"Food" -?

I recently read a story about a little experiment a woman, Sally Davies, conducted which involved buying a McDonald's Happy Meal and photographing it weekly. The spin is, although Davies kept the happy meal out on her kitchen table for over 180 days, the burger and fries look indistinguishable on day 180 than from the first day she bought it! In fact, Davies noted, "The only change that I can see is that it has become hard as a rock."

Now if that doesn't gross you out I'm not sure what will, especially if you're ingesting that junk. What's even more concerning is the fact that it was a Happy Meal, a meal most beloved by children all over the world. Hey, I'm even guilty of begging mom and dad for them when I was a little squirt. McDonald's targets youth with the "great tasting" Happy Meal and seals the deal with the offer of a free toy (offered for a limited time, of course). In fact, that's a great marketing ploy. I'm sure half of the kids want Happy Meals simply because of the toy, and McDonald's always has collector toys, making the kids want to go back again and again in order to collect every toy in the series.

Since I personally don't eat fast food (I'm a vegetarian--limited options at a burger joint), I decided to talk to someone who actually does--my own brother--in order to try to grasp why people enjoy it so much. And clearly many people do considering the recent blast of articles I've been reading on growing obesity rates in America.

Me: So what fast food joints do you usually hit up?
Garrett: McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wendy's and Burger King

Me: How often do you eat fast food?
Garrett: I would say around three times a week. But I've been really busy at work, so lately it's been more like four.
Me: Do you usually go for lunch or dinner? Probably lunch right, just to grab a quick lunch before getting back to work?
Garrett: Um...yeah. Sometimes both.
Me: (scratches head) Uh...well that would mean you have fast food more often than three or four times a week, but whatever, let's continue.
Garrett: I know it's unhealthy, so I try to eat it in moderation.
Me: But you eat it at least three times a week, how is that being moderate? You know I'm writing this conversation down, right? You sound like an idiot because you're contradicting everything you're saying. Just sayin'.
Garrett: Oh. Oops.

Me: Okay, so why do you like fast food?
Garrett: It's pretty cheap, it's convenient and fast.
Me: What do you usually order?
Garrett: A double cheeseburger. And a Coke. Fountain Coke's are better than cans of Coke because they're more carbonated. And fries with everything.
Me: Do you actually like the taste?
Garrett: It tastes good when I feel like it.
Me: Well you have it at least three times a week, so you obviously frequently feel like it...
Have you noticed a difference with your body after eating so much fast food?
Garrett: Yeah. Since I haven't had much time to work out because of my work schedule, I've started to notice a little chub around my mid-section.

I'm not saying one should never eat from McDonald's or another fast food chain, I simply want to suggest to others that they should really eat it in moderation. And by moderation, I do not mean my brothers idea of moderation which is three times a week. If you'd like some more convincing, just check out the pictures from Davies' Happy Meal Project, and maybe seeing the unnaturalness of "food" not actually decomposing will be enough to get you to cut down on the Big Macs (or just look at the picture of this cute little chubster who is probably going to spend his adolescence being picked on due to his unhealthy love for Micky D's.)