Finally the rant on how the Restaurant industry is trying to kill me.

[baronessekat]

I’ve been putting off this post for a while. Mostly because I was trying to let my emotions settle into a cohesion that would let me be coherent and logical. But I’ve come to realize the basis of the disgruntlement is not logical at all.

As most people are now aware, Americans are getting fat and not at all healthy. I know, I know, it’s a shocker. I blame this on a lot of things. The strongest is the fact that American society has taught us all that the more the better. We are a culture of excess. When we can have something, we want LOTS of it. Money, power, material objects, food… the mentality is MORE, MORE, MORE.

So when it comes to food we want lots for our buck. America, thy name is Gluttony.

For years people have been trying to make the restaurant industry the scapegoat for the fact that people are unhealthy, overweight pigs. “I wouldn’t be fat if Micky D’s didn’t serve Ultra Super Supreme Mega Sized Fries”. “KFC sold me the 24 piece family bucket of fried chicken and I ate it all by myself. I’m obese because they sold me the food”.

People do not want to take responsibility for their own health, eating habits and choices. It’s easier to blame someone else. It’s easier to complain about it as they head to the drive in for the bacon double cheeseburger and fries rather than go home and make a salad or a sandwich. (I’m just as guilty about doing BK rather than seeing what I have at home, but I don’t blame anyone but myself when I put on a couple pounds because of it)

So, the restaurant industry has tried to appease the slobs of the world. McDonald’s started out by eliminating their super-size portions. But that wasn’t enough.

Now many eating establishments, mostly fast/convenience foods but now other fine dining and sit down establishments, are facing pressure again. Some jerk actually sued KFC because he said it was their fault he had a heart attack. They fried the chicken in “bad oils” and that clogged up his arteries and he nearly died. I’m sorry…. Who put the gun to his head and told him to eat it all to excess? I’ve not heard of any terrorist organizations that are kidnapping people and saying they have to eat nothing but Fast Food or their family gets shot.

But rather than take responsibility for their own actions, people have called for the restaurants to change their ingredients to “healthy oils” and eliminate trans fats.

KFC announced a little over a month ago that they are going to soybean oil to fry their food in. The only thing that will still have the old recipe will be their biscuit – because they need to work on the recipe so that the flavor remains while being healthier.

The Wendy’s corporation went to soybean and cottonseed oils in their food without making a public announcement about it (or at least one that neither I or another person I know who watches ingredients as well).

McDonalds has said that they are going to be going to soybean oil throughout the country by 2008.

New York City has actually put legislation into existence (or is at least trying to) to eliminate trans fats in all restaurants in the city. This of course is making the restaurant owners in the city just [sarcasm] slightly miffed [/sarcasm]

When this all was coming to light I was pretty pissed off. All these people seem to think that the answer is SOYBEAN oil. The country will be healthy again if we all switch to soy.

But… *hand raises from the voice of the dissenting public*… there are other healthy/good oils out there besides soybean.

I can understand them not going to peanut oil. That’s one of the largest food allergies out there. And of the food allergies, those folks who are allergic to it tend to be VERY allergic to it.

Olive oil is expensive. I get that.

But I hate to point out to the world that there is a large group of people who are rather seriously allergic to soy. I, myself, am one of them. Take a look at an ingredient list on something some time. They now tend to list the major allergens : nuts, milk, wheat… SOY!!! If it’s listed amongst the possible bad things obviously its more than just me who can’t have it.

What about canola oil? It actually doesn’t change the flavor of things that I at least have noticed. And the amount of people who cannot have it are far less than peanut and soy.

I had started to write a letter to the major fast food chains to say this. Point out them/ask them to look towards canola and other oils rather than soybean. Tell them that by going healthier, they have made it such that if I do eat at their establishments, I am going to have to eat BURGERS, rather than the chicken sandwiches. I always went for the fried only because the grilled tended to be marinated and I could never guarantee the marinades were soy free. But I never got farther than getting the addresses of the places.

I was going to thank them for helping to ensure that I stay on my “lifestyle re-adjustment” (aka diet) for the rest of my life.

I used to think that the world that author J.D. Robb came up with was ridiculous… everything was soy dogs and soy fries. Surely that wouldn’t happen. But….

So, what finally got me to getting around to writing this rant? I saw on the morning news today that Darden Restaurants (the owners of the Olive Garden and Red Lobster) have announced that they are joining the anti-trans fat crusade.

This I have issues with. I really like Red Lobster. I really, really like Olive Garden. The problem with these places is NOT the trans-fat. The problem with them is portion sizes. Have you ever noticed how much food you get at the Olive Garden? You start with an endless bowl of soup or salad. Then you get the entrée which is big enough to feed a family of 4 easily. When I was a poor college student, my friends and I would save up and go to the Olive Garden once a month. We would fill up on the soup or salad and take the entrée home. And the entrée would feed us for at least 2 if not three meals. I still tend to do this (as I am now a poor working stiff rather than a poor college student)

Portion sizes are an issue because most of us were taught at a very early age to “clear your plate” or “you must eat all that is put before you”. But seriously… there is only so much a person can eat at one sitting without getting sick.

If places like the Olive Garden halved the price, halved the size, people would still come back (if not more so), they would be serving healthier. There is no need to go to eliminating something. Just make smaller portions.

It’s time for the American eating public to be grown-ups and take responsibility for their actions. Stop blaming the restaurant that serves you the four helpings you ordered. It’s not their fault you can’t control yourself.

Give me back my animal fats and proteins. Some of us can tell when we are full and will put the fork down. To those who can’t I say - step back, put down the soydog and take a walk around the block.

If you would like to join me in the campaign to get soybean oils out and other healthier oils in I have added below the contact information for the major fast food chains as well as the Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

You don’t need to, but I’m providing the info if you would like.


KFC's Corporate Address for Comments
P.O. Box 725489
Atlanta, GA 31139

McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Wendy's Consumer Relations
Wendy's International, Inc.
4288 W. Dublin-Granville Rd.
Dublin, OH 43017

Wendy's Restaurants of Canada
Consumer Relations
240 Wyecroft Road
Oakville, On
L6K 2G7

Arby’s
http://www.arbys.com/

Roy Rogers Franchise Company, LLC
321 Ballenger Center Drive
Suite 201
Frederick, MD 21703

Burger King Corporation
5505 Blue Lagoon Drive
Miami, FL 33120

Taco Bell
1-800-TACO BELL

Darden Restaurants (owners of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Smoky Bones, Bahama Breeze)
P.O. Box 593330
Orlando, FL 32859-3330
407-245-4000

Red Lobster
Corporate Address
Red Lobster
5900 Lake Ellenor Drive
Orlando, FL 32809
1-800-LOBSTER (800-562-7837)

Olive Garden
Guest Relations
P.O. Box 592037
Orlando, Florida 32859-2037
Fax: 407-245-5189
Phone: (Monday – Friday) 800-331-2729

Comments

[dicea.livejournal.com]

*raises fist in support*

Rock On!

[pleasance4.livejournal.com]

interesting article... or vent... didn't know alot of that information... esp about Olive Garden and Red Lobster... it was a similar thing with the "fat free" craze... yeah, it's fat free.. but there is a TON of sugar in it... you mean I can't eat the whole box of cookies becasue they are fat free?? People are stupid... Mateo and I always bring food home when we go out... it's too much to eat in one sitting.. and leftovers are great. wish they would half the price and half the food.. I too was brought up with clear your plate... that is a real hard habit to break.. and if i'm done and only eating becasue it's there.. and not taking it home (like just the fries are left) I put my napkin over my food... Mateo used to laugh at me... now he does it too. I need to work on being healthier myself... am working on it... big hugs!!

[deadised.livejournal.com]

You are absolutely, 100% correct. Question. Has anyone taken a look at Soy production in this country and equated it with the Corn Syrup phenomenon of the recent past?

I recall a few years back, the government attempted to push corn farmers to switch to soy crops because the US had a shortage of soy, but a HUGE surplus of corn. At the same time, they were looking for new ways to "push" corn... hence the explosion of cheaper corn syrup sweeteners over cane sugar sweeteners.

I would have to guess that there is a strong chance that the reason that soy is being chosen is because it is cheaper. I have to guess that the reason that it is cheaper is because it is in surplus at the moment and the government is quietly encouraging its use so as not to have to subsidize soy farmers the way they do corn farmers.

All just a guess, here. And of course, NONE of it corrects the CAUSE of the problem which is as you say... gluttonous Americans who lack any sense of personal responsibility.

[meirwen.livejournal.com]

I also wonder if the fact that YUM is the parent corp for KFC, Taco Bell, and one of the others that recently switched, and YUM is an Asian company, is responsible for the soy bias.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Most of us, and as one of the obese I am as guilty as the next person, do not know how to listen to our stomachs. We don't hear the "I'm full" signal. That, however, is not a reason to blame restaurants for making us fat. Anyone who has ever, even for a day, been on any sort of diet, knows that you should ask for half your meal boxed up before it ever gets to you.

As other people have pointed out, soy is cheap. JD Robb's world is a real possibility. Until enough people have a soy allergy.

We live in a litigious society and all these companies want to ensure they won't be sued because they serve food that wasn't designed to be your entire diet.

For years and years, you weren't supposed to use butter. You were supposed to use margerine because it was healthier. Then, suddenly, margerine was the next best thing to poison. I'm surprised parents haven't been reported to social services for serving margerine at the table.

This phase won't pass exactly, but restaurants will have to be much better at disclosing every ingredient.

[deadised.livejournal.com]

Something to consider. The "You are full" signal that your brain gets only registers a MINIMUM of ten minutes AFTER your stomach is actually full. Twenty minutes is more common. What does that mean? That means that when you START to feel that "full" feeling, your stomach already had enough food in it no sooner than ten minutes ago. Most people will eat until they FEEL full. Problem is, that's 10-20 minutes past healthy. When your hunger is initially satisfied is when you should stop eating. Not a perfect gauge, but it can help. :)

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

You are absolutely correct. But when you are overweight, you don't "hear" or even feel that signal. You aren't focused on your stomach, you're focused on the plate and sometimes not even on the plate but on whatever else you're doing. To lose weight, you have to learn to listen to your body, not just to hear when it is full, but also to hear when it is hungry. Most of us also eat by the clock.

Restaurants are caught, sometimes, between a rock and hard place. For $25, you know you have a shot at getting a tiny portion of very pretty food. For $15, you expect a fair amount of food on your plate, hopefully enough for two meals. The key is to make it last for 2 meals. For $5, you know you are getting unhealthy food that costs almost nothing so they give you a ton. Weird but true.

[unadesaintluc.livejournal.com]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. The problem is not the oil but the huge portion sizes, the mentality of cleaning the plate and not knowing when to stop, people making poor choices, and a lack of physical activity. I find it disturbing that for the first time ever, the new generations of kids actually have a shorter life expectancy than the previous generations due to poor eating habits and lack of exercise.