Unhappy meal

I was told McDonald’s had started posting nutritional information on its walls, possibly trying to head off lawsuits from obese people who can’t resist the allure of McDonald’s and who were duped somehow into thinking it was healthy.

Without seeing any dietary information on the walls, I ordered some food to see why these overweight people were drawn to fast food like a crackhead to a pipe. So, I got a Big N’ Tasty with Cheese, and, of course, I went for the combo. What a value!

The nutritional info was kept under the counter. After I checked the grams of fat on my lunch, I renamed it a Big N’ Greasy. The burger had 27 grams of fat, the fries 22. Worse yet, though filling, it just didn’t taste good. It left me feeling Big N’ Bulging. If people are hooked on this, they do have a problem.

But kids aren’t that discerning. The clown, ads and playgrounds draw them in, and Mom and Dad get off the hook cheaply.

A chubby child may look cute, but, as he grows up obese, all that extra fat he is carrying puts a strain on his body and all its organs. Overweight children are a national health crisis, and the lines in the battle against junk food are being drawn (see “The junk-food wars,” ).

Kids who used to ride bikes and run around the neighborhood are sitting at home on the Internet or attached to the Playstation. We would be outraged if a 10-year-old lit up or chugged a shot of whiskey, yet parents are OK with those hours in front of a screen and multiple trips to McDonald’s. A dangerous combo.