Because Death simply isn't going to come soon enough for some people...

[Trebuchet]

That second link is pretty funny, in a sort of gross way. Some may not see it as funny as I did.

I loved it! Thanks for the archive links, Van Rijn!

[Van Rijn]

You're welcome. I keep the Wayback Machine web archive link on my link bar. It doesn't always work for dead sites, but it is still very useful.

[NEOWatcher]

Just ran across this story from a couple of weeks ago...

Man who promoted grill's unhealthy menu dies

A 575-pound man who gained a measure of fame as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill — a Phoenix-area restaurant that unabashedly touts its unhealthy, high-calorie menu — has died.
Friends of 29-year-old Blair River say he died Tuesday, possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu.

Not a heart attack, but I would be sure that the "healthy" attitude had something to do with it.

[Spoons]

Yeah, you'd have to expect it was a result of his whole lifestyle, of which the unhealthy eating was a big part. Big.

[NEOWatcher]

On the news, they showed something at the big fair which seemed implausable , but was caught on film: Deep Fried Butter !
Spare me !!!!!!!!!!!!
" Hello,...mortuary; yes, we have a rush...."

I was wondering which fair you were speaking of because I ran across this story...
This Year's New State Fair Food: Deep Fried Butter (Wisconson)
... And thought "New? Wasn't that done before?" Especially with Wisconson being known for dairy.

Anyway; they also offer a platter.

"We are going to be offering a 'Best of the Fair' combination platter, which includes the deep fried butter, a Krispy Kreme cheeseburger and a stick of chocolate-covered bacon so the fairgoers can sample all of the best fair food,"

Best? I guess that depends on what you think it's best for.

[Fazor]

Best? I guess that depends on what you think it's best for.

Exactly. I'm not a health-nut by any means -- though since last Fall or so I've been making an effort to eat my healthily with varying degrees of success. But even when I was a teenager and all the "Deep fried candy bars!" and such started showing up at fairs, I've never even been tempted to try them. I'm not saying they *taste* bad, but there's a point when a food becomes so "bad" that regardless of what the taste is, my body doesn't want anything to do with it.

I do like deep-fried pickles though; that's one that I first saw at a fair.

[Ong]

A 575-pound man who gained a measure of fame as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill — a Phoenix-area restaurant that unabashedly touts its unhealthy, high-calorie menu — has died.
Friends of 29-year-old Blair River say he died Tuesday, possibly from contracting pneumonia after a bout with the flu.

______________

Happily the Heart Attack Grill is shut down.

[HenrikOlsen]

ToSeeked, in this thread even.

[NEOWatcher]

ToSeeked, in this thread even.

I thought I heard an echo...

[Celestial Mechanic]

I was wondering which fair you were speaking of because I ran across this story...
This Year's New State Fair Food: Deep Fried Butter (Wisconsin)
... And thought "New? Wasn't that done before?" Especially with Wisconsin being known for dairy.

Anyway; they also offer a platter.

We are going to be offering a 'Best of the Fair' combination platter, which includes the deep fried butter, a Krispy Kreme cheeseburger and a stick of chocolate-covered bacon so the fairgoers can sample all of the best fair food,"

Best? I guess that depends on what you think it's best for.

It would best for being able to boast "I ate this once (and once only!) and lived!"

I have to wonder if there is anything too repulsive (apart from the obvious, tasteless, and unmentionable) to deep-fry at the State Fair. Anyone for snails in garlic sauce, deep-fried, dipped in cheese, and coated with chocolate on a stick?

Lightly garnished with lark's vomit?

[NEOWatcher]

I heard about this on the radio this morning:
Hooked on chicken nuggets: Girl, 17, who has eaten nothing else since age TWO rushed to hospital after collapsing

Stacey Irvine has breathing problems and anaemia
Only other food she eats regularly are fries
But despite warnings cannot resist McDonald's treats

The factory worker – who says she has never tasted fresh fruit or vegetables – had to be taken to hospital earlier this week when she collapsed after struggling to breathe.

I admit that I'm not familiar with dealing with a picky child (but I was one myself), but I don't see how the mother went far enough to solve the problem.
Especially since she had to go to McDonalds to buy the mcNuggets. I doubt the kid bought them for at least the first 10 years.

Ok; she tried to deprive her of food which is good. But; to what level?
And; after a period of time, wouldn't she suspect there's something seriously wrong with that and ask a pediatrician? Did she even have pediatric care?

[Gillianren]

I'm still an incredibly picky eater. I do not myself consume fresh fruit or vegetables. (And don't start trying to get me to; the taste of foods I don't like literally makes me gag, and I don't think throwing up is a good solution.) But you know what? I was a lot older than two at the point at which my mother stopped trying to force me. Actually, I was diagnosed with anemia at about the same age, and we still aren't clear how, given that I eat beef, which is a pretty good source of iron. I'm also contemplating how expensive it would be to feed someone on just fast food. Frankly, I'm calling shenanigans on this.

[NEOWatcher]

Frankly, I'm calling shenanigans on this.

Any in particular?
The only thing I can think of is that this person already has some issue and is trying to blame it on McDonalds.
If that's the case then we still need to figure out where she got that pile of happy meal toys she's laying on.

I'm curious about your pickiness. Were you exposed to a lot of that food you don't like when you were young?
There were things that I hated as a kid, but I learned to like them through some rote process or something.

[Gillianren]

It's not that hard to get your hands on Happy Meal toys. Most of my friends have at least a few lying around, and we're in our twenties and thirties. You can get them at thrift stores, sometimes, and the pile isn't big enough for what they're claiming. "Four bin liners" in fifteen years when it's pretty much every meal? No. I think this is a ploy for attention. If she has medical problems, I think there are other reasons. She looks far too healthy to have had such a limited diet for fifteen years. Scurvy doesn't take that long to set in. Nor does rickets.

As to the food thing, yes, it's some exposure from childhood. Some from adulthood. I literally cannot be in the room with feta cheese, and bananas aren't much better. The smell alone makes me ill. One of my friends says I'm a supertaster, but I think it's more complicated than that. Also unfortunate for my health.

[Cougar]

I literally cannot be in the room with feta cheese, and bananas aren't much better.

I could see that. Not that I'm so sensitive. A woman I work with is very similar - no vegetables, smell tolerance, etc. BTW, what's your blood type?

[Gillianren]

O-positive. Not that I subscribe to most of the blood type arguments; Graham is also O-positive and eats just about anything.

[Jens]

I'm still an incredibly picky eater. I do not myself consume fresh fruit or vegetables.

You mean that you don't consume fresh fruit or fresh vegetables? You mean at all, or just certain ones? Frankly, I really wasn't aware that there were people who didn't like fruits (vegetables is a different story). I was under the illusion I guess that fruits are something that you automatically like. I don't think that there's any fresh fruit that I don't like.

But I'm curious, what do you eat then?

[Gillianren]

No fruit, no vegetables. Certain fruit juices, a few fruit products, and some fruit-flavoured things. No whole fruit. No canned fruit. No frozen fruit. No fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables, unless you count potatoes and corn bread. And I don't like corn bread with whole corn kernels in it.

ETA--as to what I do eat, I eat potatoes, white bread and several variations thereon--most things made with white flour, but I don't like wheat flour. I eat beef, pork, chicken, and duck. Starch, meat, and many but not all cheeses, basically. It's a hugely unhealthy diet, but again, vomiting all the time isn't healthy, either.

[Jens]

I sort of understand about the gagging I suppose. There are three foods that do (or at least used to do) that to me: oysters, liver, and Brussels sprouts. Oysters are still no good for me, but Brussels sprouts I suppose I've gotten used to, and liver, well I can eat it if I hold my nose. In fact I guess I could eat oysters in a pinch (like if I was a guest at a dinner) by holding my nose. That doesn't work for you?

[Gillianren]

Nope. I say, "No, thanks." None of my friends take offense. Why should they? It's not personal.

[Jens]

I didn't mean to say you should do it to be social. I really meant for health reasons. Even if you don't like it, if you can stop gagging by holding your nose, then you can get the nutrition.

[GeorgeLeRoyTirebiter]

...Brussels sprouts I suppose I've gotten used to...

It's the same for me. As a kid, I couldn't choke down Brussels sprouts, but I can eat them today. It may be the sprouts, not our tastes, that have changed. A few decades ago most commercial growers were planting cultivars that had been developed to maximize durability and shelf life, at the expense of flavor (much like supermarket tomatoes). After realizing that they'd nearly turned an entire generation of children against their product they've since switched to less bitter varieties.

...well I can eat it if I hold my nose.

I once had a wedge of wonderfully overripe Asiago cheese that was so strong I had to hold my nose to get the first bite into my mouth without gagging, at which point the flavor would overwhelm the odor and I could eat it without problem (with my nose unplugged). It was actually a rather enjoyable experience.

[Cougar]

O-positive. Not that I subscribe to most of the blood type arguments...

Hmm. Toss out that theory. I guess. Although you apparently handle meat just fine, which is correlated with O-positive. I hadn't even heard about it until yesterday when I saw a cookbook with recipes according to blood type.

[NEOWatcher]

It's not that hard to get your hands on Happy Meal toys.

Right; my comment was more for the snickering effect.

She looks far too healthy to have had such a limited diet for fifteen years. Scurvy doesn't take that long to set in. Nor does rickets.

Good point. It kind of highlights my comment about doctor visits. The limited diet should have caused some kind of symptoms bad enough to need a doctor's visit early in life.

The smell alone makes me ill. One of my friends says I'm a supertaster, but I think it's more complicated than that. Also unfortunate for my health.

I've never been picky, and rarely has (edible) food smelled bad for me, and never has it made me sick. But; I also wonder about it being more complicated.
I work near a cofferoom with microwaves, toaster oven, etc. Years ago, my kidneys were failing. During that time, every morning, someone would cook fake bacon to make a breakfast sandwich. I ended up running to the bathroom every time.

[HenrikOlsen]

Hmm. Toss out that theory. I guess. Although you apparently handle meat just fine, which is correlated with O-positive. I hadn't even heard about it until yesterday when I saw a cookbook with recipes according to blood type.

Ignore the blood type woo and just look at the recipes for something you like.

[HenrikOlsen]

As to the food thing, yes, it's some exposure from childhood. Some from adulthood. I literally cannot be in the room with feta cheese, and bananas aren't much better. The smell alone makes me ill. One of my friends says I'm a supertaster, but I think it's more complicated than that. Also unfortunate for my health.

It sounds a lot like a learned defensive reflex caused by being forced to eat the horrible stuff at the right age to turn dislike into revulsion.
I'm not saying it is in your case and I'm definitely not saying that it's not a real physical response.

I know my parents were wise enough to let me off after at least trying a bite a few times, with the rationale that "he'll learn to like it later".
In many cases that was correct as I've later realized that for many foods it wasn't the taste but rather the texture I hated. Had I been forced to eat them then, I expect the taste would by now be indelibly associated with the horror of biting into them and I'd have been unable to eat them in other forms as well.

[Gillianren]

I have very clear memories from childhood of not being allowed to go to a block party in my neighbourhood because I hadn't finished my spinach. I do not have any memories of Mom's serving spinach after that, and given what neighbourhood it was, I would have been maybe four or five. But peas? Oh, peas were on the table for many years. So I don't know. My sisters do okay. This is a weird thing about me which they don't share. And then the weekend I graduated from high school, my ex-step-aunt tried to insist that I couldn't have dessert unless I finished my vegetables. My response was that I was eighteen and a high school graduate and perfectly capable of buying my own cookies if I wanted to. My mother's response was that she didn't need anyone else to try to parent me.

[Jens]

Also, sorry to put Gillianren on the spot, but is this a common phenomenon in the US? I don't think I ever remember meeting someone who couldn't eat fruits or vegetables.

[Trebuchet]

Also, sorry to put Gillianren on the spot, but is this a common phenomenon in the US? I don't think I ever remember meeting someone who couldn't eat fruits or vegetables.

You never met my brother as a child. He survived on PB&J, hot dogs, and chicken noodle soup. Maybe Cheerios in the morning. Eventually he went off to college and had to eat in the dormitory cafeteria, which changed him completely. I was stunned the first time I saw him eating green beans with pleasure.

[Gillianren]

Gillian is used to being on the spot, thanks. This is because she knows plenty of other fussy eaters, but few anywhere near as fussy as she is.