A mindset to change

Last night was a night of work and my client elected to walk.  We went for our walk and chalked up 4.37 miles before it was decided that we would be going to Snuffy’s for dinner.  Snuffy’s is one of those throwback burger joints that as soon as you walk in you realize the only thing that hasn’t changed since the building opened is the the staff and probably a few pieces of glass and dishwear. We took a spot at an open table and went through the ritual of what to order.  Being on the slow carb plan at a great burger joint is absolutely one of the worst things in the world.  So I decided to cheat, that’s right, I fully made the choice to cheat on my meal.  Last nights dinner was a salad and a turkey burger which I ate the bottom half of the bun.

<Insert gasp here>

 AND I ENJOYED IT

<Another gasp, followed by a few “Lord have Mercy”>

 I decided to eat the turkey burger first and follow up with the salad.  At about the end of my burger another couple sat at the table across the isle from us. This brings me to today's blog.

Without going into to much detail about any physical description beyond they were a larger couple.  Because lets face it I’m the last person who should be bringing up another persons appearance.  Being the building was rather packed I couldn’t hear what they ordered as I ate my salad.  As I finished quite a bit faster than my client it allowed me the chance to observe the restaurant and the couple.  They were brought their respective milkshakes and (I believe) cokes. The dinners were brought next, each a loaded bacon cheeseburger with the centerpiece of the meal, a family size order of onion rings.  The true horror lies in what happened next. 

The gentleman took the salt shaker and proceeded to cover every inch of the onion rings with a coating of salt.  I’m not talking a couple of quick dashes, but rather a vigorous shaking that had to have lasted a good 8 to 10 seconds until you could SEE the salt on the onion rings batter from my table away.  The gentleman then proceeded to take the top bun off his burger and do the same thing to his burger without so much as even tasting the burger to determine if it needed salt.

Part of me wanted to say something, kindly, to him.  Another part of me feared speaking up as, again, who am I to advise someone on what they eat.  A third and final part of me thought this might be a hidden camera thing which I quickly ruled out.  The lady then went to use the restroom and gave the gentleman the remainder of her shake which he finished and then took the last of the onion rings and finished them off save for one, which he picked up shook the basket to get the salt into a little pile and actually licked the onion ring and dipped it into the basket of salt before casually tossing it into his mouth.  She lady came back shortly after and they paid and left.  All of this happened within a half hour. 

I left there last night with multiple thoughts running through my head of that I should have said something, or what can I do and even to the thought of the recent news of Disney being the first major media to ban junk food.  To the Mayor of New York looking to ban large soft drink sales.  I know I made some bad food choices throughout my life.  There are those that use food like you would a cigarette or alcohol and countless other way.  I personally used it for comfort and got lulled into the appeal of food quickly while I was rushing from one thing to the next.  It’s been almost 5 months now since I’ve  made an effort to eat healthier and improve myself and as weird as it is to say, I get being healthier.  It saddens me that other people don’t and worries me on what it will take to change America itself from this mindset.