tried to order panera on my phone from a target parking lot…
…and all I want is to stand in an old taco bell looking at a forgotten kmart
My job is in the suburbs…
…and one day I tried to run an errand at Target and get lunch in the same hour. I don’t have a strict lunch time policy, but still. You don’t want to abuse the privilege. And I had a meeting to get back to.
I thought somehow instead of waiting in line at Panera, which is across the parking lot from Target, that I could download the app, make my order, shop at Target and return for my 1/2 “smoked” turkey sandwich with avocado, plus 1/2 a small Caesar salad.
But I couldn’t do it. The app didn’t work. I couldn’t tell if my order had gone through. Here I am, pacing through rows of luxury cars in one of the toniest areas of my MSA, trying to order a freakin sandwich as my hands trembled in the cold.
But my home is in the city…
My old neighborhood had a Kmart. In front of the Kmart was a Taco Bell, I think, and definitely a Hardee’s. I used to eat at Taco Bell more often when I was younger, like in my early 20s. Seems like Taco Bell is specifically engineered for people who like to think of themselves as “xtreme,” who will eat anything and are supposedly “up” for anything like eating super-sized doritos with fake meat and hot cheese in the middle.
It is also quite a different price for those who desire “fast food.” Panera is technically pretty “fast,” though the name “fast casual” sounds more sophisticated. People who eat at Panera would probably prefer shopping at Target, because it feels like a more “sophisticated” experience even though you are buying the same body wash.
And even though I can’t remember if there was a Taco Bell in front of the Kmart, an old, un-renovated Taco Bell brought up a Kmart-like memory, like the two seems like of the same era, the same sensibility, the same aesthetic.
Look at those unflattering logos.
The creaky style.
The slight arches.
Taco Bell and Kmart both seem a little uncouth.
They both seem a little messy.
They both seem universal yet downscale.
They both seem nondescript.
They seem like me.
