caribou_gen | (no subject)

(no subject)

Every once in a long while, I like going to the Olive Garden. Watching this video, put out by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest is definitely making me reconsider my restaurant choices:

Watch on YouTube

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The key is to keep it to every once in a long while. Fear is bad for your health too.

True, but education and awareness is necessary.

My 3 kids watched this intently... although they then laughed at the "Chinese takeaway" prank clip.

Oops! I had to look and see what you were talking about. Sometimes the Youtube links are great and other times they are a little embarrassing.

Pasta is always high in carbs and calories.

It doesn't have to be high in calories. Smaller serving sizes, changing what the pasta is made from (making it into useful carbs), and having more veggies included would all decrease the insane calorie count of these dishes.

I had to laugh a bit at that: meatballs and meat sauce? People actually order that with a straight face?

I also wonder how many people actually eat as much as they say when going to Olive Garden. I figure I'm a bigger eater than most, but if I were to get an appetizer (or have the salad, which is free with a meal there, if I recall correctly), there's no way I'd eat the entire entree in one sitting or get desert. Also, appetizers and desserts are usually shared.

However, I like the CSPI - their Canadian newsletter once proclaimed Tim Horton's Iced Cappuccinos as the "worst thing anyone could drink" for their health. Knowing that I'm leaps and bounds ahead just by not drinking this one thing is quite reassuring to me.

I think that video was done by the USA branch and I wouldn't doubt that there are quite a few people who would eat all three items. That being said, I think the appetizers would be shared and maybe even the dessert.

I'd like a four-decker hamburger with 4 cheese slices and 4 pcs. of bacon rather than the pasta.

But I'm an Albertan.

:)

Seriously, though, how do you eat something like that?

I think a part of it has to do with portion sizes growing and growing and our ability to eat grows with it. In Japan, I was hungry for the first month because portions were smaller than what I was used to eating; keep in mind that our portions in Canada are generally smaller than they are in the States. When I returned to Canada, I was completely and utterly shocked at how huge everything was and yet I'm now back to usually being able to finish a full dish at a restaurant. I'm trying hard to limit my portion and take some home for leftovers now.

I think portion size is really the biggest problem. I spent 5 years in Canada, and the portion sizes never seemed "normal" to me. And I can finish them - but not without some effort. :)
I think it's interesting that in Canada restaurant portions are usually for one, while in Brazil, in most restaurants you expect to order dishes and share them, as you would when eating at home. Most restaurant portions in Canada are enough for 2, but they are not served in serving dishes, with each person having a plate...
On the other hand, we do have all-you-can-eat BBQ in Brazil, so it's not like it's the land of moderation either.

in Canada restaurant portions are usually for one, while in Brazil, in most restaurants you expect to order dishes and share them
that approach is certainly common in indian and chinese restaurants here, but not in restaurants that serve "non-ethnic" food (as if there could be such a thing).

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