-quality burgers to its customers in restaurants. After that, McDonald’s brothers started their food chain McDonald’s in 1948 and soon the trend of fast food started to develop rapidly in the rapidly changing world.
Fast food not only emerged as a trend among the youth of this era, but it also benefited those who could not afford home-cooked meals while working. And they were eager to eat clean and healthy food during their short break time.
Gradually, the popularity of fast food began to spread throughout the world with Europe and America. During this time, famous foreign food chains expanded their network and fast food culture began to develop rapidly in countries around the world. The fast food culture from the West reached the East and other regions of the world. Medical experts and health related organizations have declared fast food as harmful, but due to the rapid development of the times and lack of time, this culture started spreading rapidly all over the world.
Medical experts recommend avoiding excessive consumption of fast food, as they are very high in calories.
The increasing use of fast food has completely changed the social life of Pakistanis. Due to late breakfast and late dinner, people’s social life is now limited to hotels instead of home and family. People who were fond of eating and being fed well, now prefer to eat and feed in hotels instead of having traditional food feasts at home, which is de-emphasizing traditional family systems and relationships. Fast food restaurants have also significantly reduced the prices of their products after midnight, forcing people, especially the youth, to stay out of their homes after midnight.
30 years ago there used to be famous ‘dhabas’ in Lahore for various food items. Now there are around 20 thousand hotels and restaurants in Lahore.
The number of shops selling burger, biryani, haleem, roast, gola kebab, chapali kebab, nihari, pie, sandwich and other food items in Karachi has exceeded three lakh. At present, the most popular business in Karachi is food and drink.
Today, we see burger houses, pizza shops, yogurt shops, round-gap carts everywhere. Whenever you pass by them, it feels like the whole nation is spending on fast food instead of eating at home. These foods are many times more expensive than home food and are also harmful to health. By the way, we keep crying about inflation everywhere, but even if you go to a shop, a carriage or a restaurant, you will see people from all walks of life.
According to medical experts, it is very disturbing that a child whose body is still going through the stages of development should prefer a cold drink to milk and a burger to bread. Due to the lack of any kind of check on advertising, there has also been a problem. Television and newspapers also feature cute advertisements of different types of burgers by big corporations and cheesy pictures that change the minds of innocent children. Children are highly influenced by these advertisements and then demand from their parents that they must eat burgers, pizza and chips. Parents generally cannot disown children. As a result, unhealthy habits are being promoted. According to experts, if these types of diets are not controlled, soon the majority of boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 20 will be seen turning to health clinics. Due to the growing trend of fast food, obesity is increasing rapidly, especially among girls. A girl has a tough time when obesity takes hold and this obesity is caused by excessive consumption of burgers and cold drinks. She realizes this when her friends make fun of her for being lazy.
If you want to avoid this disease, strictly control your eating habits. Instead of burgers and cold drinks, use milk and vegetables in your diet. They help in reducing excess fat on the body. While obesity not only affects the physical structure but also has bad effects on the child’s mind. When a child gains weight, a social problem also arises along with it. The IQ level of the child also becomes very low. In ancient times, when people went on a long journey, they would carry weeks and months of food and rations with them. After traveling for miles, if they found an inn in a city, they used to rest there for a while and eat food. As time progressed, dirt roads gave way to paved roads and highways, and inns, restaurants, and hotels began to change. Now you don’t have to worry about food on the way when you travel from one city to another or from one country to another.
At the time of creation of Pakistan, we neither had any motorway nor any international highway. Now you will find all kinds of hoteling services from Truck Hotel to McVay Hotel. In our country, going out to eat is considered a “status symbol”. In some cities, “food streets” have also been created to attract the attention of tourists. Roadside hotels and food streets in big cities attract a large number of people. Nowadays, eating by sitting on the roadside is becoming a culture.
Nutritionists say that sharp spices are used in some foods, and various chemical ingredients are added to quickly digest the meat, which play an important role in destroying the human stomach after consumption. Spice rush and loss in its place Another thing that harms human health is the open air of these eating places. The ratio of pollution and dust in the atmosphere of Lahore is high compared to other regions and cities of Pakistan.
Most months of the year are subject to intense and moderate heat. Such a climate is conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes, flies, germs, viruses, insects, red bugs, rats. Since these eateries are located in dirty roadside areas, a layer of dust usually forms on the food items. In this environment, the invisible effects of particles of garbage, fine powder of soil and dirt flying from the friction of shoes add another layer to it. After that, the smoke of rickshaws, buses and stoves plying in the city puts a third layer on these food items in the form of pollution. After that, the movement of bees, the appetizing food is loaded with various germs and viruses. In this way, these so-called delicious foods become an anti-gastric rocket and land in the human stomach and along with the stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys.
Nutritionists say that every fourth person in Pakistan is a patient of ulcer. These ulcers spread from the stomach to the small and large intestines. The main cause of stomach and intestinal ulcers is excess of hot spices and red pepper. Cheap ghee and fat are used instead of standard ghee. This oil has been declared as a poison for human health by the Ministry of Health, as cheap ghee and oil contain a toxic element that injures the intestinal membrane. Unhealthy fats also play an important role in throat and tonsil disorders and raise blood cholesterol levels dangerously. Then it reaches a certain limit and freezes in the delicate veins of the human heart. Therefore, first the human heartbeat loses its regularity, then heart attacks appear as a permanent disease threatening the human life. Excess of acidic element has harmful effects on kidney and liver.
It is said about Thils Lams etc that food is provided here at low cost. This is true to some extent, but these people sometimes resort to actions that are not morally or legally correct in order to compete with each other. There have also been instances where the meat of sick and half-dead animals was seized from these stalls. Such acts are done just for the sake of a few bucks, as if human life has no value in the eyes of those who sell these things.
