fat america

[rhys 0]

Gee, I just wacted supersize me. yeah yeah I know leftie blah blah.

is it true that schools feed students all that fatty sugary shit?

those super sized drinks and chips are too much for any human being to safely consume. I don't think the companies are at fault . consumers should choose what they want and the companies will supply it. my partner was just in the u.s. for JFTC and said it is very difficult to get fast food that is healthy like souvlakis, sushi, fruit etc?

no wonder there are so many fat peolpe in america.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[SpeedRacer 1]

I haven't seen that film, but I've heard about it.

To answer your questions, it's not all that bad & you can eat healthy if you want in America. We got all kinds of food here.

Personally, I almost never eat at fast food places. About the only time I do is when I'm driving on the Interstates a long distance & I can just pull in to those rest areas to get food without having to get off at an exit.

And no, I never supersize. I agree with you: the medium sized soft drink & fries are all anyone should need. I usually get the regular meal + side salad. & I only use about 1/4th of the salad dressing they provide, because they give you nearly a cup of that stuff.

America has always had cheap & abundant food, so the restaurants (both fast food & others) often have no qualms about giving you big portions. Though why anyone would stuff themselves with a frickin 48 ounces of sugar water & a Mutha-load of fries is beyond me.

If someone chooses to pig out on crappy food they can do it easily in the USA, but again, it's their own choice & their fault if they bloat up like a military life raft.

Speed Racer
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[wmw999 2,589]

I'm afraid it's pretty true. There are healthy alternatives available, but marketing money puts the sugary fat-laden stuff closer on the shelves, and easier to get to in general. Some chains are worse than others -- I can find something reasonable in many places.

The little stores can be a bit difficult (even the yogurt is heavily sweetened), but a regular grocery store is full of healthy food.

And yes, the schools do sell that stuff. Many Americans will do just about anything to avoid hearing complaints, and serving crap food to kids who prefer french fries to wheat bread is definitely one of them.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[billvon 3,119]

>is it true that schools feed students all that fatty sugary shit?

Yep.

>it is very difficult to get fast food that is healthy like souvlakis,
>sushi, fruit etc?

Depends where you are. Very true in a place like New York, or Minnesota, or Iowa. Less true in California. When Amy and I were on the road, about the only decent fast food we could find with any reliability was Subway.

(BTW not sure if souvlakis qualify as healthy fast food.)

[Rebecca 0]

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Gee, I just wacted supersize me. yeah yeah I know leftie blah blah.

is it true that schools feed students all that fatty sugary shit?

those super sized drinks and chips are too much for any human being to safely consume. I don't think the companies are at fault . consumers should choose what they want and the companies will supply it. my partner was just in the u.s. for JFTC and said it is very difficult to get fast food that is healthy like souvlakis, sushi, fruit etc?

no wonder there are so many fat peolpe in america.

Yep. It's really no surprise. The supply expands to fit our growing tummies. If you think the entire US is bad, you should see Texas. We invented the Supersize before McDonalds copyrighted it.

I almost never finish an entree. Almost 100% of the time, I have 50% or more of the meal left. I order children's plates when I can, just so I don't get hosed on the bill. But to many many people, an entree, plus app and/or salad, plus dessert is a 'normal' dinner.

I just signed on with a fitness trainer last night. No fat Americans here!

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[wmw999 2,589]

I order appetizers and a salad with some regularity, or else I just take a to-go box home if I'm going home after dinner.

My dad and I once got a total of 7 individual meals from a single 2-person plate at a German food restaurant .

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Rebecca 0]

Hey Wendy, do you have a good guess as to the max cut of steak offered in MOST steakhouses around here? I know Morton's offers a 48 ouncer.

The very fact that we are able to order the equivalent weight of 6 Filets Mignon for ONE serving is nauseating. Does any other country embrace this sort of excess the way we do?

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[kelpdiver 2]

I suspect there is a slight bit of exaggeration in the film, but then again, the California Coast is a different beast than much of America.

By Jr High, I was able to buy whatever items I wanted, so sometimes lunch was an it's it (ice cream cookie) surrounded by two more cookies. In high school I'd hit the 7-11 after an 8 mile run and down a 44oz super gulp in less than 5 minutes.

That probably hasn't changed much in decades. But what has changed is the typical physical activity - in particular I fear that America now has more virtual athletes (playstation basketball) than real ones. And schools have treated gym as non essential when it comes to balancing their budgets.

Not just a problem here - Australia may have taken the fat crown in the last few years.

[Channman 2]

My first jump at Spaceland was November 27 of last year with Chris Miller. They had to bring the Appollo chutes out of moth balls for my jump.

I've sence down sized to a Hornet 190. So yea, nothing endup up in my stomack by chance, keeping it out has been by choice.

My life sometimes serves as a warning to others.

[miked10270 0]

Yeah... The problem with America isn't the cheap & abundant food, it's the cheap & abundant food filtered through the lowest common denominator - GREED mixed with inadequate intelligence & education.

Personally, about once a month, I do like to pig out. 2 of the biggest double burgers that BK make are a nice snack but I wouldn't enjoy it if I did it every day. Similarly, a 16oz Porterhouse (BLUE!) is delicious on occasion but wouldn't be enjoyable if it wasn't an occasional thing. The rest of the time it's no added salt & heavy on the fruit, veg & fish rather than meat.

Unfortunately, "Fast Food" seems to be defined by inbalance... If you're not getting massive amounts of processed protein, fat & salt, then you're not getting value!

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[TheAnvil 0]

I've never seen that movie but have it in my Netflix queue. I suppose it will get to me sometime.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[Frenchy68 0]

"Good, fast and cheap: you can only have 2 at the same time".
Some people go for fast and cheap.

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[Rebecca 0]

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"Good, fast and cheap: you can only have 2 at the same time".
Some people go for fast and cheap.

Is that why you're so popular?

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[Rebecca 0]

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"Good, fast and cheap: you can only have 2 at the same time".
Some people go for fast and cheap.

Is that why you're so popular?

Kidding! I kid, mon ami!

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[Frenchy68 0]

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"Good, fast and cheap: you can only have 2 at the same time".
Some people go for fast and cheap.

Is that why you're so popular?

Aren't you supposed to be busy bearing Nathan's children?

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[rehmwa 2]

I don't mind having all the variety of food available. And California is nothing special in the diet market (only in the minds of its residents I guess), you can get any kind of food most anywhere in the US (yes BV, even Minnesota or Iowa has more than just velveeta soaked hashbrown topped grease burgers served on a bed of fried eggs - we just don't pretend having good sushi is something effete - it's just another decent restaurant choice. Try looking a bit harder next time or let me take you out next time in Minnesota).

The only common denominator is that the portions are just too big (unless you're a teenage athelete). And that's everywhere.

I wouldn't mind that if I could order half portions for half price. But you can't.

My wife and I have taken to splitting a single menu item when we eat out at restaurants. And we still take stuff home.

If we eat fast food, I order nothing and then just take whatever the wife and daughter won't finish.

It's been really hard to retrain my eating habits to only eat what I want rather than clear my plate as we were expected to do as kids. But it's much better and a lot cheaper.

On the other hand, I had the same problem with portion size in my last trip to Singapore and Thailand. So it's a restaurant issue in general, not just US.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Rebecca 0]

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Quote

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"Good, fast and cheap: you can only have 2 at the same time".
Some people go for fast and cheap.

Is that why you're so popular?

Aren't you supposed to be busy bearing Nathan's children?

That's the rumor. I've got my end taken care of: no shoes, check!

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[ReBirth 0]

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To answer your questions, it's not all that bad & you can eat healthy if you want in America. We got all kinds of food here

Depends where you live.

[NWFlyer 2]

Read Fast Food Nation if you would like more info about the US's love affair with cheap, mass-produced food.

One of the reasons we have such an obesity problem is that our public health policy (eat whole grains! lots of vegetables! minimal fat and sugar!) is in direct opposition to our agricultural policy (subsidize the production of corn! make high fructose corn syrup ridiculously cheap! put it in everything!).

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[kelpdiver 2]

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I don't mind having all the variety of food available. And California is nothing special in the diet market (only in the minds of its residents I guess), you can get any kind of food most anywhere in the US (yes BV, even Minnesota or Iowa has more than just velveeta soaked hashbrown topped grease burgers served on a bed of fried eggs - we just don't pretend having good sushi is something effete - it's just another decent restaurant choice. Try looking a bit harder next time or let me take you out next time in Minnesota).

The difference is here you don't have to look very hard. You don't need to go to a restaurant for sushi either - many grocery stores can take care of you. (geography helps a little here)

Actually, it's a pretty big difference going from here to SoCal. SF probably has more vegetarians than gays. And far more food snobs.

[ReBirth 0]

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The difference is here you don't have to look very hard.

Again...depends where you live.

[rehmwa 2]

Did you know that coconut oil is restricted in total content in the US for health reasons (high cholesterol content) but in the far east is in everything?

It's delicious and makes other things also taste delicious, but is horribly unhealthy.

Again, there are fat people and healthy people everywhere. (if we want to wallow in gross generalizations and unflattering and generally false stereotyping, one thing I noticed in the travels, is that non-US people tend to be thin, but have horrible muscle tone. That's not good either, but we don't have specific threads to bash that. The US thing is the broad spectrum but if not fat, then fit.

I don't care where you are from, if you don't want to be fat, don't let yourself. If you don't want to be a stick with no muscle tone, don't let yourself.

Doesn't matter, let's regulate the restaurant industry to the smallest detail too. Coka Cola's pocket's plus the oil industry's pocket's aren't deep enough.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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You don't need to go to a restaurant for sushi either - many grocery stores can take care of you. (geography helps a little here)

I live in Minnesota - about every grocery store near my home sells sushi. A couple of the chains sell excellent sushi. Mmmmmm sushi.

These regional stereotypes just don't play in today's world no matter how much people try to make them......

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[billvon 3,119]

>you can get any kind of food most anywhere in the US . . .

Of course. But it is much easier to get healthy food in some places than others. Bend, Oregon - easy. Albany, Wisconsin - hard. It's like looking for chinese food in Manhattan's Chinatown vs. El Paso, TX. You can find it in both places, but it's gonna be a lot easier in one of those two.

[NWFlyer 2]

Notice I said "one of the reasons."

As a former morbidly obese person myself, I am well aware of the complexity surrounding the problem of obesity and health. I would never try to say "if we just fix this, problem solved." Just pointing out one place where our government doesn't *help* the situaton (but then again, I, for one, don't usually look to the government to fix my problems).

I also never suggested we regulate the restaurant industry. If you read that into my post, please, read again. Fast Food Nation is an interesting book. I was making no commentary on the author's viewpoints.