National Onion Rings Day and How They Became a Fast Food Favorite
Yesterday was National Onion Rings Day.
Onion rings had been around for many years before fast food restaurants embraced them, but A&W is generally credited with making them a fast food favorite during the 1960s. Before long, they began appearing on menus across America as an alternative to French fries.
For my fast food project, I chose Sonic’s onion rings.
That wasn’t by accident.
Unlike many fast food onion rings that arrive frozen and ready to fry, Sonic became known for making its onion rings from whole sweet onions. Their slightly sweet batter has become one of the chain’s signature recipes and has earned a loyal following over the years.
They made a good addition to my From Bag to Background project.
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National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day showed up again, and this one already had a place in my archive.
Last year I photographed these grilled cheese sandwiches from Sonic, stacked and set against a black background, exactly as they came. No styling, no reconstruction, no attempt to turn them into something else. Just what they are.
Sonic has been part of the American fast food landscape since 1953, when it began as a small root beer stand in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Built around the drive-in model, it became known for a menu that leaned into simplicity and consistency. The grilled cheese sandwich fits directly into that tradition. White bread, American cheese, buttered and toasted on a flat top. It is not trying to compete with anything elevated or reimagined. It is built to be recognizable, affordable, and the same every time.
That idea sits at the center of my “From Bag to Background” series. Fast food is not just something we eat quickly and forget. It is part of everyday life, routine, memory, and culture. These sandwiches, simple as they are, carry that weight. They are familiar, consistent, and widely recognized without needing explanation.
Photographing them this way isolates that idea. Removed from the packaging and the setting, they become something to look at more closely. Texture, repetition, structure, even excess. It shifts the way the subject is seen without changing what it is.
There is no attempt to elevate it into something it is not. The point is that it already matters.
More of my food photography, including the “From Bag to Background” series, along with everything else I am working on, can be found at https://www.secondfocus.com
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