Commentary by H.G. Listiak

Monday 3/8/2004

Welcome to My World, where once again the fat police win, as McDonalds bows to their whims and will remove their trademark supersized fries from the shadow of the golden arches. It's another step on the way to a slimmed down menu that is supposed to force it's clientele to slim down, as we continue to pay more attention to our bellies than brains. Now I'll grab a quick bite at McDonalds, but I never have the supersized stuff, but you see, that's my choice. As intelligent humans, we should be allowed to be responsible for our own well being, or bad being, and that of our children. And how hard is it to figure out? Supersized people eat supersized food. That's how they get supersized and stay supersized. If they don't have the supersized menu, they'll probably eat more of the downsized items, which will only serve to cost them more to be supersized. When Big Macs go to Little Macs, they'll buy two. When quarter pounders go to an eighth, they'll buy two. When Happy Meals become unhappy, they'll buy two and eat the toys. When large fries become small fries, you guessed it, they'll buy two. If the lawyer-phobic purveyors of porky, yet popular products continue the trend, the day could come when they would become so downsized, so stingy with what people by their own choice, their own free will, choose to consume, they could end up in court for promoting anorexia. My point is that those who feel they know what's best for us, and their cash consuming lawyers and soft judges, are working on the wrong end, paying no attention to the fact that we are all different. Some of us can gobble away like chickens in a bread pan and not gain, while others can smell a Snickers and gain weight. It's really not the fault of the free market. There are plenty of options. It's a matter of personal choice. If obesity is a disease as some say it is, and it's your malady, see a doctor for treatment. If it's just a habit, break it. And if it's more like a hobby, live with it. If McDonalds and our other fast food feeders continue to bend, they'll end up broke. "Welcome to Jack in the Box, may I take your order?" Yes, I'll have the downsized tofu in a lettuce wrap, as I see it ... I'm H.G. Listiak.