Not So Great News

Last week, we looked at some positive developments in recent news items regarding MM. This week, we'll cover the flipside: some not-so-great news. Specifically, that there seems to be a certain segment of the population that I'll call "contrarians." These are the people who feel that the concept of "you can't tell me what to do" is a motto worth dying for.

"Oh, eating meat is a bad thing? Watch me not care. In fact, now I'm going to do it even more."

Several businesses have recently begun squarely targeting this demographic, the "suicidally independent" who modify the New Hampshire state motto "Live Free or Die" to "Live Free and Die." In our first exhibit, the fast food chain "Jack in the Box" recently began offering a "Bacon Milkshake." At over 1000 calories of bacon, milkfat and sugar, it is half a day's calories in one hypersweet beverage - a heart attack in a wax cup.

And speaking of heart attacks, there is actually another restaurant which has made them its specific stock in trade. Calling itself the "Heart Attack Grill," they offer clients meals with a "taste worth dying for." Eight thousand calorie meals are served to you by "nurses" instead of waitresses and featuring defibrillators on the wall, they make a joke of self-inflicted death by unhealthy eating. Even when it cost them their spokesperson last year, they kept on serving up the hilarity. The latest sad news is that another one of their customers had a heart attack right there in the so-called restaurant while trying to consume a "Triple Bypass Burger." (Thanks to loyal reader AM from London for this info.)

Another product in a similar plaque-clogged vein is KFC's "Double Down" sandwich. Instead of a bun it includes two deep-fried chicken patties (top and bottom) and then bacon, cheese, special sauce and crushed Lipitor pills in the middle. Dee-licious! Honestly, I think the above-mentioned three stories are just sad. These companies are cynically manipulating people's rebellious feelings to the detriment of their health.

Sorry to bring you down with bad news, but I guess it can't all be positive. Two weeks ago, we talked about fake meats and some positive aspects of their rising popularity. So I decided to bring you another recipe featuring these meat-free convenience foods. Happy Family Day to the Canadians reading this and best wishes for happy families to all the non-Canadians.