Could Live Without Fast Food

          Growing up I don’t recall eating out much but not because I didn’t want to but because it was just something my parents could not afford to do on a regular basis. I was just like any other kid drawn into the television ads so whenever I was able to eat fast food it felt like I was receiving a huge gift. I had the privilege of eating out about once every two months. Although, I was getting the fast food, it’s not to say I was getting what I wanted as a kid. For example a kid’s meals with the toy since those things were much overpriced. As I got older and my parents became a little more financially independent I did notice the amount of times we ate out had grown from once every two months to twice a month at the most. As a kid, when we ate out, it was usually McDonald's and as I got older the list grew from Dominoes Pizza to Burger King. When I got into my teens we ate out even more. My mom just seemed to not want to cook as much. Then when I turned 16 I started working at Subway so I ate there a lot and due to having my own money I was able to control how many times I chose to eat out. From the time I turned 16 until I turned 17 I encountered 3 very disgusting experiences while eating out at fast food restaurants.

Encounter #1: While biting into a burger at McDonald's I bit into a little white rock of some sort. The whole idea of biting into something that should be 100% ground beef but also biting something hard that felt like a pebble ruined my appetite.

Encounter #2: I ordered some chili cheese fries from Tommy’s Burger and it was honestly like I had ordered a hair ball on the side. I stuck my fork in and pulled out over 5 strands of thick long black hair.

Encounter #3: I ordered a western bacon cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr. but when I got home I realized it was extremely cold. I didn’t want to go back and complain over the cold food so I thought I would heat it up. When I went to pull the patty out it had some grey gooey stuff all over it. I’m sure it was probably just cold fat but it was so unappealing to me that I just couldn’t bite into it.

With that said, shortly before I turned 17, I gave up red meat all together and gave up eating McDonald's 100%. I won’t even order a soda at McDonald's  I stuck to chicken, turkey, and fish but thought I would eventually give those things up as well. It was very difficult giving up red meat so abruptly. For a whole year of my life I never felt satisfied when I ate. My body always felt like something was missing but as time went on I eventually became used to my new diet. Giving up red meat has impacted the amount of times I eat out now since I feel somewhat limited in the options I have. If I end up at a fast food restaurant it’s of course strictly for a chicken salad or chicken sandwich with fries. Now that I live on my own I hardly eat out because I rather spend my money on shopping or buying things for the duplex I rent. I must admit though, when I do have one too many drinks I will end up at a drive through to buy things off of the dollar menu. I’ve now been red meat free and McDonald's free for almost 9 years.

Meet Me!

       My name is Christina Adame. I was born in Oxnard, CA to Samuel and Maria Adame. I’m the middle child with two brothers and two sisters. As a kid I remember being very shy with people I had just met until I became comfortable. My grandparents assisted my parents significantly in raising my siblings and me. I’m very thankful for that because it allowed me to learn Spanish since my grandparents were only Spanish speaking. I graduated from Channel Islands High School in 2005. During high school I did normal teen things while always keeping my grades up. I got really into music so I bought a drum set with the money I saved up from working at Subway. With the help from a friend I learned to play them. Soon after I graduated, I bought a car and began to work as a technician for Imation Corporation to pay it off. While working here I adopted a puppy and named him Ernie Ball, after Ernie Ball guitar strings. The minute I made my last payment on my car I left my job to start attending Ventura College full time. I was the first of my siblings to attend college and graduate high school. I started attending VC in 2007 and graduated with my A.S. in 2009. After that I had not considered transferring to another school so I looked for work. I was luckily finally able to move out of my parent’s home in 2011. In spring of 2012 I decided to go back to school to take the remaining necessary classes to transfer to a four year school. I also decided to start taking better care of my teeth this year and got braces.

            I currently work at Maxim Companion Services as their Personnel Coordinator. I have the greatest boss and I find my job super beneficial to my career. I rent a duplex out with a few roommates and 3 of my pets. I’m taking statistics and this English composition class to complete some of the requirements I need to transfer to a four year school. My typical week days consist of work, visiting with family, maintaining my home, walking Ernie, bills, orthodontic visits, homework, and school. On the weekends I do enjoy spending time with friends, playing music, shopping, having an occasional drink, attending concerts, and doing spontaneous things when I can afford it.

            As soon as I reach my transfer requirements I plan to transfer to Cal State LA that is if I get accepted. I would like to acquire my Bachelor’s in Human Resource Management. I plan on keeping my job at Maxim until I reach my bachelors then hopefully pursue something a little more challenging. I’m counting off the units for that goal and counting off the months to when I will finally be able to get my braces off. It’s definitely hard to tell further then the next 5 years, as to where I would like to be, but I would definitely love to have a career in human resources.