I went to the movies on Wednesday afternoon and dropped by the Old Country Buffet at the mall. I had a lunch coupon for $5.99.
I'm convinced that, by the looks of things, if you weren't obese before you entered, you'd be well on your way by the time you left.
The food offerings are 95% carbohydrate...cheaper for them to make and more filling for the customers. Since it seems home made, I think there is a perception that the food is healthier. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn bread stuffing, rigatoni with marinara sauce, tossed salad, chicken and dumplings, soup, macaroni and cheese, tacos, and cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top. And that's just what I had!
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Friday, June 13, 2008
Center For Obesity?
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9 comments:
Another contribution to the obesity epidemic:
While visiting friends a couple of weeks ago, I visited a buffet like this one and was really pissed when the server refused (REFUSED!) to give me a SMALLER serving of roast beef. Since I don't waste food, that meant instead of having many small servings of whatever (ringing up a much bigger bill), I had roast beef and one serving of corn because that's all I could eat. So much for the customer always being right...
--Alex
Enormous portions of carbohydrates are the cause of obesity and are to blame for an epidemic of diabetes as well. This is not some surprising revelation (sorry); replace the starchy side dish on your plate with vegetables and you will lose weight, as well as being healthier.
Unfortunately, carb-rich foods are cheaper to buy, so poor people rely on them to fill their cupboards, despite the Herculean amount of exercise it takes to burn them off.
In case you can't tell, Food Fascism is one of my hot button issues.
The only time I ever ventured into one of those joints I had the kids with me and got more or less nagged in to it- Miss Thing's comment was "Jeeze Mom, the three of us combined weigh less than 90% of the people in this place". I was honestly freaked out by the entire experience.
And MSM, I'm pretty well right there with you on this subject. One of my side gigs has been research with a doctor on a dietary plan that takes the traditional comfort food variety of meals and the financial constraints of the average working poor family with such issues as diabetes and high blood pressure and regenerates it in a real and practical way.
Doralong,
That research sounds like a good idea--someone needs to publicize the REAL cost of this kind of eating--the carby food is cheap, but more than made up for by medical bills when you get diabetes, clogged arteries and such. And even though it's cheap, you're hungry an hour later so you need to buy a lot of it and keep eating...a vicious cycle. Lots of luck bucking the food industry, though...
--Alex
Oh my - don't get me started on the Old Country Buffet, otherwise known in my part of the country as the Fat-Ass Cafe.
The patrons of these type of restaurants usually fall into Sherman Klump sized people category. I think the corporate heads decided that since they're not going to pay their workers a living wage they might as well give them entertainment value - thus the cafe sized chairs at the tables. Picture the obese twins on the motorcycle pic and you'll know what I mean.
I do like their breakfasts though - I could eat eggs & sausage until my left ventricle snaps shut.
I guess like everything moderation should come into it. But sometimes its good just have a blow out and enjoy it.
romach---but this is America...moderation is unpatriotic...therefore stopping oneself from gorging probably helps the terrorists!
I can practically smell the place just from looking at the picture. In Canada, we have ABC Family Restaurant, which in addition to being a carb-trough is a front for evangelicals. Just inside the door, by the till, is a rack with the free tracts on it. Gross, in other words, on so many levels.
OCB is great for getting your feedbag on. but it is UBER white trashy.
And FAT white trash at that!
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