To Eat or Not to Eat
October 25, 2006
A few weeks ago I laid my hands on an interesting book. “Fast Food Nation” it said in bright yellow letters on the cover depicting a rather deliciously-looking serving of French fries. In his book based on research, the author reveals to the world the truth about the fast food industry through information collected over the years. I’ve read the book and it left me wondering about many things.
A few years ago, fast food, French fries in particular, was high on the list of my favorite foods. I distinctly remember fast food not even being an issue. It was food, I liked it and I ate it, and that was the end of it. If it was good or bad, I didn’t know and never asked myself. Calorie and weight gain were still words to come into my vocabulary. I wasn’t a fast food junkie but at the weekends, I would treat myself with a visit to that Mecca of all hamburgers, McDonald’s. My order consisted of a burger, French fries and Coke and I enjoyed them equally. Pizza was even better. With its many choices available at almost every shopping center it was the perfect meal, tasty, juicy, easy to eat, in other words, deliciously convenient.
It took me a few years and many kilograms to start questioning what I ate. The truth was hard to accept but the fact that my destructive diet habits together with my total lack of exercise had led me to that point was pretty obvious. I started reading about food in general, then about fast food and about exercise.
The above mentioned book gives many details on the fast food industry, from the founding fathers of the whole concept to the animals that end up on our plate: what they eat, how they die and how they become hamburgers. As the story unfolds, hard facts come to light about the people who work in this industry as well, the accidents, the sometimes unfair treatment they are subjected to, especially those who work in the slaughterhouses.
It is not only a book about fast food, it is a book about people. They are the driving force behind the industry and it is a bit scary sometimes to read about the ways they market the products, the “traps” they set for the potential customers, the search for cheap labor and the carelessness which sometimes leads to loss of human lives.
I often wondered myself what exactly makes people queuing up, day after day, to get a hamburger of a pizza or a serving of French fries. For me it was the taste that did it and the fact that it filled me up. But what ends on our taste buds is not necessarily the true, natural thing. Another section of this book deals with just that. Would you still crave the food if you’d find out that the taste you like so much is obtained through careful combination of substances with names that make your favorite shampoo brand ingredients look almost innocent? Probably not. And still, I see people crowding the McDonald’s at lunch time, teenagers, adults, children and their parents, fat people and thin people, old and young alike, fashionable and the less so, people from every walk of life. They wait in line, patiently, for their portion of fast food. Most of them (or probably all) don’t even know (or maybe don’t care about) the amount of calories they ingest with every bite and the fact that what they eat has little nutritional value for the body. That probably makes no difference to most of us, because how many people actually ask themselves if the food is good for them before they actually eat it?
This book is an eye opener for those who want to see past their appetite. I remember hearing about people actually suing fast food companies because they get fat and they think somebody else should take the blame. After all, nobody is forcing people to buy anything, it’s all a question of decision. Who’s to blame if I feel like eating 3 serving of French fries in one meal, or that I want that big hamburger as well to go with it and a glass of Coke for that matter? I tell you who’s to blame. Only me, because, at the end of the day it’s all up to me to make the decision, me and no one else. And if I get fat, the blame is entirely mine. Sure, there are people who don’t have weight problems, who actually eat whatever and whenever they like. For the most of us, however, things are not that simple. Most of us have to fight for the body we want and it can be a very frustrating fight. One thing I know for sure, fast food is not an ally in this fight. So next time you dig into that juicy hamburger, take a minute and think: is it worth it? I’ll be the first to answer: no, not anymore.
- September 17, 2006 -
We all have stories to tell. Sometimes we bring them forth and sometimes we keep them buried. Here are my stories. I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. 
