Keep Your Eyes on Your Fries
First, some upfront honesty – I don’t drive, and I don’t eat much fast food, so my opinion on this topic has no basis in experience. I don’t truly know whether such a thing as a french-fry attachment for a car’s cupholder is a huge step forward for mankind or just really, really stupid.
But there it is… Under the brand name “Fries and Things” (which provokes one to wonder exactly what else will fit into a French fry holder), a company called K-Enterprises Inc. of Danville, Ind, has created “a plastic shell in the shape of a standard fast-food French fry container, with a round nub at its bottom allowing it to fit in a car cupholder”.
I can’t help but wonder, though – does anyone really need fries that badly (and that quickly) that they need to eat and drive at the same time? Isn’t that dangerous? Isn’t reaching over for a handful of fries and ketchup just as distracting as a cellphone? Or am I, a dedicated walker and public transit rider who doesn’t even have a driver’s license, just a little bit naive to the ways of the motoring world?
Turns out, the trend towards cupholder cuisine has been around for years, and as car companies have changed their design to accommodate more food, devices such as the Fries and Things holder seem to be the wave of the future.
Various media outlets offer a range of opinions on the product, with some proclaiming this to be the greatest invention ever, while other are a bit more sceptical. Count me in the sceptical tally. I mean, I get that it’s supposed to be “fast” food, but there’s just something uncivilized about a salty, greasy steering wheel (or eating while driving, for that matter). And having a way to keep packages of fries secure while driving is only likely to encourage people to buy more of the things – good for fast food restaurants – not so good for the customer’s arteries.
It fits into a standard cup holder, giving a driver easy access to all the trans fats she or he desires. And between trips to your favorite grease pit, Fries & Things can hold sunglasses, pens, a heart monitor or other necessities. – Chicago Tribune
I don’t suppose any of the folks forking over the $2.99US for one of these thingamajigs is intending to use theirs for holding carrot and celery sticks, huh?
