Better Mc-Late than Never

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the menus at most fast food joints are pretty much consistent? Burger King has the Whopper, McDonalds the Big Mac, Wendy’s has the Single, The Double and The Triple, or as I like to call it, “Get-the-defibrillator-paddles-out!” They all have fries, sweets, milkshakes and sodas. So how the heck do I always seem to get behind the individual who just doesn’t know what they want or what is on the menu? You Mc-becha’ that if I get in the drive-thru lane, I’ll be right behind Mc-I-Just-Can’t-Mc-Make-A-Decision.

Heaven help my cholesterol level! All I really want is a large diet Coke with lite ice, but the man in front of me has a glazed look in his eyes and I know I’m in trouble. Seriously, one time I was standing in line waiting for my diet Coke and a poor guy in front of me just froze. They just had to ask if he wanted a McFlurry or a McSmoothie and it threw him completely off balance. He paused and asked what flavor was the McSmoothie, then said no, then asked what other flavors they had, only to order a chicken nugget kids meal and a milk shake AND a McFlurry. It’s planned sabotage by the fast food companies.

They see the weak coming. They lie in wait for those without their lists, adults surrounded by several children, or those caught up in their own conversations. Like highly trained Special Forces they spring the question of the moment. Would you like to try our new frozen strawberry-lemonade? Huh? Would I what? And there they have you. I know I’m in deep, deep kimchee when I get behind the mega huge SUV with four-plus children. I’d drive around and go inside, but then it’s up close and personal. You can almost see the beads of sweat breaking out on faces when asked if they’d like to try a so-and-so. I could hear the cash register cha-ching from a mile away, and that’s just what the fast food industry wants. That unexpected purchase sends them up the profit hill and the mission is accomplished

It’s very similar to the candy and knick-knacks at the check-out aisle in stores. That impulse purchase gets you every time. When I see someone looking at the menu and going “um, ah, um,” I should just drive around and leave, but suddenly it’s my turn to order. Prepared as I am to get my solitary soda, they hit me with the chocolate chip cookies, and I’m Mc-done.

The Sisterhood of the Tourniquet Pants

This morning I put on a pair of capris that I wore last summer and I'm pretty sure I cut the blood off to my lower extremities. Honestly, it felt like I was wearing a tourniquet around my waist, or what's left of it. It's enough to make me cry and run to the nearest Krispy Kreme shop to buy a dozen glazed donuts and drown my sorrows, but that's what got me here in the first place. How on earth does one fight the battle of the bulge in a fast-food world?

Last week I wrote "Taking Back the Next Fifty," a piece about trying to be a healthier me. Let's just say that it's been difficult at best to slip into a new role that requires healthier choices. The summer schedule has a life of its own and both of my children have very different schedules and bedtimes. It's so easy to hit a drive-thru when the hours have flown by and the schedule is crazy. But what does that teach my children? We already know what it can do to my waist line (remember the tourniquet and add heavy breathing). The madness has got to stop, but I swear, I think my car has an automatic pilot to Wendy's and McDonalds, and I fight the steering wheel every day.

I have to learn to carve out a block of time, every day, for me and me alone. I have to learn to be a little bit selfish and put myself first in a positive way. After all, nobody ever seems to clean up after me or do my laundry in our household, so I figure I'm due. I can take the time to exercise and be a better me. I don't want to live in a house where my closet has so many different sizes in it that it can double as a clothing store, and trust me, I've been there. I'd be lying if I didn't add that I'd like to reach my goal so I can face those who have made hurtful comments in the past, even to the point of accusing me of trying to lose weight the "easy way" when I had lap-band surgery almost two years ago. I'd like to ask; just what is easy about having surgery? The lap-band helps me keep from over eating, and while I've lost weight since the surgery, I still have to exercise good eating habits. It took me a long time to get where I am, and it will take me a good bit to get to where I want to be. I don't need to be a size zero, I need to be a size that is right for me.

Sometimes it seems even the commercials on TV conspire against me. Yesterday evening, right after a Victoria Secret commercial, a McDonald's ad came on where an entire skinny family sat with Big Macs and large orders of fries. Uh-huh, and I wonder why I sometimes have mixed signals when it comes to self-image and food. So here I go, off into the sunset without the to-go order, my eyes on the capris of my previous size. I'll report in again. Wish me luck.

Our Schools are Cooking

By Dawn Tolson

Whilst I was writing my review of the children’s cookbook in our latest 4Gaby issue ("Williams-Sonoma, The Kid's Cookbook"), it occurred to me that there is something missing in our schools. In England we were taught to cook, yes I said it, we WERE taught to cook. Boys and girls alike, we all took basic cookery lessons. It was compulsory in the lower grades and then when you came to choosing your options (in the UK you chose your exam options in Year 9 which is equivalent to our 8^th grade), cookery or as it was called, Domestic Science, was a curriculum option. I wonder whether the obesity problem here in the U.S. could be reduced if we taught our children the art of cooking.

At present it seems easier to visit McDonald’s or Burger King for dinner and even fool ourselves that having apple pieces with a fried burger full of cheese and mayo is a healthier option. Jaime Oliver, world-renowned English Chef, started a foundation in the UK whose mission is to raise awareness of the importance of nutritious food and cooking to children and vulnerable groups. He changed the school’s meal system and has started this process in the U.S. I for one hope that he makes it to North Carolina!

What do you think? Do you teach your kids to cook?

Do you think a cooking option at school is a good idea?

How did you learn to cook? Maybe you were taught at school and it is just our ever-evolving school system that has changed; if so, what do you think of that?