Just a couple of generations ago, the convenience store was just that - a place of convenience. You paid for your gas there, maybe you picked up some overpriced milk, a newspaper and some sub-par coffee to keep you going.

Even just a generation ago, convenience stores hadn’t changed much. Along with your milk, maybe you grabbed some bread and ice cream. The sub-par coffee was maybe (maybe) on-par, but just barely.

Today’s convenience stores aren’t just keeping up in terms of convenience, they’ve come so far that they actually deserve a new name as they dig deep to grab a chunk of the premium food market share from some pretty big names.

There’s a fire going on at most quick-serve and fast-casual restaurants around the world and Malaysia is no exception to this inferno of spicy food. According to some in the quick-serve restaurant industry, more and more people are leaving the comfort of traditional fare and are choosing to eat spicier foods like Asian and Mexican cuisine.

In fact, if we take this story across the ocean to the U.S.A., we’d find that most Americans (54%) have a preference to foods that are either “hot” or “spicy.” This number is up slightly from just a couple of years earlier.

There’s no denying that the QSR industry is in constant fluctuation. This is true as much on a global scale as it is on a regional scale. And since it seems that trends are always being set in the good ole United States, we figured we’d take a quick look at the top six QSR brand in that region. In no particular order, because that’s how we roll.

Crisp. Golden. Cooked to perfection. Lightly salted. We’re talking about Fuel Shack french fries, of course. They’re a staple on the Fuel Shack menu, and just about any restaurant that serves burgers, steak and other beef products.

One of the best things about french fries is that they are served very close to the way they come out of the ground with very little processing.

Let’s take a look at how they’re made.

In the U.S., state fairs are a time of celebration and fun. It's also a time where Americans push the limits of decency when it comes to fried foods. While some fried foods found at state fairs are somewhat on the benign side (think deep-fried donuts), there have been, and continue to be, other foods that...just...well...you'll just have to read on.

Here are our top 4 fried foods found at state fairs in the United States:

1. Fried Beer. Ok, it's not actually fried beer, since you can't fry liquids (and it would be a waste of beer). The food is actually a ravioli that is filled with beer and then deep fried. The ravioli is a dough, much like that of a pretzel and then cooked in oil for less than 30 seconds. Because there is alcohol in the ravioli, anyone who wants to buy one (or a dozen) must be of legal drinking age.