We have started to rethink our driving habits because of the rising gas prices. Prices in California are hovering around $3.10 on average, while prices in many areas in the south are over $5 per gallon. My gas tank is getting $100 donations from me more often now. While we may consider these rising gas prices to be too high, like I just did, we are forgetting many other things that are seeing price increases also, like food.

I drove by McDonald’s near San Diego recently, as that was the only accessible “kill hunger” store in the vicinity late that night. I got a nice burger with a drink, and got some nice fries as part of the meal also. Before driving off from the drive-thru window, I asked the nice lady who had taken my order if she could spare some mayonnaise and some more ketchup. She gave me one of each, and then immediately closed her drive thru window. I signaled her to open the window again, and then asked her for some more. She told me that they would cost 10 cents each. I was surprised; I said “10 cents? aren’t they supposed to be free?” to which she replied “Sorry sir, it’s the store chain policy. We don’t hand out more anymore.” I told her if she could give me some more since I paid over $7 for the entire meal, which was the worst way of bargaining for anything in life. She gave me a weird look, the look you give to someone who asks you to borrow their new car, and told me that she couldn’t. After a few minutes of “interaction” she handed me the condiments, and I handed her the coins. A burger is more expensive than gas now. Soon may start considering food as an “extinct product” also. I’m not sure why food prices go up; there isn’t a short supply of chicken and cows yet, and Heinz is still making a ton of money every month.

Gas prices increase with every catastrophic and not so catastrophic news media can bring you; someone dies overseas, and the gas price increases. Some country attacks another country, and the gas price increases. Now, Hurricane Katrina is to blame for the oil increases. Isn’t this just like the car sales, where the sale [and the trend] never goes out of fashion? When will these multi-billion dollar companies come up with some other excuse other than a tragedy to cover up their excuse for increasing oil prices? How about “Our candidate didn’t win as the president, so the prices are going to go up”, “More hybrid cars are coming out, so we are going to jack up the prices”, or “Paris Hilton isn’t making any more tapes, so we’re going to increase the prices.” At least that way we can really know what is going on and understand the reasons, instead of having the oil prices never come down to their original levels even after the current disasters go away. Hurricane Katrina did do a lot of damage for sure, but there are more than enough reserves and backups owned by the companies themselves to cover the oil deficiency, since such reserves are always kept as backups by these companies in case of any obstacles to the import of foreign oil. Today it was announced the government reserves will be released, and thus it is assumed that the gas prices are going to go down soon. Good job oil companies; keep your own supply safe for a “rainy day”, not use any of your billions of dollars, and wait for the government reserve to be opened to the public.

Throughout history, we invented things and marked them with whatever prices we preferred. We invented cars and then the gas companies used gas prices as a way of making more money than all the car manufacturers combined. Now, however, we are making a basic necessity, such as a burger, very expensive, and thus even making ourselves look for alternate and more affordable solutions in many cases. It’s not going to make me rethink going to a fast food place anytime soon, since hunger is still more powerful than the money in the pocket [in my view]. However, simply comparing even different fast food chains in order to get free condiments and similar things is probably going to be on everyone’s mind in the near horizon. Heaven, Hell and cheesecake forbid.