It is unpretentious yet god-tier, convenient but never part of the plan. It is late-summer Americana encapsulated.
By Justin Kirkland, Aug 23, 2021
There are five gas station foods that you will meet in heaven.
Provided that you lived a good and decent life, they will be waiting upon your arrival. These dishes are the pinnacle of the gas station food category, which is saying something, because gas station food is the pinnacle of all food categories, and that’s because it fills a certain niche that no other restaurant can.
It is fast and efficient; unpretentious in its presentation but so gratuitous in flavor. I just so happen to be a connoisseur. I suppose before we move forward we should have a conversation about what is and isn’t gas station food. If you’ve rolled your eyes and muttered, “I’ve heard about Takis and Slim Jims, Justin,” then I say, “How very dare you.”
You see, this is not a 7-Eleven situation. This isn’t even a Sheetz meal or a Wawa menu. The gas station food I’m talking about is prepared on a greasy grill, behind the tiniest of counters. It’s like fast food, but de-corporatized. A gas station cheeseburger or grilled cheese may sound generic. It may come wrapped up in unbranded plastic wrap.
But a gas station food item is an ambassador of whichever podunk, side-of-the-highway establishment it comes from, prepared with irreverence yet exuding love.