I can't tell you the number of times I have been driving down the road with my wife when suddenly she says to me "I need a Diet Coke". From my point of view, it always seems to come at the most inconvenient time. Either traffic is bad or we need to be getting somewhere else, or I just know they are going to be busy. That doesn't mean I don't stop, I love @mrsbozz after all and if this occasional selfless act makes her happy, then so be it.
It did get me thinking the other day about how much time we spend sitting in the McDonald's drive through waiting for said Diet Coke.
Wait you might be thinking, don't other places sell Diet Coke besides McDonald's? Yes, they certainly do, but for many, there is this widely held belief that McD's Diet Coke is better than your average Diet Coke. You can read about it here. That doesn't mean @mrsbozz will only drink Diet Coke from McD's. No, occasionally I will stop at a gas station and pick one up. Those are the rare treat because if they let you source your own fountain drink and they have Cherry Coke on tap I will get her a Diet Coke with a splash of Cherry Coke and that just makes her day.
She also drinks Diet Coke from the can and bottle as well, but her absolute favorite indulgence is from the McDonald's drive through.
My own personal misgivings about artificial sweeteners and what they are potentially doing to your body aside, she could have a much worse addiction, so I can't really complain. It's not about the money either. We both have good enough jobs that we can afford to spend a couple bucks each week for her to get a Diet Coke from the "Golden Arches".
I'm not kidding though when I say I feel like I spend a crazy amount of time per year in the McD's drive through. Let's say the average trip takes about ten minutes. Even if you only get a McDonald's Diet coke twice a month, that's still four hours per year that you are spending in the drive through.
That doesn't take into account the times you are sitting in line longer.
They try to trick you into thinking ordering through the app is quicker... it's really not. You still have to sit in line behind all the other cars who are taking their sweet time ordering everything off the menu before you can pull up to the speaker and give them your code. Then you sit in line longer until you get to the first window and wait for those other cars to spend five minutes digging through their center console looking for loose change to pay with, just so they can verify you are all set and ask you if you want a paper receipt.
Finally, you wait for that same car in front of you to get a million bags handed out to them and continue waiting as they check each one of them and point out some missing item they half mumbled to the attendant during their original order.
You laugh, but I'm not kidding this stuff happens all the time.
Finally, you pull up to that last window and you get your precious Diet Coke that it literally took them three seconds to prepare.
Or how about this scenario:
I can't tell you the number of times @mrsbozz and I have exited a busy expressway and navigated ourselves into a crowded McDonald's drive through only to be greeted with a sign saying their CO2 system is down so they can't offer fountain drinks. Either that, or we wait in line fifteen minutes only to find that their CO2 was spent and the drink is flat, or even worse, they pulled regular Coke instead of Diet Coke.
Like I said, I don't blame my wife, and I'd do it every time she asks in a heartbeat because that's what you do for people you love, but it's interesting to reflect on the time spent waiting for things like this that in the grand scheme of things probably don't really mean that much.
For sure, the act of getting it for her means a lot to her, but the actual Diet Coke itself? It's just an indulgence. Just a good ten minutes of pain for a fleeting moment of pleasure.
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Nice of you to do that for her 😃
I haven't been to a McDonalds in years. Actually I'm not sure if the ones in Japan even have digital ordering yet. Hmm.. When I use the digital ordering at Starbucks and go to pick it up, I always skip the car line and just go inside. Much faster that way!
I should probably start doing that. We ran through another McD's today to get her a diet coke and sure enough this lady comes flying into the drive through line from the side and cuts me off. Then proceeds to contemplate the menu for five minutes before ordering everything on it!
I've never been much of a fan of McD. Their veggie burgers are okay, but not that exciting and the fries are meh. I don't tend to drink diet drinks as I don't really trust what they put in them. I do have a fat Coke now and then, but that may be less than once a month. But each to their own. I could mention I'm not into drive-throughs either, but then we don't have so many here. There is a McD one near work and a Starbucks one is about to open. I was just never that into eating in the car and now I don't drive much.
There is something familiar about McDonald's that I really appreciate. It's definitely not the highest quality food, but it's good for a quick burger and fries. I stopped drinking all soda probably a decade or more ago except when I am having a captain morgan and coke.
I guess they are very consistent, but just not to my taste. I had fish and chips last night :)
I had a burger yesterday and then a turkey sandwich.
I feeling I remember all too well! Always a good idea to take care of the wife! McDonalds always has a huge line especially when it's just off the interstate. The only place that I have found worse is In N Out Burger... It is funny how you always seem to get stuck behind the car getting 8 bags of food and then beverages, happens to me all the time!
I hope the rain didn't last too long!
The rain has moved out now, but we have a bit more coming this weekend. Typical spring I guess. Yeah, I had one lady go out of turn in those new double drive throughs and it threw everything off.
Can you buy 'fat' Coke from Mc's? Here they pulled it as Mc feel us incapable of making our decisions over obesity.
Oh yes, you can buy all the sugary drinks here they just charge you a bit extra for them.
I totally understand, sometimes we do things that don't make sense for our loved ones :)
Indeed!
Is it quicker than ordering from inside?
Probably not. Less walking though.
Keeps you warm and dry too!
I totally get you! McDonald's Coke just hits different! My friends and family don’t really notice the difference, but I always prefer getting mine from there.
Whenever I’m craving one but don’t feel like going myself, I ask my younger sister to grab it for me. She loves going out and hanging around McDonald's anyway, so it works out perfectly.
You must love her a lot that saying no isn’t even an option when she wants her Diet Coke from McDo! 💓
I very much do! She has stuck with me for over 15 years now, so she has earned it!
I like that you acknowledge the hassle you have to go through to get what your loved one needs. It might seem small but it’s a lot and it’s fine to talk about it as long as you don’t have plans of stopping, hehe.
No, I will likely be buying Diet Cokes for the rest of my life I hope!
Go for it!
I mean, the fact that you don't think twice about the hassle, and get it for her, shows that you love her so, that's a great thing to see🙂😅
I'm sure she appreciates the gesture😎
I think she definitely does. Saying no really isn't an option! :)
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