Where Does It Stop?
From time to time, well regularly, I make observations about everyday life that are somewhat out of the box but always enlightening, and entertaining, for the people who are with me. Yes, there is rolling of the eyes and mutterings about me being ‘at it’ again but that’s normal for them.
One such musing came to me a few days ago while we were waiting at a certain well-known fast food establishment – believe me, nothing was fast there and the ‘food’, well it’s only a generic term in this case. It is ‘food’ by definition but there are more appropriate words you could use to refer to it. We’ll stick with ‘food’ here for the purpose of clarity.
I was in the car park watching people go through the drive-thru and it occurred to me that the heavier the person the more likely it was they would opt for staying in their car and having their food handed to them through the car window.
Now, having done my fair share of time working behind the bar in pubs , I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between overweight people at fast food restaurants – I use that term loosely here also– and drunks in pubs. Even gamblers in casinos and at race tracks and wherever else they habitually lose money.
When someone has had too much to drink at the pub it is the barperson’s responsibility to stop serving them alcohol. It’s in the interests of the drunk and the people around him/her. Possibly in some places gamblers are asked to leave once they’ve lost a specific amount of money but what about obese people stuffing their faces at fast food joints? Should they be asked to leave when they’ve had too much? Should there be a set of scales that must be stood on to get in the door?
Hard to police I would imagine but shouldn’t there be some duty of care in these circumstances. I’ve witnessed people going back for seconds and thirds. These people are clearly out of control and should be refused service. As above, it’s in the interests of the people concerned, their families and the surrounding diners. What about civil liberties I hear you scream? Oh, but it’s ok for governments to put chemicals in our food and water supply for ‘our own good’?
Of course, like the drunks, the gamblers, and even the ‘doctor shoppers’ they are free to go elsewhere and get their ‘fix’. Perhaps it’s time people took a little – or a lot – of responsibility for themselves and their behavior. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to indulge in it. Or does it keep health workers in jobs?
Maybe that’s why those people use the drive-thru instead of getting out of the car and going inside. You can hide a lot of excess calories if you’re sitting in a car.
It’s just a thought I had, but a little self-discipline goes a long way. I’m not the fat police. Speaking of fat police, that’s one more of my observations. Maybe some other time.
KEEP THE FAITH