Oink, Oink


No one's forcing you to eat fast food

By Kelvin Wade | | May 1, 2008 15:38
A front page story this week said that Solano County is one of the state's worst when it comes to an abundance of fast food restaurants.

A new study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy reveals that we have 5.11 times the number of fast food and convenience stores than grocery stores, more than the statewide average. We rank ninth in obesity and sixth in diabetes.

Though I know there are some fine folks working at City Hall trying to make us a tourist destination, the truth is we're a way station. Since we're nestled between the Bay Area and the Sacramento valley, it makes sense that we're heavy on the burgers and tacos.

If you stop off Interstate 80 at the Pittman Road exit in Cordelia or the Pitt School Road exit in Dixon you'd think you were in fast food heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective).

The study concludes that lives will be saved if we just have more healthy choices. I think the conclusions are off base. First, less than half of California's counties were included in the study. It's pretty difficult to conduct a study that ends with state rankings when you don't include every county. But the larger point of our boatload of fast food establishments is taken.

Healthy choices? Come on. People aren't eating big greasy double-decker cheeseburgers because they don't have access to healthier fare. Just because there's a plethora of fast food eateries doesn't mean we don't know where the produce aisle is in the grocery stores.

There's a reason why there's no national fast food chain pushing tofu burgers, bean sprouts and spring water combo meals or a fresh fruit dollar menu. It's the same reason why liberal talk radio, women's basketball and Lindsay Lohan movies bomb. You can count the audience for 'em on two hands.

Nutrition information is important but it doesn't guarantee folks will change their eating habits. Last month, a federal court ruled that New York could force fast food restaurants to post calorie information on their menus.

Will customers still order that Big Mac when they see it has 540 calories? Will Whopper lovers continue to crave that 670 calorie burger? Is 730 calories worth a Nacho Bell Grande? Perhaps this will cause some people to think twice before indulging but I doubt it'll have a great impact.

If you're eating at a fast food restaurant, you're not likely to be concerned by the calorie count. People don't go to fast food places for healthy food.

Do warning labels on cigarettes stop people from smoking? Besides, calorie and nutrition information has been on Twinkies and Doritos for years and it hasn't impacted their sales.

Fairfield boasts a number of sit-down restaurants right off I-80 and Travis Boulevard where savvy eaters can find more nutritious fare. But when it comes to junk food, it's a matter of habit, taste and convenience. Travelers with kids may not want to unload everyone at a restaurant so they choose to hit a drive-thru.

It's not the sheer number of fast food restaurants we have that's the problem. I've never been forced at gunpoint to eat fast food. Maybe I need someone to force me at gunpoint to not eat it. The problem is us. Peace.

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NOTES: Come on. We all know where to get fruits and vegetables. We know that a Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, large fry and supersized Coke is not a nutritious meal. We know what we should be eating. So I can't blame our eating habits on the fact that there's a lot of fast food restaurants in Solano County. If there were only two, those two stores would be doing a TON of business. We seek that crap out.

Do people think when we have the munchies that if fast food restaurants weren't there, that we would go to the supermarket for some cabbage? Maybe some apples? Heck no. If we did go to the grocery store, we'd be in the bakery buying donuts or buying microwavable burritos and chips and salsa. We're used to eating crap and we'll continue to eat crap. No matter what the ratio of the stores are.

If you'd like to continue the conversation over at the DR Blog, you can click here.

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