What's your happy hut?

due to the change of topic in the last entry's comments, i thought i'd take a moment to discuss fast food.

i grew up in a Reduced Fat Household. my mother has been a Jazzercise instructor since i was 2 years old. my father had a heart attack early in his life and therefore, i grew up with rice cakes, celebrated Snackwells and can successfully stretch every muscle in my body. Oh, and my parents raised us Catholic (this is important for later in the story).

McDonald's was a huge treat for my sister and i. we loooved the fries and would actually count them out to see who got more. Remember the days when you were small enough to get the free kiddie cone? and the day you finally graduated to your very own chocolate shake? We were total brand name snobs, and therefore McDonald's was waayyyy better than "Booger King". during lent, when rushed, mom actually took us to McD's for fish sandwiches. there is nothing quite like sopping up the tartar sauce with fries - mmmm!!!

i used to savor my fast food experiences b/c they were few and far in between. in high school, during off-campus lunch, i celebrated the $1 menu at Wendy's. i think i actually lived off of chicken nuggets and small frosties for a year. and then in college, the start of "open late" was reason enough to get my nose out of the books for a greasy taco or burger at 2am (well, what wasnt a good reason??).

and now that i'm "all grown up" with a "budget" and making "healthy decisions" for myself, i find i'm reverting to my mother's choices. in fact, for lunch today, i have a small serving of Quakes, a chicken ceasar salad (lite dressing) and a carton of fat free yogurt. and i'm rather looking forward to it! i dont drink soda anymore, unless it's mixed with whiskey... and i'd much rather go to a more "upscale" fast food place than McDonald's any day.

1. Chipotle (veggie burrito w/ guac on the side)
2. Jimmy John's (#12 on wheat)
3. Pizza (preferably Italian Pie Shoppe sausage)
4. Noodles & Co. (pesto capattavi)

and then there's the Happy House . i'm from Chicago and i truely enjoy a hot dog. i celebrate the hot dog in all forms: plain, with ketchup & mustard, the works, in mac & cheese and the greatest of all greats - the chili cheese dog. the Happy Hut (mis-named by yours truely) is a tiny place in West Chicago that my dad found pre-heart attack. they serve any kind of hot dog or brat you could imagine with enough krinkle fries to stuff you silly. it's hard to spot cuz it's tiny. it was started by a guy for reasons unknown (i like to believe that he had a trailer and opened it up as a hot dog shop for construction workers back in the day when nothing existed in that area besides grassland & trees). and the shop has not changed. it looks like a brown shed. you wait in line (it never takes that long) enter through one door, order & pay a rediculously low price, get the food, exit the other door. there are a few picnic tables in the parking lot, and it''s across the street from a forest preserve. ohhhhhh how i love and miss the Happy Hut.

ok, i've gone on long enough about my favorite fast foods. Question of the post: What are your fondest memories/best loved fast food-related things???