Bryony Gordon 's Golden Arches
I read a post at the U.K.'s Telegraph today that had me in stitches. Bryony Gordon wrote a post about Prince Charles attacking the McDonald's food chain and how ridiculous it is that people blame McDonald's for the rise in unhealthy overweight people in the world - not the people themselves for walking in and asking for a Supersize, or for parents who teach their children that eating fries with every meal is a norm - not an occasional treat.
I didn't agree with everything in her post - for example, I think it's cool that Mickey D's has added a few healthy things to the menu, but I can understand her point of view when she says:
"...It shouldn't even be encouraged to sell healthy food. Who goes to the golden arches to eat salad? You go there to eat fat when you're feeling a bit indulgent, but I don't know anybody who eats there more than once a month, and if they did, would it be the fault of McDonald's?..."
Hell, I suppose I can even agree with that a little... It IS the kingdom of indulgence...
What is really a hoot are the comments from angry people who complain that she "has the audacity" to write something like that about Prince Charles...or that she is condoning unhealthy eating (she starts off talking about how yummy Mickey D's is).
I think that her point is simply this: that by simply suggesting that we remove fast-food restaurants we won't get rid of the problem. We'll simply be removing people's right to indulge when they want to. People have to take responsibility for their own actions and quit blaming others for the reasons why they are 400 pounds...
Sure, I'd like to blame the awesome Polish bakery around the corner from my crib in Greenpoint as the reason why I recently put in 30 pounds, but I know it's because I sat on my fat ass watching Stargate SG-1 and shoveled in about two of their fabulous pasteries a day in my mouth while stuck to my futon. That, among many other foods...
posted by Billychicat 1:18 PM
3 Comments:
I agree that self-moderation is the bottom line, but as someone who will go out of her way for healthier food choices, I have to say that finding them is not always easy. My beef with fast food chains is that (particularly in areas of the US that are not California or NYC) fast food is nearly ALL there is to choose from.
And as for McD's adding "healthy choices"... I'm all for it, except that they somehow manage to make a healthy choice less healthy. Case in point, the fruit and walnut salad has CARMELIZED walnuts. I guess if it's not layered in sugar and fat, we won't buy it... cuz lord only knows they test marketed that shit to death before it ever made it down my gullet!
I saw "Supersize me" the other day, and it freaked me out. 'Specially that part where even the salads at McDonald's turned out to be full of sugar. I'm never eating there myself, but the rest of the world can do whatever they want. There should be more information about the food you're eating out there, but in any case people make these decisions on their own.
Micky D's is just offering what people want. Just like supermarkets are with their complete aisles of chips and candy. No one is forcing people to eat junk, despite what they'd like to believe.
I'm could stand to lose 20 or so pounds, but my packing them on is not McDonald's fault. It's my own damn fault for eating a candy bar when I could have just as easily had an apple.
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