fast-food
fast-food — 名詞
1. meals such as burgers, fried chicken, or pizza that are prepared and served in a
速食
快速供應的熟食
meals such as burgers, fried chicken, or pizza that are prepared and served in a very short time, usually at a counter or drive-through window where customers order and pick up their food without waiting long
Brandon grabbed fast food from the drive-through on his way home from work.
Brandon 下班回家途中在得來速買了速食。
collocation: grab fast food
Since the family was in a hurry, they stopped at a fast-food place for a quick dinner.
因為一家人趕時間，他們在速食店匆匆吃了晚餐。
compound modifier: fast-food place
Heloísa tries to avoid eating too much fast food because she prefers home-cooked meals.
Heloísa 盡量少吃速食，因為她比較喜歡自家煮的飯菜。
Jabari picked up fast food for the children after their football practice ended late.
Jabari 在孩子的足球練習晚結束後，幫他們買了速食。
- home-cooked meal
food prepared at home rather than bought ready-made
- slow food
food prepared with care and traditional methods, the opposite of fast food in philosophy
用法筆記
Uncountable — 'a fast food' is non-standard; say 'some fast food' or 'a fast-food meal'.
常見錯誤
fast-food — 形容詞
1. describing a restaurant, business, or product that specialises in preparing meal
速食的
與快速供餐有關的
describing a restaurant, business, or product that specialises in preparing meals very quickly, usually with customers ordering at a counter and taking the food away or eating it on the premises
Padma works part-time at a fast-food restaurant near the university campus.
Padma 在大學附近的速食餐廳打工。
collocation: fast-food restaurant
The fast-food industry has grown rapidly in many countries over the past few decades.
過去幾十年，速食業在全球許多國家迅速成長。
collocation: fast-food industry
Sirin ordered a fast-food meal because she only had fifteen minutes for lunch.
Sirin 點了速食餐，因為她午餐只有十五分鐘。
A new fast-food franchise opened next to the train station, offering breakfast wraps and coffee.
火車站旁邊新開了一家速食加盟店，賣早餐捲餅和咖啡。
- takeaway
British English; describes food sold to be eaten off the premises, not necessarily served quickly
- drive-through
narrower — only describes restaurants with a drive-through service
- fine-dining
describes restaurants with a formal atmosphere and carefully prepared dishes
用法筆記
Used attributively before a noun — 'fast-food chain', 'fast-food worker', 'fast-food menu'. Not used predicatively (❌ 'This restaurant is fast-food').
2. created or provided very quickly, often implying that little thought or care has
速成；粗糙
求快而犧牲品質的
created or provided very quickly, often implying that little thought or care has gone into its quality, depth, or lasting value — used metaphorically about things like information, entertainment, or education
The article was fast-food journalism — short on facts and long on dramatic headlines.
那篇文章是速食新聞——事實很少，聳動的標題很多。
figurative: fast-food journalism
Tamar criticised the fast-food approach of the training programme, which crammed everything into a single weekend.
Tamar 批評訓練課程採用了速成做法，把所有內容擠在一個週末教完。
figurative: fast-food approach
Some streaming platforms produce fast-food entertainment that people watch once and forget.
有些串流平台推出速食娛樂，觀眾看過一次就忘了。
The lecture felt like fast-food learning — a lot of buzzwords but no real depth.
那場講座感覺就像速食學習——一堆流行用語，但沒有真正的深度。
- throwaway
emphasises disposability rather than speed of production
- mass-produced
focuses on the industrial process rather than the speed-quality trade-off
- artisanal
suggests careful craftsmanship and attention to detail
- thoughtful
implies care and depth, the opposite of the speed-focused approach
用法筆記
Metaphorical and evaluative — carries a critical tone. Typically appears in reviews, opinion pieces, and cultural criticism rather than neutral description. The noun being modified is abstract (journalism, culture, education, art).