I Would Like Fries With That

Two decades ago, I spent most of 1999 eating junk food. My evening meals were rotated through the franchises at a mall food court (except for McDonald's) and my Sunday dinner was at Harvey's. This ended at Christmas, when on a trip to visit family, I was bluntly told by my grandma that I was getting fat. Since then, I have rarely eaten fast food. But with 2019 signaling the end of this decade, I decided on Sunday to indulge in an "unhealthy" lunch.

GL, shortened from the mouthful Globally Local, is a new vegan spot near College and Bathurst that offers vegan fast food. It looks to have started in London, Ontario. Looking over the menu, I opted for the Preposterous Burger combo for $11.99. Mine came with fries and a drink from the self-serve fountain.

The soft bun, mustard, ketchup, and pickles got that burger flavour down pat. But the patty was a slight miss. Though it was juicy and substantial, it didn't have a firm chewiness. I'm not sure what the problem is. For example, a falafel ball will give a nice crunch. The root beer was flat and not that tasty. I forgot that soft drinks from a machine, unlike a can, are combined from streams of water and syrup. Coincidentally, the fries were reminiscent of Harvey's: thicker cut, starchy on the inside, and coated with a thin batter to get more crunch.

GL offers other items including fried chicken and tacos. I hope it'll last out the next decade. My local Harvey's only made it halfway through the aughts before closing.