A BIT OF A RANT

I have just spent a wonderful weekend in New York. This was a surprise trip for my grandson's birthday. We had a fabulous time savouring the sights and enjoying the hustle bustle of a big city.

However, one thing set me thinking, and that was the inclusion of the calorie count of a dish on the menus. I first saw it when we were buying some take out sandwiches from a healthy sandwich bar and I didn't think too much of it. But when I later saw it on a KFC menu board I remembered having read that it was a state law in NYC to have the calorie count included on all menus! Is this really necessary?

For one if you are eating at a KFC, McDonalds or any one of the many fast food restaurants does the inclusion of the calories next to the price affect what you eat? I am thinking not. We all know what we are eating when visiting these places. Secondly when enjoying a nice meal out do we need to be constantly reminded of how many calories we are consuming? I found the whole thing very off putting. I cannot imagine choosing my meal based solely on the calorific content, what about salt content, saturated fats, corn syrup and all of the other bad things likely to be contained in the meal? Are we one day going to find all of these things printed alongside the price?

Sometimes I think things are going too far. We are a generation who needs o be spoon fed, who are unwilling to take personal responsibility. Is there really anyone out there who doesn't know what is good and what is bad for them? We all know, and we all have the choice to make. I think we are the most informed generation, just open any magazine or turn on the TV. We are bombarded with, facts and figures, the latest health scares connected with food, with what is good for you and what is bad, what to eat to stay thin, what to eat to get thin. There is a whole TV channel all about food.

Come on let's just accept we are a food obsessed generation. We have choices to make and a never ending source of knowledge available to us. We do not really need to see the calories of everything we eat laid out in front of us when we eat out. Let us enjoy our food, not make us feel guilty about it. It is surely a case of everything in moderation. And a trip to KFC one night doesn't mean we do this every night. am a proponent of a little of what you fancy.......

So eat, drink and be merry, all in moderation of course.