Cold Chicken for Breakfast?

Eggs Benedict Anyone? Maybe some fries with cheese on top!

A COLD CHICKEN LEG?

I think we can safely say that Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers of this great nation, is to be blamed for the obese people in America!

Hey, we have to blame someone and of course it could not be McDonald’s, poor parenting, or the choices we make, could it?

Jefferson is credited with introducing french fries, waffles, ice cream and macaroni and cheese to the American palate. Having read about this, I started to wonder about why we eat things we do and especially when we eat them. Opening the refrigerator early in the morning, nothing looked better than a good chicken leg…ice cold with all that great tasting grease unable to drip. Whoever said that bacon, eggs, or even cereal was a morning meal? Don’t we have it reversed somewhat? A protein to get one started…and a nice bowl of cereal in the evening to put us to sleep.

Asian Americans

Have you ever seen a fat Asian person? Not many unless they are training for a wrestling match in Japan. Most Asian Americans like to use fresh food in their cooking. Unlike the fast food society of the United States, they select live seafood, fresh meats, and seasonal fruits and vegetables from the local market to ensure freshness. Meat is eaten once or twice a month in some cases. You mean they wouldn’t go for the southern fried drum-stick for breakfast?

America is a melting pot, as we all know. We come from everywhere. Even our restaurants reflect this. The most popular are Italian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Greek. However the diet most uniquely American are the the good old standbys:

Cheeseburgers
Hot dogs
Fried chicken (yeh…for breakfast even)
Submarine sandwiches …also called subs, hoagies, grinders and heroes
Pizza

Don't think about calories! They are off the chart.

Obesity?! I rest my case. But……..they are soooooo good!

This leads me to think that we need to re-educate ( a good Communist word) our palette.

I remember coming home from Mongolia a few years back after eating borscht
and soup ( Russian dishes) for two months. Having lost twenty five pounds, I arrived in the USA. My first bite of chocolate was as if I had put twenty spoonfuls of sugar in my mouth…all at the same time! It was disgusting. I soon got over that problem! So, re-education can be done. It takes time and the determination to change the taste buds.

Ever watch children with parents in a grocery store? All the negotiating that goes on would wear out any mother! Parents who can go grocery shopping without their children are one step ahead. It is not only faster, but better choices can be made without the crying and whining.

Recently I saw a program on a mother who fixed about three separate meals for her family because everyone liked different things. Whatever happened to, ” Eat your spinach and be quiet!”

Parents have to set good examples. The majority of obese people, we are told, come from lower-income levels. When living in Virgina, I noticed that even though the economy was hurting, many families still ate out. The size of some of these families was amazing. I am referring to the weight size and I speak of teens and children as well as mother and father. The waitress would ask, ” Do you want cheese on your fries?” The answer was usually,”Yes” from all seated. No examples here.

Recently I heard that the airlines are charging extra for the extender belt. What, you may ask, is an” extender belt” if you have never seen one? It’s about 24 inches of extra belt to add to the regular seat belt… making it big enough for one’s really big belly! Because it is a little embarrassing to have to ask for one, you can even bring your own. ( Available on line for about $54.) I think you have the picture.

airline seat-belt extender

We are told that nature equips us with a desire for carbohydrates and fats, as these foods provide immediate energy when food is scarce. In our society, for the most part, food is not scarce. Yes, more people are finding help at the local Food Bank. There is no shame in this. I remember when I was a single parent many years ago having to resort to food stamps to feed my little flock. After getting a good teaching job, I was able to go it on my own. I think limited help is why these programs exist; although some make it a life supplement. There are the homeless today who appreciate that one hot meal that they line up for at the Salvation Army or some other private charity. Having enough food is for most not the problem. Unfortunately, we are also a country of wastefulness. We are highly regulated in restaurants, which may be good for health reasons. As the minutes tick away, certain meals, by law, are dumped in the trash. Some places still send day-old bread for people to pick up. This is a good thing.

I remember people saying, “ Eat your food. Think of the little children starving in Africa.” Well, if it is not Africa, it is in the flooded areas of Pakistan or China. Don’t forget the people still reeling from last year’s hurricane in Haiti. It always seemed like such a strange thing to say because the food on our plate will do no good in another country unless we are willing to send part of our grocery money to relief agencies. Many Americans do this. Our government is quick to send help, through our tax payers dollars, around the world in times of need. The generosity of Americans is well known.

Food…food…food. It almost makes me want to stop thinking about it. But just wait….when my stomach begins to grind a little, nothing can be better than that left-over chicken leg beckoning me to the refrigerator.