We live in the age of food porn. But unlike regular porn, this porn is not considered taboo or forbidden in any way. It’s beamed right into our living rooms 24/7 for even children to see.
In our warped socially responsible mindset, we banned cigarette advertising years ago from young impressionable eyes because we knew the dangers of continued exposure. But we allow them to watch ad after ad of food porn and then wonder why they are growing up obese at levels that are frightening.
Burgers used to be a simple piece of fatty meat on a bun. Now they come in layers and are combined with as many other reprehensible “foods” as possible. The two most ubiquitous of these are bacon and cheese.
When did it become important to put cheese on everything? KFC puts cheese in its bowls that include gravy! Gravy and cheese? What kind of taste sensation are they going for? What ethnic culture are they representing? TGI Friday’s puts cheese on steak.
Bacon has long graced our baked potatoes, but now it’s showing up chocolate covered as candy. Isn’t this like assisted suicide? Why are we not prosecuting these people?
Some pizza place whose name escapes me, is now putting pasta on pizza crust. Can you say “empty calories”? Is there any pretense of nutrition there?
The sad thing is that this type of food is cheaper than nutritional food. You can get more than your daily requirement of sodium, fat, and calories in one $4.99 meal at most fast food places. But if you are looking for lean meat, fresh green vegetables (iceberg lettuce doesn’t count), and fiber, you’re out of luck. That’s a health food store and a minimum of eight bucks.
Am I guilty of eating this stuff? You bet. I watch TV. I see those happy people with their friends chowing down on this stuff and I salivate. I run out for lunch and survey my choices and give in to a quickie at Bojangles, where the biscuits are soaked in butter and the rice comes with sausage chunks.
I don’t smoke, however. Even though I grew up with the ads as a child, it was beaten in to me by the time I hit my teens that smoking was bad for you. Maybe we need the same kind of message on our airways about fast food. Or a good lawsuit or two to get their attention.
Gotta run. My stomach is growling and I can see Hardee’s from my window.
