Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Another Scientific Study

From the comic pages surprisingly: To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. -Heather Cortez It's interesting to think about to whom I might be the world. The list is shorter than some of yours I'm sure, but interesting nonetheless.

On the radio yesterday, I heard about a study regarding the pace at which you ate. This study must have been an affirmation of prior studies, because I've heard the results before. Those who tend to eat quickly, tend to overeat and gain weight more readily than those who eat more slowly. I think I'm onto another conspiracy theory. Stay with me on this one.

So if you eat more slowly you get the sensation of being full prior to finishing your meal, or eating all of the food that is available, thus you eat less than those who scarf down a meal. Ok, I'm fine with that. Like I said, I've heard the results before.

Where do people eat quickly? Certainly in the U.S. in general and certainly NOT in Europe in general. Where is food served fast? Certainly in the U.S., outside of Charlie Trotter's, and certainly NOT in Europe, outside of our exported fast food restaurants. Fast food also, in general, needs to be eaten quickly because it gets cold faster than other types of food. Let your fries sit for 10 minutes before eating them before you call me a liar. The slowest meals on the planet occur in Europe, whether it's because they are lazy, don't work on tips, take smoking breaks or all of the above (which I contend to be true), they eat more slowly, albeit forcibly so.

So I think, somehow, there's a conspiracy to keep Americans fat and dumb (though the latter adjective is a completely different argument, it's tough to just write "fat" without "and dumb" after it. Try it, it's not easy.) More specifically, I think the Europeans are behind it!!! They don't beat us in anything (save for soccer and possibly skiing) yet they are one up on us in this category. Spill the beans Alexis!!! You know the truth! Get your new-found countrymen to talk!!

4 comments:

alexis said...

good god - do NOT get me started on slow European service. I don't care if I'm anorexic thin as a result, it is still an evening-ruining experience when it takes two hours to get through a meal.

Anonymous said...

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. Does food count? hmmmmm

stef said...

I do think their is a conspiracy to keep disadvantaged people dumb and fat. Look at A. The pulblic school system B. That map about # of grocery store locations in Chicago compared to economic neighborhood. (Vs. availability of fast food locations)

Anonymous said...

Damn Alexis he's on to us - we'll have to pay off Ricardo to drink him to death.