/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.13111863]

Is there literally ANY alternative to McDonalds/fastfood if you want a cheap lunch in the US?

In the UK we'd have these mealdeals, pic related, in basically every supermarket/'grocery store'.

Can I get anything similar in the US? I'm currently visiting, and while I can get a decent and convenient meal in McD's for like $4, I'm having it way too frequently.


Any can anyone tell me why your McD's fries are so expensive over here? It's like $3 for a medium -- it's only a quid back home.

[Anonymous No.13111874]

>>13111863
>Is there literally ANY alternative to McDonalds/fastfood if you want a cheap lunch in the US?
Yes

>In the UK we'd have these mealdeals, pic related, in basically every supermarket/'grocery store'. Can I get anything similar in the US?
Yes. I take it you haven't visited a Walmart or any other grocery store yet.

>Any can anyone tell me why your McD's fries are so expensive over here?
Fat people

[Anonymous No.13111878]

>>13111863
supermarket deli is what your looking for

[Anonymous No.13111892]

>>13111874
I've been in 4 different brands of grocery stores. I didn't see anything similar.

[Anonymous No.13111899]

>>13111892
What state are you in?

[Anonymous No.13111907]

>>13111892
Ingles, which is probably the most popular grocery store in my area, has about 1/5th the store dedicated to this
They've got salads, a deli, a row of refrigerated bottled drinks, and it's all next to the produce so you can pick up fruit too.
I don't know why you'd ever do that when you can just cook for 1/4 the price, though.

[Anonymous No.13111914]

>>13111863
Depends where you’re going to be. If you’re in nyc there’s amazing grocery stores that have small meals for sale but if you’re in a third world state or rural area don’t expect much.

[Anonymous No.13111939]

>>13111899
DC.
I'll have another look today, your grocery stores are huge. In the UK it's literally the first thing you can see so you can pick it up and go. Like pic related.
Maybe the deli counter is an option? But I'm guessing that'll be more expensive than a pre-packaged sandwich.

[Anonymous No.13111943]

>>13111939
That's not a state

[Anonymous No.13111950]

>>13111943
yeah no shit.

[Anonymous No.13112103]

>>13111939
The deli in US supermarkets is usually off to one side of the store, not near the entrance.
Also they don't usually have "meal deals", it's all a la carte and quite overpriced compared to the pics you posted.

[Anonymous No.13112123]

>>13112103
they absolutely do have meal deals albertsons, fred meyer and safeway all do deals thats just in my town.

[Anonymous No.13112179]

>>13111863
Taco Bell, nigga. Thousand calories for a dollar!

[Anonymous No.13112191]

>>13111863
You are in America, stop eating McDonalds and get some better fast food

[Anonymous No.13112202]

>>13111943
The anon asked what state he's in so DC is the best answer he can give to that question since he's not in a state. You fucking idiot.

[Anonymous No.13112204]

go to krystals you dumb bitch

[Anonymous No.13112215]

So Americans have never experienced the majesty of a Tesco meal deal, or equivalent? For shame.

These days from Tesco I get a southern fried chicken wrap, hot flavoured Max crisps, and flavoured water (because fuck all that sugary shit).

But pic related is a good shout too if you're hungry. Sausage bacon and egg - banging. Thai sweet chilli crisps - banging. The apple juice is a lot of sugar but if you're doing something energetic to burn it off then it's alright.

[Anonymous No.13112226]

>>13111863
Those meal deals are a joke, barely filling.
An incredibly thinly sliced sandwich with the bare amount of filling to qualify it as whatever sandwich is supposed to be, a snack that's either 10 pieces of crisps, or a small chocolate bar. And I don't drink soft drinks, so bottled water.
That'll be 3.50 for what I can literally fit in half a single mouthful.

[Anonymous No.13112295]

>>13112226
You must be Britain's biggest idiot. With a Tesco meal deal you can get a fuckton. Triple or club sandwich, or submarine sandwich, or big pasta salad. Bag of crisps, or some meat snack, or olives, or whatever the fuck. Plus drinks that are often as expensive as the whole meal deals, like the smoothies.

In all that's a fuckton of calories, which is why I usually go for water to cut down the calories.

I reckon you can get at least 1,000 calories if you choose right. Many of the sandwiches / salads are over 500 calories just by themselves. Get a cake for the snack and a calorific smoothie and it's going to be near 1,000.

[Anonymous No.13112311]

Dairy Queen has $5 lunch combos.

[Anonymous No.13112343]

>>13111863
>Is there literally ANY alternative to McDonalds/fastfood if you want a cheap lunch in the US?
Thousands upon thousands. You would have to have never read anything about the US to need to ask this.

[Anonymous No.13112370]

>>13112215
Yeah, cheap sandwiches, beverages, and chips don't exist in America. Kill yourself

[Anonymous No.13112373]

>>13112215
The same thing exists in America but they are sold separately with no deal and they're expensive as shit. It would be more like:
Sandwich - $4
Chips - $3
Drink - $2
For a single meal

[Anonymous No.13112392]

These sandwiches suck big time

[Anonymous No.13112491]

>>13112215
Every crap gas station in my area sells cheap burgers, hot dogs, chicken salad sandwiches, pizza, etc. Hell, my local pizza shop sells two slices of pizza and a can of soda for $5.

[Anonymous No.13112561]

>>13112343
give FUCKING examples then.

literally noone has given non-fastfood ones yet.

>muh deli counter
i guarantee it will be like
>>13112373

[Anonymous No.13112580]

>>13112561
>do my work FOR ME
Fuck off, you lazy bongoloid.

[Anonymous No.13112591]

>>13112580
cope

[Anonymous No.13112624]

>>13112591
Huh?

[Anonymous No.13112650]

>>13111939
DC is fucked. It's a food desert. Go to bethesda or alexandria, fool

[Anonymous No.13112668]

>>13111863
Every supermarket in my area has something like this, usually around 5 dollars.

[Anonymous No.13112675]

>>13112668
OK thank you, ill take another look.

is it like in the UK where it has it's own 'Food to Go' isle, or is it round by the deli/fresh food stuff?

[Anonymous No.13112689]

Just go to 7/11

[Anonymous No.13112761]

>>13112675
There's a section off from the deli that has what you're looking for.

[Anonymous No.13112790]

>>13112561
walk outside and look for places
there are plenty of relatively cheap places to eat lunch in every city i go to as long as it isn't in the middle of nowhere and even then there's a few

[Anonymous No.13113020]

>>13111863
if you live in a metropolis there are usually tons of affordable lunch options. not so in suburbia.

[Anonymous No.13113093]

>>13111863
gas stations, specifically the "nicer" larger ones like sheetz, wawa, royal farms are all in the area and provide plenty of cheap shit
also drug stores like CVS typically have some cheap packaged goods
plus you can pick up some tampons while you're there

[Anonymous No.13113221]

when I went to London I got a Tesco's meal deal. It was a nice chicken fajita wrap thing with coleslaw, a smoothie, and a brownie or protein/cereal bar for like 3 pounds.
i unfortunately haven't found something similar in the US. i think fast food is too prevalent.

>>13113020
>>13112790
you people are missing the point.
op clearly said he can get a meal at McDonald's for $4. he also said he could get a meal deal in the UK for 3.29, ~$4.20.
is there any other option for the $4 price windows?
im sure you can get a cheap lunch anywhere for say, $8. but that's literally double the price of McDonalds/meal deals.

so focus on the question at hand.

[Anonymous No.13113228]

>>13111863
>Is there literally ANY alternative to McDonalds/fastfood if you want a cheap lunch in the US?
buy a nice thermos
fill it with boiling hot food.
it will stay above 160 degrees all day.

[Anonymous No.13113250]

>>13112373
You’re insane if you think a supermarket is going to charge $3 for a small bag of chips and $2 for a tiny drink. Maybe in the heart of nyc or la, but not for 98% of the country.

[Anonymous No.13113260]

Walmarts, bigger gas station like sheetz and wawa, and whatever regional grocery store should have some sort of fast meal deal for $4-$7.

[Anonymous No.13113292]

>>13111939
>>13111863
As far as I know, every grocery store I've been in has some fresh prepared food available. They dont always have a bundle discount, but there's always premade sandwiches, chicken wings, potato salad etc. My local Harris Teeter even has a fresh sushi counter

[Anonymous No.13113328]

>>13113093
This. Gas Stations are your best friend if you want deals like this. One of the ones near me has any size drinks for a dollar if you buy a sandwich and chips are obviously a dollar-one fifty depending on size. You can get out with a meal for $5. That isn't even talking 7/11 which just has everything for cheap.