Common Sensical

I was reading this article on Huffington Post and found this paragraph particularly interesting:

"French children don't get fat. In 2004, when an uptick in childhood obesity was reported there, the government responded swiftly - children between the ages of five and 12 were weighed at school and reports containing their weights and body mass indexes were sent to their parents, along with instructions explaining how to interpret the numbers. Parents then attended meetings with local physicians and dieticians about ways to prevent or reverse the trend with diet and exercise, and children were taught about portion control and good nutrition. Vending machines selling soda and snacks were banned from school campuses and exercise was encouraged. The Plan was simple, clear and effective-the obesity rate declined before stabilizing in 2007."

So simple. And so far from anything that would ever happen in this country.

Umami

Do you know about Umami? Umami is our fifth taste and is often labeled as the Savory taste. Our other tastes being Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter. I learned about Umami awhile ago, I think while learning about macrobiotics, but it could have been during any of my various food related reading. I have been fascinated by it ever since. It's considered to be an elusive taste that most people don't recognize or know to recognize. If you want to learn more about Umami, check out the Umami Information enter. Who knew there were information centers for tastes?

And while we are on the subject, this place has been on my list for far too long. I'm hungry, so let's hop in the car and do this already. Who's in?

report: citizens take action in battle for san juan capistrano

Lot's of fast food stories popping up. This one regarding a town very close to where I grew up. It seems San Juan Capistrano has decided to not allow popular In-N-Out Burger to add another location to an already fast food-laden Del Obispo. SJC citizens complained that yet another fast food restaurant would turn the street into "Cholesterol Row." I am happy to see citizens take action on an issue that really does support their best interest.

But seriously, good job San Juan Capistrano.

Somewhat jokingly, stay classy San Juan Capistrano. Just like all those people that attend the annual Mooning of Amtrak or like the classy ladies that attend the Swallows Day Parade dressed as slutty cowgirls (no link or picture due to the fact that this IS a classy blog despite what you may have heard).

What is the unhealthiest fast food sandwich?

I'm not going to bother with a picture because it would gross people out and then you'd never come back here to read our increasingly sporadic posts.

Popular baseball and political statistician, Nate Silver, has taken on the hilarious task of assessing whether or not KFC's new Double Down Chicken sandwich is the unhealthiest sandwich ever. (Click here) While I was initially shocked to see a Chipotle chicken burrito on his list of unhealthiest (I'm rooting for them to succeed as a future organic business) it was even more shocking to see how unhealthy some of these sandwiches are. I had never even heard of a few of them. Monster Thick Burger? Triple Baconator? Has Chevy Chase/Pierce Hawthorne been naming fast food menu items around the country?

For the record, I was dismayed to discover that the reputable Nate Silver did not list the unhealthiness of the most disgusting fast food item I have ever heard of or had a nightmare about.

Click at your own risk!

Technical Difficulties and GO DODGERS!

I am still experiencing some technical difficulties with my ability to post images. So please excuse the inconsistent posting and/or text only posts. I know, bummer.

In the meantime, it's officially baseball season! Go Dodger Blue!

What? You didn't know I was a sports fan? I'm not. Not really. Despite my love of the Dodgers, I don't really follow the sport (or any sport). But I do enjoy attending sporting events. Why?Well, for a lot of reasons - it's far more exciting than watching on television, I like the atmosphere, the childhood memories, blah blah blah. The biggest reason I enjoy sporting events is the food. Really, that's the best part - admit it. So I was excited to read this article which got me pumped for this season. I know other people get pumped for the season by reading up on the players stats and such. Boring. Tell me where the best food is and I am a happy sports fan.

Word to the wise: No matter how hungry you are, and how late you are running, skip the Carl's Jr. food. I know stadium food is not going to be healthy and you aren't gonna feel like a million bucks after eating any of it but well, just learn from my experience. It's not worth it.

One more note, skip the part in the article that starts going into calorie content. Yeah, it's a lot. Did you seriously not know that already? Unless, you have season tickets and are eating this stuff on a very regular basis then just enjoy the food and oh yeah, the game.

Article via L.A. Times

Note: Problem still not fixed, but budger's brain might have been.

Snack Attack

Remember my Unhappy Meal post a few weeks ago? Well, this is very similar but I couldn't resist posting it because I think these photos are much better at illustrating the grossness that is fast food. Blech.