By The Way...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
11:24:00 AM EDT
Hearing Mercy Street  -- Peter Gabriel
"My opinion is that the media is the main supporter of healthy eating. We're certainly not hearing it from our customers."

-- Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's

Pudzer is making this comment in light of the fact that Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are making money hand over fist with mega-sized hamburgers jammed with calories (one with over 1,000 calories, or half of a normal human's recommended daily caloric intake). I think he's got a point, at least when it comes to his customers. His stores are specifically aiming for young males -- which is to say a demographic that not only doesn't care about eating well, but actively avoids looking like it needs to watch calories (this is why, for example, Coca-Cola's no calorie Coke Zero doesn't call itself a "diet" drink -- because it's aiming for the same market).

Is this company being irresponsible? Eh. You know, look. It's not like you can't find responsible food choices out there these days. I bet even Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have salads on the menu. And speaking as someone who is no longer young but still male, the idea of a massive burger is still enticing. Not something I'm going to eat every single meal, or even, say, more than once a week. But from time to time? Rock on.

Your thoughts?


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This entry has 6 comments: (Add your own)

• #6 Comment from chasferris 
  5/23/07 5:01 PM | Permalink

  It is so easy.... "Eat what you want and leave the rest"  You don't have to eat your plate clean at every meal. Jennie Craig counselors used to say, "Train yourself.  Leave something on the plate at every meal."
• #5 Comment from fuddsternj 
  5/23/07 1:17 PM | Permalink

  Speaking as someone who has just lost 125+ pounds, the healthy choices are out there, even for fast food, you just have to look for them because they are outnumbered and can be hard to find.
  
  One of the more interesting things to note is that that most of your fast food joints do have the nutritional info posted on their web sites, while a far smaller percentage of the national chain restaurants post their NI.
  
  Your can make very informed choices if you decide to eat healthy, it's just not going to happen by accident.
• #4 Comment from anaedream 
  5/23/07 12:26 PM | Permalink

  Okay from someone who has made a conscience choice to ditch the junk food, and go healthy, I am amazed.
  
  I went shopping yesterday, spent the same amount of money for groceries that would normally last two weeks, but walked away with 6 less bags.
  
  You wonder why there is the overweight epidemic out there? It's because a double cheeseburger costs 99 cents at a McDonalds, but one cucumber costs 1.25 and you have to peel it.
  
  With rising gas prices to boot, the cost of transportation to get your perishables back and forth to the supermarket will only increase that price.
  
  If the media wants to put an emphasis on something, it needs to call attention to  the major discrepancy between the price of a healthy choice vs. that 3lb hamburger at your local fast food joint.
  
  McDonald's wasn't dumb when they priced their signature value meal at the cost of  an hours worth of minimum wage.
  
  
• #3 Comment from princesssaurora 
  5/23/07 12:18 PM | Permalink

  There will always be 17 year olds sticking Big Macs into their mouth whole to impress their friends.  Yes, I witnessed this...  feh!  
  
  be well,
  Dawn
  http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
  
• #2 Comment from monponsett 
  5/23/07 12:18 PM | Permalink

  "Rotting meat in a stale bun, prepared by Savages."

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