Post by basilosaurus on Aug 25, 2021 2:10:50 GMT -5
Convenience stores in Japan are the tits with sushi, mochi ice cream, and beer/sake. What more could you want? Thailand is pretty great, too. But, other than truck stops, I don't think I've experienced much food at gas stations in any regions of the States where I've lived. With the exception of Sheetz, I've been to every chain listed here, and also my favorite name, the Kum and Go.
I don't eat hot dogs, just the smell makes me sick, but they always look so desiccated and nasty I wonder who actually eats them. There was fried chicken at the 711 right by my metro stop in NOVA, but I can't say I ever tried it.
Other than truck stops, I don't remember seeing gas stations with real food in AZ or CA, where I lived and did a lot of road trips. Hot dogs and nacho cheese sauce doesn't count as real food, but I have never eaten those from a gas station either.
I remember being fascinated by gas station food when I saw something about it on food network, because I had never seen anything like it. I think it was a taco place (maybe in MD?), but since then I have heard of a lot of others.
I recently found out that when my mother was young (under 12), she worked at a gas station that had a diner. It was in a small town in AZ, pre WWII, on the way to a military base.
The busses with soldiers would stop there, but the POC weren't allowed inside, so my mom would bring their orders out to them. There was only one thing they were allowed to order...a fried chicken sandwich.
Serving a bus load of hungry men was a lot of work for a kid to do alone, but she said that the men were so much nicer (friendly,kind, and very polite) than the people in the diner, and they tipped better.
I was shocked to find out that she had pumped gas as a job. She went to a full service gas station or had whoever was with her pump gas, but she had always made it seem like she didn't know how and didn't want to learn.
Other than truck stops, I don't remember seeing gas stations with real food in AZ or CA, where I lived and did a lot of road trips. Hot dogs and nacho cheese sauce doesn't count as real food, but I have never eaten those from a gas station either.
I ate at one near Bakersfield. Really good wet burrito. That's the only one I can remember, and I've driven across the country more than once.
In the south some of the best fried chicken comes from gas stations. It's a thing. Maybe YOU aren't eating it, but that doesn't mean it's not a thing or that it's not good.
Post by bernsteincat on Aug 25, 2021 8:30:41 GMT -5
Kentucky here: My hometown had a gas station with the best fried chicken in it. Everyone knew it was the place to go. Also, we just left early this morning and got breakfast sandwiches from a gas station on our way out. I am not exaggerating when I say it was the best BEC croissant I have ever had. Perfection.
In the south some of the best fried chicken comes from gas stations. It's a thing. Maybe YOU aren't eating it, but that doesn't mean it's not a thing or that it's not good.
In the south some of the best fried chicken comes from gas stations. It's a thing. Maybe YOU aren't eating it, but that doesn't mean it's not a thing or that it's not good.
This is literally the article that started this thread, lol.
ETA: but, we did quickly get off topic and started talking about other places.
Thank you lol.
Part of why I thought it was interesting was because of the story of the gas station egg on here (Nugget?) where a lot of people were like, who eats eggs from a gas station (including probably me, but I also hate all hard boiled eggs)?!? And the answer is, for a lot of people it was the only viable option for a long period of time.
In the south some of the best fried chicken comes from gas stations. It's a thing. Maybe YOU aren't eating it, but that doesn't mean it's not a thing or that it's not good.
This is literally the article that started this thread, lol.
ETA: but, we did quickly get off topic and started talking about other places.
yep, I copped to the early derail. The history of the food culture and the relation to racism around southern gas stations is absolutely more interesting than whether people have ever tried a wawa hoagie. I just...have my interests and lack self control to not talk about them.
still not sure why the conversation happening here (where people who DON'T live in the south were talking about their sub-par gas station food options) required a repost of the original article and defensive statement about the quality of the fried chicken? Nobody questioned southern gas station fried chicken unless I just skimmed right past it.
This is literally the article that started this thread, lol.
ETA: but, we did quickly get off topic and started talking about other places.
yep, I copped to the early derail. The history of the food culture and the relation to racism around southern gas stations is absolutely more interesting than whether people have ever tried a wawa hoagie. I just...have my interests and lack self control to not talk about them.
still not sure why the conversation happening here (where people who DON'T live in the south were talking about their sub-par gas station food options) required a repost of the original article and defensive statement about the quality of the fried chicken? Nobody questioned southern gas station fried chicken unless I just skimmed right past it.
And now I'm hungry. dammit.
I am craving Royal Farms fried chicken now lol. Nobody should question that deliciousness.
yep, I copped to the early derail. The history of the food culture and the relation to racism around southern gas stations is absolutely more interesting than whether people have ever tried a wawa hoagie. I just...have my interests and lack self control to not talk about them.
still not sure why the conversation happening here (where people who DON'T live in the south were talking about their sub-par gas station food options) required a repost of the original article and defensive statement about the quality of the fried chicken? Nobody questioned southern gas station fried chicken unless I just skimmed right past it.
And now I'm hungry. dammit.
I am craving Royal Farms fried chicken now lol. Nobody should question that deliciousness.
When I was little, the Wawa by my grandparents' house at the NJ shore had these amazing potato logs (potato wedges). They stopped serving them at some point, and my young self was devastated.
Royal Farms' western fries are exactly like those potato logs. It's a good thing that there isn't one convenient to us.
yep, I copped to the early derail. The history of the food culture and the relation to racism around southern gas stations is absolutely more interesting than whether people have ever tried a wawa hoagie. I just...have my interests and lack self control to not talk about them.
still not sure why the conversation happening here (where people who DON'T live in the south were talking about their sub-par gas station food options) required a repost of the original article and defensive statement about the quality of the fried chicken? Nobody questioned southern gas station fried chicken unless I just skimmed right past it.
And now I'm hungry. dammit.
I am craving Royal Farms fried chicken now lol. Nobody should question that deliciousness.
I just looked on their website and apparently there is a Royal Farms within 15 miles of my zip code. I had never heard of it until yesterday. It's in a town I never go to otherwise, but now I'm going to need to check out this fried chicken after my schedule improves next month. For research purposes, of course.
Convenience stores in Japan are the tits with sushi, mochi ice cream, and beer/sake. What more could you want? Thailand is pretty great, too. But, other than truck stops, I don't think I've experienced much food at gas stations in any regions of the States where I've lived. With the exception of Sheetz, I've been to every chain listed here, and also my favorite name, the Kum and Go.
I don't eat hot dogs, just the smell makes me sick, but they always look so desiccated and nasty I wonder who actually eats them. There was fried chicken at the 711 right by my metro stop in NOVA, but I can't say I ever tried it.
I had a great dinner from a 7-11 in Japan sounds weird to say it - but it's true.
Where I have traveled when living in MI and CO - there isn't "food" that I would eat from a gas station. I won't eat the rotisserie hot dogs, fried things - those don't count to me.
There is the occasional gas station that has a subway inside or an attached pizza place - but that's all I've experienced. I'd love to have a place with great fried chicken!
well thats interesting. I'm now really curious about the original ownership of Royal Farms when it was founded in 1959. Just looked that year up...no info on their website about who founded it.
Also I need some non-midatlantic or southern folks to chime in here....do y'all not buy food at gas stations? like, prepared food. 7-11 has hot dogs everywhere, but do you eat them? if you're on a road trip and you stop for gas, do you get lunch at the gas station too?
I never thought of this as a southern thing because in PA we have Wawa and Sheetz, and now Royal Farms is moving up from Maryland...and PA is not the south. (see also New Jersey and Delaware)
Not that Wawa has fried chicken gizzards or pork chops. They probably do have pickled beet eggs? at least sometimes? Amish country. I grew up eating them, but don't remember if I've ever bought them at Wawa. But it's a different food culture for sure.
Interestingly, the only Wawa near where I grew up doesn’t have gas, it’s just a standalone convenience store. Same with our 7-11. I was shocked the first time I saw one of either of those with gas pumps. I still don’t think of them as gas station food, I think of them as a convenience store with gas at some places. I get breakfast there fairly often en route to work because they have decent options.
well thats interesting. I'm now really curious about the original ownership of Royal Farms when it was founded in 1959. Just looked that year up...no info on their website about who founded it.
Also I need some non-midatlantic or southern folks to chime in here....do y'all not buy food at gas stations? like, prepared food. 7-11 has hot dogs everywhere, but do you eat them? if you're on a road trip and you stop for gas, do you get lunch at the gas station too?
I never thought of this as a southern thing because in PA we have Wawa and Sheetz, and now Royal Farms is moving up from Maryland...and PA is not the south. (see also New Jersey and Delaware)
Not that Wawa has fried chicken gizzards or pork chops. They probably do have pickled beet eggs? at least sometimes? Amish country. I grew up eating them, but don't remember if I've ever bought them at Wawa. But it's a different food culture for sure.
Interestingly, the only Wawa near where I grew up doesn’t have gas, it’s just a standalone convenience store. Same with our 7-11. I was shocked the first time I saw one of either of those with gas pumps. I still don’t think of them as gas station food, I think of them as a convenience store with gas at some places. I get breakfast there fairly often en route to work because they have decent options.
it seems like that's a major difference. The places talked about in the article were specifically filling a need for black travelers who weren't welcome everywhere, so it had to combine fueling the cars and the people from the jump. Whereas the corporate chain stores I think of when you say "gas station w/ food" started off as small corner store type places focused on food and convenience items and eventually added gas as that became a money maker and our land use patterns shifted from stores in towns to vehicle oriented retail strung along major arterials.
Interestingly, the only Wawa near where I grew up doesn’t have gas, it’s just a standalone convenience store. Same with our 7-11. I was shocked the first time I saw one of either of those with gas pumps. I still don’t think of them as gas station food, I think of them as a convenience store with gas at some places. I get breakfast there fairly often en route to work because they have decent options.
it seems like that's a major difference. The places talked about in the article were specifically filling a need for black travelers who weren't welcome everywhere, so it had to combine fueling the cars and the people from the jump. Whereas the corporate chain stores I think of when you say "gas station w/ food" started off as small corner store type places focused on food and convenience items and eventually added gas as that became a money maker and our land use patterns shifted from stores in towns to vehicle oriented retail strung along major arterials.
Major difference. I was actually just coming back to discuss the article, which was super interesting.
I’m not surprised to hear that this tradition started due to racism and necessity. This was a super cool article! I wasn’t aware of the tradition of gas station food in general beyond it being an obvious convenience.
Royal Farms fried chicken is SO good. Like, drive 20 miles out of our way good.
And QuikTrip is my favorite gas/convenience store chain (I'm not exactly sure why, but it is--maybe it's because I don't frequent them often). H is from Oklahoma, and it's always a must-stop when we visit his family.
Royal Farms fried chicken is SO good. Like, drive 20 miles out of our way good.
And QuikTrip is my favorite gas/convenience store chain (I'm not exactly sure why, but it is--maybe it's because I don't frequent them often). H is from Oklahoma, and it's always a must-stop when we visit his family.
I spent 2 months this summer searching the Midwest for beer cheese soup and the ONLY place I found it was Kwik Trip. Pros to them.
well thats interesting. I'm now really curious about the original ownership of Royal Farms when it was founded in 1959. Just looked that year up...no info on their website about who founded it.
Also I need some non-midatlantic or southern folks to chime in here....do y'all not buy food at gas stations?
On a road trip I would not typically eat a main meal from a gas station. Snacks mostly. Truck stop diner, sure. The dried out ham sandwich at Irving with the Guaranteed Fresh sticker, not if I can help it.
I do eat gas station food locally. Swing in for a breakfast sandwich, get a bowl of chili for lunch, order pizza for dinner.
There aren’t too many delis and pizza places where I live that don’t also sell gas.
My parents used to love to get the red hot dogs at Irving (and I've eaten a few too)!