There are five gas station foods you'll find in heaven. As long as you've lived a good and decent life, they'll be waiting for you when you arrive. These dishes are at the top of the gas station food category, which is a saying, because gas station food is the pinnacle of all food categories, and that's because it covers a certain niche that no other restaurant can cover. It's fast and effective; it's unpretentious in its presentation, but it has a very free flavor.
Turns out I'm an expert. The superiority of Hawaii's gas stations has a lot to do with the state's close ties to Japan, where snacking at convenience stores is an art in itself. At a gas station on the way to California's most famous national park, Whoa Nellie Deli makes food much more ambitious than necessary, with even better views. Technically, cookies and meat sauce from a gas station are the only breakfast food on this list, but it's the purest thing you can find when it comes to gas station dining.
The truth is that there is something at once messy and comforting about the rich and creamy pepper cheese that finds its true purpose between two pieces of untoasted white bread, made in the secure compartment of a gas station. My preference for this gas station burger wasn't because I was so culture-hungry as to mistake a blackened piece of charcoal for a delicacy. Food at Four Corners, like many gas stations in the South, is simple and tasty; there are no drizzles or deconstructions. Historically, gas stations have been a valuable business starting point for immigrants to the United States, and today you'll find some of the best Sharska Saag, Tamales, Lamb Skewers, and Dak Bulgogi sold along with lottery tickets and 5 Hour Energies at gas stations across the country.
Part of its appeal lies in the inexplicable reason why a gas station BLT is so much better than a regular BLT. In the rural agricultural district where I grew up, eating well at a gas station was as normal as Friday night soccer games. In addition to the fact that gas station charcuteries have all the above-mentioned ingredients, no more and no less in individual servings, it is the chili that makes this dish successful. And while the chicken train trade is a thing of the past in Gordonsville, its legacy lives on in gas station fried chicken.
This dish has become a legend among the audience at Ole Miss, and has inspired imitations at other gas stations in the city. A food critic for The New Yorker, Helen Rosner, recently tweeted about her theory about food at gas stations. The food at the gas station I'm talking about is prepared on a greasy grill, behind the smaller counters.
