There appears to be a minor backlash movement in response to all the noise about Fat America.  Whereas people appear to be getting the idea that they have to start paying attention to their weight, they’re not about to give up completely on their favorite foods.  Two items:

In November, Hardee’s rolled out their Monster Thickburger: two 1/3 slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun.  1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat.  Activist organizations who would like to place the blame for our nation’s obesity problem on the fast food industry were quick to condemn Hardee’s.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (which is neither scientific nor operating in the public interest, but that’s a subject for another day) dubbed it “food porn” and “the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film.”  But Hardee’s is apparently doing a brisk business.  There’s room for indulgences like this, even in a reasonably healthy diet. If I can find a Hardee’s nearby (the last one turned into a Hooter’s, where neither the food nor the waitresses are anything to write home about), I’ll give the Monster Thickburger a try.

I’ve had a weakness for Wienerschnitzel chili cheese dogs for over 20 years, although  I don’t eat them as often now as I used to.  I couldn’t even get them here until about three years ago when Wienerschnitzel finally opened a store in the Austin area.  I stopped by there on Saturday and got a good laugh when I saw their napkin:  “Join the chili dog diet!  A diet you just can’t lose on.”

I don’t know yet whether people are actually watching what they eat and are using fast food as a “treat,” or if they’re visiting fast food restaurants more frequently in protest.