[Tomato]

I don't know where to post this so I will just leave it here.

I was up very late night as I was sick and to distract myself from the pain I watched TV. I ended up watching a show about America's 10 best diners ( either on TLC or on the food network).

I have to say that my jaw dropped and I was unable to get it back up. The culinary 'creations' that they serve at those places .... no wonder America is so out of shape and overweight (and it's not any better here in Canada). I have to say that some of the meals looked very delicious and mouth watering but seeing what went into into those meals and the portions (suitable for Arnold in his days of heavy body building, or Michael Phelps when training for the Olympics, but not for the ordinary person) I doubt I would order any of them. The pancakes the size of the entire plate, SWIMMING in butter and syrup .... the French toast soaked in a concoction of whipped eggs, heavy cream, and syrup, and stuffed with sauteed banana and mango, with a huge blob of whipped cream ....

But, one of the meals trumped all the rest - I think it's served in Philly but I could be wrong. They serve - drum rolls please - a TWELVE egg omelet stuffed with bacon, several slices of cheese, sour cream and I forgot what else. They way it's made - they have to pour a very generous amount of oil on the enormous griddle and then when they pour the whipped eggs, all dozen of them, on top of the oil. When the omelet is almost done, they put the various stuffings in layers in the middle and then fold the omelet into a neat - although huge - package that is being served - another drum rolls please - on top of THREE generous servings of hash browns and the resulting meal is so huge that it is served on a tin pizza tray.
They did show one of the diner's loyal customers who polished the entire thing by himself and then said he may order some extra hash browns (well, he looked accordingly, as you can imagine). I was thinking ..... that's a coronary waiting to happen.

Also, on a new episode of Bulging Brides (also last night) they showed what the bride-to-be ate in one day - it was all piled together so it is hard to say what exactly was in it, but I could see some nachos with cheese etc., fries, and at least two coffees with whipped cream - they said it was around 10,700 calories!!! That would feed EIGHT average 3FC chicks for a day.

And, as you can imagine, all of these diners are extremely successful, often with customers waiting in long lineups around the block on weekends ......
I think we have a serious problem.

[Jacquie668]

You should watch Man Versus Food lol...some big icky food on that show, still fun to watch especially when he does the SPICY challenges hahahaha. Not to mention Diners Drive-Ins and Dives (which I love to watch) and never miss an episode if I can help it.

However, I think the giant pancakes and twelve egg omelets are more for food eating challengers (why you would want to do that is beyond me). Like the giant burritos or blah blah. I mean I think to myself, why would you want to eat gigantic pancakes, but lol they do. There is a place in Texas that serves giant cinnamon rolls and another place in NJ I think that serves GIANT deli sandwiches and GIANT slices of cake! I did notice a lot of people though eat those meals in groups.

I think the problems aren't the twelve egg omelets, but the "smaller" sized meals. Like super sized fries or over the top portions like the Grand Slams of Dennys or just regular ol' Diner food which is always heavy on the portions. While someone gawks at someone eating something bigger than life, but they don't so much with a large helping of carb cakes, two eggs, bacon, sausage...whatever.

Still...*shudders* I can't even imagine eating all those pancakes..when I have had pancakes, and I did three times this year, I couldn't even finish them and they were on the small side lol. I suck! lol So many carbs...and I don't even like much syrup either. I can't understand the drenching with syrup and butter....ew.

[ThicknPretty]

Ugh.

I honestly believe if everyone watched shows like this, it would prove a kick in the pants for a lot of people who have fooled themselves into thinking that food in restaraunts is really "not that bad". The thing about most restaraunt food that gets me is all these extra, sometimes hidden and often unecessary ingredients that just make the calories sky high. And it's ridiculous because there are a lot of little corners that could be cut to save the arteries of their diners without sacraficing much flavor at all.

That omelet thing sounds horrific, but I can imagine several of my family members (mostly male) polishing that off as well. I might have given it a shot a year ago, but the good thing about this lifestyle change is that it makes stuff like that seem way more disgusting than it could ever be yummy!

Good post, thanks!

[saef]

The Guinness Book of World Records attests to the popularity of being the biggest & creating something that is the most gargantuan, just for the sake of doing so. So I sort of understand where the creators of these dishes are coming from, in trying to do something extreme, just for the sake of seeing how far they can push it.

The people who choose to partake ... well ... I sort of expected this kind of backlash to happen, didn't you? As soon as the idea of eating healthily makes some inroads, and discourse about putting calories on menus & taxing sugar-sweetened sodas gets into the air, there will be people who resist & rebel & eat like this as an act of defiance.

I don't know who they think they're defying, or whether it actually helps. To them, it doesn't seem like spitting into the wind.

There are always going to be sybarites in this world & their wallets are just as tempting as anyone else's.

[Breannaj1215]

Thats crazy!!!! I was watching diners, drive ins, and dives on food network and they way they were making the food was actually nauseating. I was completely disgusted.

[saef]

ThicknPretty's post reminded me of the sport of Male Competitive Eating. It's mostly practiced by guys in their teens & 20s, but you know in some cases you can't take the boy out of the man. Can't you imagine a high school football team or a frat party showing up at these diners & ordering this as a test of their manhood & chortling over it for days afterward?

And heck, I've witnessed Female Competitive Undereating, the reverse phenomenon, and it makes me just as uneasy & disgusted.

Extreme gluttony & extreme self-denial can both be spectator sports. I don't want to see either, but people with an audience sometimes can be urged into doing things they wouldn't do alone.

[Jacquie668]

I guess to sum up, I'm a vegetarian/vegan (on the line) and I love watching those shows. I agree, it is extreme, but I find it entertaining as well. It isn't a real kick in the pants as I don't eat 99% of what these shows offer, yet I have to admit I find it interesting to watch. I mean most of it is cheese and meat...which I find gross anyhow, yet I can't look away hahahaha. It is like a train wreck lol.

The truth is a lot of people love these shows and watch them and then they go out and find these places and enjoy the food. I mean just go to Youtube and see all the videos of people visiting the places they see on TV and basking in their food glory. They do Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives tours and etc etc. Some people seek out the Man Versus Food challenges and then some. I don't think it is getting them to eat healthier to see all that stuff. I mean the facts are as soon as one of these places are on TV they get hit with popularity. People coming from all over to eat their food, then record it, or write about it, and etc.

Besides some of the shows actually showcase healthy food, though rare, it still is in there a mix the endless vats of fat and grease.

[jigglefree]

All I could think reading your post is OMG. That's a lot of food and 10,000+ calories is wild. I bet before January I probably could have taken the omelet or pancakes out with no problem. No wonder I had gotten so big.

[sweetnlow28]

I watch diners, drive in, and dives too. It sounds similar to the show you watched. I used to watch it for the good food but now I make an effort to watch it as an eye opener! My husband and I were just taking about the role that fast food restaurants play in the obesity epidemic. It is so unfortunate that taste and convenience usually comes before our health. I used to be one of those people who would order some of the items on these shows, without guilt because "everybody's doing it too" I find some of the foods nauseating now which I consider a good thing

[Shannon in ATL]

From someone who works in food service, it is totally doable to make even fast food better for you. We use all fresh ingredients, don't use a lot of oils, use lean meats, smaller portions than most places. That being said, I often see people ordering 3,4,5 even 6 burgers or hotdogs here or two order of a side item, and often get complaints about the product being too small. I don't believe it is too small at all. We have been in business for 80 years now and the sizes are the same today as they were then. No complaints about the burger being too small in 1928. Interesting how our expectation as a consumer has changed. We believe everything we get should be huge, from cars to food portions.

I watch Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, too, and sometimes Man v. Food. MvF featured a pizza place near my house one time - their extra large pizza is 30", the smallest available is a 16" medium.

Their claim to fame:
Carnivore Challenge
Two People, 11 lbs Carnivore Pizza, One hour to eat it all.

$50 to try…$250 cash if you win.
If you would like to schedule a challenge call. Typically they are scheduled at 3:30 and 8:30 Monday – Thursday

The Rules of the Challenge.

You must eat the entire pizza in under one hour.
You cannot throw up, and if you do, you are responsible for the cleanup! If you are going to throw up, do it outside, in the trash can, or make it to the bathroom.
You cannot leave the table once you start the time, you can stand up walk around and let your food settle, but you cannot leave the general vicinity.
If we catch you violating the rules you will be immediately disqualified. The rules are very firm and we do enforce them!

At least they split the pizza between two people for this one... The Carnivore is pepperoni, ground beef, italian sausage, ham and bacon. They proudly post the winners on the website and with pics on the walls of the restaurant. Most are college boys.

[Danielle2842]

I completely agree! I sometimes watch Man v Food for shock value, but I don't think people should consider those massive meals as more than a once per year event.

Eating out is actually how I gained the majority of my weight. Yes- it was completely MY fault that I chose to order some of the most calorie laden items on the menu, but I really don't think 3,400 calorie meals should even be an option for people. What's wrong with offering 1/2 the amount? Or changing ingredients for a healthier dish? It's almost like restaurants have joined in forces to purposefully make us gigantic! Having meals that average two and three times the calories that a person should have per day is just unacceptable.

I still eat out once a week, on average, but I always educate myself on the nutritional info. BEFORE I go, and I order the lowest calorie option. It's always delicious and it's always satisfying. I don't feel like I'm missing out because I know exactly where all those other high cal. meals got me - obese and unhappy.

[ennay]

For some reason Man vs. Food is almost always showing at the gym.

[annie175]

It is too bad that most of life's celebrations or excitement is always built around food. Why not around a volleyball game or something?

[Firecracker777]

Yea its almost a disgrace what they will serve. My bf and his coworkers usually get lunch from the lunch trucks over at drexel where i went to college since they are really close to it and theres not much near by to get a quick lunch. Well he came home the other day and was like "guess what I had for lunch today?" I figured maybe a crepe(since another school has a crepe truck and he always talks about it lol) or something at a new truck and he says "a sandwhich called fat jimmys sister" Ok let me explain whats on this "sandwhich" its a cheese steak with cheese fries, chicken fingers and mozzarellas sticks. Gross? YES! he insisted it tasted good but I told him his heart is gonna stop if that becomes a habit!!

Read about it at truck #7...
http://media.www.thetriangle.org/med...-1013861.shtml

[TornadoSiren]

I think the whole thing is "not a habit".

My hat is off to you ladies who now think that these fat laden, heart attacks on a plate are "gross". I am in full agreement that they are not even remotely healthy, but this does not stop me from also knowing that a good majority of them taste damn good. If once every few months I feel the need to go have a big plate of nachos with drippy monterey jack cheese, a side order of mozarella sticks, and a few beers, I am not likely to keel over from it. Oh sure..I can (and do) make a healthy version of nachos for regular old eating. I can use low fat and low cal substitutes for most things I might enjoy, but no matter how I might try to convince myself, or how others might try to convince me it is not "exactly the same and just as tasty". Oh, it is tasty, but it is not the same.

What someone else puts into their body, or what some restaurant serves, is not my business, nor my concern. If a restaurant's menu consists of almost all heart attack inducing entrees that is their call. Do we really want to live in a society where our personal choices no longer matter, and what can and cannot be served is legislated? I say, live your healthy livestyle, enjoy what you enjoy, make your own choices, and keep your eyes on your own plate.