Size Doesn't Matter. Really.
Growing up I remember going to McDonald's with my parents and ordering my meal and drink. Well actually, I remember my dad ordering for me. He would always order a double cheeseburger because it was really only a few more cents for almost double the amount of food. Often I would remove the extra meat patty and feed it to the dog, which he was completely fine with because it still made economical sense to opt for the double and we were saving money on dog food. He would also order the large drink and ensure that I refilled it on the way out of the restaurant so that we optimized every penny spent. Dad is a very frugal man.
On the way home from work today after sampling about 10 different coffee drinks, I was definitely in the the mood for a salad. Believe it or not, fast food places actually have some of the best salads available these days so I stopped by Burger King, and reminiscing on my college days avoiding the cafeteria, I decided to also order small french fries. Listed on the menu were my options. Medium, Large, Extra Large. No small in sight. Isn't size relative? If given these three choices, wouldn't the so called "Medium" actually be the small? Anyways, what was served to me ordered as a small and labeled as a medium, is exactly the same size I remember from my childhood to be a large. Confusing I know. But the point I'm making is that there should be no question as to why we have obesity issues in this country. What was once considered too much and only acceptable for the biggest of appetites, is now the standard. The same goes for drinks. I remember how huge a "Big Gulp" seemed when they were first marketed, but now they seem to be the standard issue drink. And even further, if there is not enough caffeine and sugar packed into a Big Gulp, there are certainly even bigger options available.
I suppose that this is all just ultimately a reflection of American society. What's good is not good enough unless it's bigger than what your neighbor has. One person's brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks a little less spectacular when parked next to the neighbor's new Escalade. One person's medium fry doesn't look quite as delicious when served before the extra large to the next guy in line. The fast food industry knows how Americans operate, and there is so much strategy that goes into labeling their products. Enough in fact, that is it one of the most successful industries of our generation.
One last comment...Don't tell the guy who made that "Super-Size Me" documentary, but my dog lived to a very healthy, old age and was skinny her whole life. Seems the meat patties from McDonald's actually did her some good.
On the way home from work today after sampling about 10 different coffee drinks, I was definitely in the the mood for a salad. Believe it or not, fast food places actually have some of the best salads available these days so I stopped by Burger King, and reminiscing on my college days avoiding the cafeteria, I decided to also order small french fries. Listed on the menu were my options. Medium, Large, Extra Large. No small in sight. Isn't size relative? If given these three choices, wouldn't the so called "Medium" actually be the small? Anyways, what was served to me ordered as a small and labeled as a medium, is exactly the same size I remember from my childhood to be a large. Confusing I know. But the point I'm making is that there should be no question as to why we have obesity issues in this country. What was once considered too much and only acceptable for the biggest of appetites, is now the standard. The same goes for drinks. I remember how huge a "Big Gulp" seemed when they were first marketed, but now they seem to be the standard issue drink. And even further, if there is not enough caffeine and sugar packed into a Big Gulp, there are certainly even bigger options available.
I suppose that this is all just ultimately a reflection of American society. What's good is not good enough unless it's bigger than what your neighbor has. One person's brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks a little less spectacular when parked next to the neighbor's new Escalade. One person's medium fry doesn't look quite as delicious when served before the extra large to the next guy in line. The fast food industry knows how Americans operate, and there is so much strategy that goes into labeling their products. Enough in fact, that is it one of the most successful industries of our generation.
One last comment...Don't tell the guy who made that "Super-Size Me" documentary, but my dog lived to a very healthy, old age and was skinny her whole life. Seems the meat patties from McDonald's actually did her some good.
posted by carlymarie | 10:23 PM
3 Comments:
An interesting fact I heard on the radio recently:
In clothing retail stores (especially some of the more trendy), what is labeled as a size 6 today, would actually be equivalent to a size 10 label and in some extreme cases, a size 12 during our parents generation. Interesting. Another marketing ploy i'm sure. I suppose this is one example where the trend is actually to label things smaller than they actually are. Whatever makes the customer happy. I guess the strategy is that we continue to live in denial and spend our money freely.
Yum, super-size me. And that's why America is full of fat, out of shape people.
An interesting thing I heard on the radio today....
McDonalds is having a make-over for Ronald. Appherently they want to promote a more active lifestyle and they are going to make him thinner, more muscular and give him a soccer ball or something.
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