New at Reason
Jacob Sullum is surpised to discover Barry Glassner's very relaxed, very un-fearful attitude about food.
Comments to "New at Reason":
DADIODADDY | May 11, 2007, 10:43am | #
I'll have fries with that...Dan T. | May 11, 2007, 11:13am | #
“I like my vegetables and rice as much as somebody likes their steak and French fries,” he told me. “No, you don’t,” I thought.A telling remark by Mr. Sullum. Like many Americans, he's so addicted to bad food that he cannot even fathom how someone might actually like stuff that's good for them.
Mike Laursen | May 11, 2007, 11:33am | #
"Dan T. doesn't really disagree with Sullum," I think.I won't say that I don't understand the appeal of junk food, only that I think it's a conditioned taste and there are plenty of people who genuninely like healthful foods and don't care for the bad stuff.
Andy_D | May 11, 2007, 11:51am | #
“I like my vegetables and rice as much as somebody likes their steak and French fries,” he told me. “No, you don’t,” I thought."Well, I for one enjoy a good vegetarian dish as much as I enjoy a good meat dish. On pure physical enjoyment, I prefer a well-made pasta with vegetables to fast-food burger, fries, and a coke. I feel bad both for the vegetarians and the vegetable avoiders, who all miss out on so many wonderful foods in particular, and also miss out on the joys of diversity.
But maybe Sullum's point is only supposed to be about that sad sack he was talking with at the time.
Dan T., why would liking junk food be a conditioned response? Ever met someone originally from some backward non-fast-food-having country?... so often, they come to the USA and for a while just splurge on all kinds of junk-food.
Cerro | May 11, 2007, 12:01pm | #
Just in case you hadn't seen it, H&R staff, there's a typo in the byline.Vladmir | May 11, 2007, 3:34pm | #
Dan T.,“I like my vegetables and rice as much as somebody likes their steak and French fries,” he told me. “No, you don’t,” I thought."
I don´t think that what Mr. Sullum was trying to say was that it is impossible to enjoy healthy food, but that to that person food was all about obssessing with health, ideology or whatever.
What is the point? Don't we all try to enjoy a little bit of everything?
John | May 12, 2007, 10:50am | #
"What is the point? Don't we all try to enjoy a little bit of everything?"In a word, no. Sullum's point -both in general, and about Jacobson in particular- is that there are people who divide all foods into "recommended" and "prohibited" and for who portion control is not even an option. Jacobson and the PETAns don't say too much meat (or Twinkies, or whatever) is bad for you, they say any of those things are bad for you, and then they take the position that we must, of course, ban those things.