Opinion: Gas station food has become mainstream, and I approve
I’m not known for healthy eating habits, a trait I’m not particularly proud of but can’t seem to shake. My culinary choices defy threats from The Hubby and cajoling by many friends who have become connoisseurs of the finer things in life. To the utter dismay of my grown children, I love McDonald’s for breakfast — Oh, an egg McMuffin! A hash brown! — and consider a meal at Cracker Barrel the pinnacle of road trip food.
To whitewash my propensity for such fare, I often enlist my grandchildren on forays to the low-brow. The last time we were at a diner, I embarrassed family members of a certain age by ordering from the kids’ menu. Those offerings intrigued my palate more than the adult specials. Sorry-not-sorry.
Some might turn up their noses at this, but I think they’re merely pretending refinement in front of others. Given half a chance, they’ll cross the line every time. For instance, just last week, one of my sons called from the family SUV to tell me they had stopped at the gigantic Buc-ee’s in Georgia for breakfast and road snacks. They were headed south for spring break and, of course, the experience of the gigantic truck stop was not one they ever skipped.
Road trips are excellent excuses for a lot of things you would normally not do or buy. In one convenient stop, you can fill up the tank and order a gigantic hot dog with all the trimmings. Or buy a bag of barbecue chips with a side of beef jerky after using the bathroom facilities. The deals are amazing. On a recent jaunt across the state, for example, our breakfast was a greasy cheese pizza bought at a north Naples gas station. The shop was selling the eight-slice version for $3.14 to mark March 14, or PI Day. It doesn’t get more Americana than this.
A few decades back, not far from where I grew up, a Spanish immigrant and his sons opened a gas station with a run-of-the-mill convenience store. Over the years El Carajo evolved into a restaurant/bakery/wine shop known as much for its tapas as its paella. Locals loved it, but It didn’t take long before it also became a must-see tourist stop. The restaurant/gas station even made it into People magazine in 2022, when musician Joe Jonas celebrated his 33rd birthday there with wife Sophie Turner. That marriage is kaput now, but El Carajo lives on.
What’s more, gas station food has become mainstream, conventional, a meal no longer reserved for the road. I know this because, if social media images reflect trends, then dinner at a gas station has reached bona fide coolness. This didn’t happen all at once, of course, but I first noticed it when one of my teenage granddaughters insisted on lunch at the Wawa gas station near her house.
“But I want real food!” I protested.
“It is real food. And you’re gonna love it. We go there all the time.”
Expecting the usual selection of prepackaged sandwiches, salads and wraps, I was surprised by the varied menu selection. My quesadilla was tasty and her go-to chicken strips hit the mark. She also smacked her lips on some kind of frozen cappuccino, a treat she’s normally not allowed to have. As we ate on metal picnic tables outside, serenaded by car engines and exhaust fumes, she enumerated all the Wawa dishes she’s tried. Apparently the paninis and bowls are family faves.
Did I mention the place, across from a large mall in a Miami suburb, was packed on a Saturday afternoon? That the checkout line was 11 people deep? That everyone but me looked like a repeat customer? It just goes to show you don’t need the excuse of a pit stop to indulge in comfort food.
Ana Veciana-Suarez writes about family and social issues. Email her at avecianasuarez@gmail.com or visit her website anavecianasuarez.com. Follow @AnaVeciana.
