I got in my car this morning at the cheery hour of 6:09 a.m. (don’t we all just love Chicago traffic?) and immediately pressed my radio preset #3 for Drex in the Morning. R accuses me of listening to the “trash” morning show, but at that hour of the day, there’s not a whole lot my brain can handle. True, the topic is usually something along the lines of “I wish my husband would cheat on me so I could leave him,” and it’s true that this morning Drex gave Mel a life-size cardboard photograph of Michael Buble, but it’s always something entertaining. And this morning, it was something that actually made me think.

They were discussing a new breakfast burrito at Arby’s that has 900 calories, or something disgustingly absurd like that. But the real issue was whether there should be legislation in place to make it illegal to sell and/or buy such detrimental foods. At first, I dismissed the whole argument; how can you police what people can eat? But if food companies are irresponsible enough to produce the fattening foods and if people are irresponsible enough to consume them, what’s to stop the world from becoming obese?

It’s no secret that we’re well on our way: 66 percent of U.S. adults and 17 percent of U.S. children are considered obese. But is it fair to hold fast food chains morally responsible for bad parenting and poor self-control? Shouldn’t it be the parents’ job to educate their children on healthy eating habits? And what about the millions of adults who disregard their doctors’ warnings and make the drive-through part of their everyday routines? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but I’m still working through this.

One caller on the radio suggested that fast food be illegal for children under the age of 18 - like cigarettes. And although Drex incredulously asked this caller, “You really want Arby’s to card these kids for ordering a cheeseburger?” maybe it’s a legitimate idea.

Fast food causes obesity. Obesity can cause heart attacks. Heart attacks can kill you. (I realize I’m oversimplifying here, but stay with me.) Why shouldn’t we moderate something that has a great potential to kill? There’s a reason you can’t drive, buy a gun or even gamble without satisfying specific requirements - they are dangerous. If our society is too dumb to make healthy food choices, maybe they shouldn’t have that privilege.

I’m not quite sure what the answer is, and in my gut I really want to hold Arby’s and other fast food chains responsible, but that’s just as silly as suing McDonalds for making you fat. I also know that there are some bigger issues at work here, such as how socioeconomic status plays into this and how healthy food is rarely the most cost-effective option. It’s a complex issue and I’d really like to hear what the food blog community thinks. After all, if I had to think this early in the morning, so should you.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Why not? Boardwalk food can get away with anything! J* and I visited my friend in Ocean City, NJ over the weekend, and over-indulged in all of it, as we strolled along beach shops, carnival rides, ferris wheels, and plenty of mini-golf. After driving for several hours on Friday without stopping, we were famished. My friend whisked us away to Mack and Manco’s Pizza (there are several locations on the boardwalk). Without menus, aside from what’s on the wall, we both ordered “Plain,” meaning just cheese. The slice was quite tasty; very cheesy with crispy crust, just the way I like it. The sauce was just slightly sweet. We asked for another, and the server shrugged and said “Yeah” with a little shake of his head. He was just barely mocking us, implying “That’s what I’m here for buddy.” That’s Jersey for ya.

After a disappointing experience at Coney Island, J* and I gave Ocean City a chance with funnel cakes. The Friday night cake was good (fresh and crispy), but nothing compared to the cake on Sunday night bought at a lemonade shop (Love’s maybe? 2 for $4 deal somwhere). This cake was fluffier and absolutely drenched in powdered sugar. It was sooooooo good. For a final shot of boardwalk food absurdity, J* tried the fried oreos (which are frozen before frying and covered with powdered sugar). I wasn’t a fan, but he loved the way they melted inside the fried funnel cake-like coating.

I tried a chocolate-covered banana for the first time ever, but was not thrilled, despite the fact that it was also covered in rainbow sprinkles (festive!). I passed on a Philly Cheese Steak as my friends devoured them, fearing my body would outright revolt, but they looked delicious from Del’s Beachside Grill. We also enjoyed the wonderful view over lunch from the “shack on the beach,” Sugar’s.

What a wonderful weekend of reading (on a whim, I’ve decided to read all the Harry Potter books, I read the first two on Saturday and Sunday) , eating (above), and a little bit of swimming (as I was laughing at J* for something and facing the shore, I was unexpectedly clobbered with a huge wave, almost lost my bikini and scrapped my knee on the bottom, fun fun fun!).

-Caley, amused by the number of calories this weekend but looking at salads and sushi for several weeks

Popularity: 5% [?]

Apparently, NYC restaurant chains are now required by law to prominently display nutritional information for concerned customers. And they’re reluctant to do so. A Burger King, for example, put their info on a wall where few prospective customers would notice it. Had the customers actually seen the sign in a prominent location,

…they could have learned that a triple Whopper with cheese has 1,230 calories (1,070 without mayonnaise), and a king-size chocolate shake has 1,260. The recommended daily calorie intake for an adult woman is about 1,800.

I know nothing’s more American that truly terrible-for-you fast food, but come on, 1,260 calories for a frakkin’ milkshake? I hope we see legislation like this in Chicago as soon as possible; you can’t keep us from eating junk, but by God you should warn us about it.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I quote the Book of Revelations:

And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold: a pizza vending machine.

Yes, that’s right. Some mad Italian scientist saw fit to make a vending machine that sucks in dollars and spits out piping hot, 9″ pizza pies. If you look at the gallery on the site you’ll see two critical facts:

1) The pizzas are cooked by an open heating element, meaning they aren’t just microwaved.

2) The pizzas actually look somewhat appetizing.

They spent 5 million bucks in R&D creating this thing! It spits out a fully cooked pie in about two minutes, with three varieties per machine and a crispness setting controlled by the machine’s operator. Now I can finally get that crisp rising-crust flavor at the Des Moines Greyhound station!

Okay, okay, this is actually really cool, but I have a good reason to panic. When convenience reaches this level, it won’t be long before we’re living in a grim world where robots do all the work and slowly learn to rebel. When that day comes, all we can do is hope Will Smith is still around to save us*.

*Initial title of this post: “AW, HELL NAW”

Popularity: 4% [?]

The link is not exactly new, but content this good should be posted everywhere. All the time. Possibly surrounded by neon lights that say AWESOME. From Adam Kuban’s A Hamburger Today:

How to make your own White Castle burgers.

Being a Chicagoan, I can get White Castle if I really need it, but this makes giving into The Crave even easier. And now the unfortunate souls stuck with frozen sliders can have a taste of something a bit closer to the real thing.

Hats off to you, Adam Kuban. As a fellow burger-obsessive, you’re a man after my own cholesterol-and-deliciousness-clogged heart.

Popularity: 4% [?]