hamburgers and milkshakes and...oh my!

I worked for two years in a fast food restaurant after high school. To this day, whenever I visit a fast food restaurant (which isn't frequently), I am thankful that I no longer have to work in such a place.

Actually, it's amazing that I ever go to fast food restaurants at all, given that I have such vivid memories of the cockroaches. You might be interested to know that we consistently received an "A," the top rating, from the health department. We cleaned and mopped regularly and perishable foods were kept refrigerated. The restaurant was free-standing; that is, it wasn't attached to any other buildings, so it wasn't as if the roaches were coming from another business. Still, you could open the drawer where the hamburger patties were kept and see the roaches inside the drawer run from the light. I shall never forget finding a cockroach in the milkshake machine and being told by the manager to scoop him out and continue selling shakes.

More than you ever wanted to know about cockroaches (although you've probably already reached that stage, haven't you?):

• Did you know that a female American cockroach and her offspring can produce over 800 cockroaches in a year? (http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7467.html)
• A cockroach can live a week without its head. The roach only dies because without a mouth, it can't drink water and dies of thirst. (http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/pg000097.html)

So, how do you feel about your favorite fast food restaurant (or any restaurant) now?