By Darling Nicky

What happened to that giant health and weight loss craze that was propelled by the movie “Supersize Me?” Remember, shortly after that movie was released, McDonald’s made amendments to their menu offering apples and caramel dip with a Happy Meal as an alternative to French fries? And, they stopped cramming the up-sell of “supersizing” down our throats?

Well, fast-forward to October 2010, and we are met by KFC’s new “Double Down” sandwich (conveniently launched during the prime tailgating months of NFL season).  When I saw the ad for this sandwich, I said a little prayer for mankind (after mopping up anticipatory saliva from my mouth), and researched the nutritional information (while also looking for the nearest location that delivers).  I mean seriously…do we REALLY need a bun-less sandwich made from TWO boneless seasoned chicken filets encrusted with the Colonel’s secret of 11 herbs and spices, enveloping “two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel’s Sauce.”  Okay, maybe we do.

I am all for indulging the palate, but when I do it, it’s more to be experimental with flavours and ingredients than it is to plummet into the abyss of gluttony.  I appreciate that when we travel to far off places, we are fascinated with the local fare they offer that makes a typical Canadian diet seem a bit uninteresting. However, whoever decided that chocolate-covered bacon and fried chocolate bars were delicacies that we could not live without, obviously had little regard for our overall quality of life and life expectancy.

I wonder how the message of healthy eating is being conveyed to our children when on one hand they are bombarded by fast-food advertisements, attracted by the abundance of choice, and hooked by the cost-effectiveness of “dollar menus” versus the expense of swapping a standard side dish for a salad.  Not to mention, that rather than turning on primetime TV and seeing a good old fashioned situation comedy like The Cosby Show, reality shows that expose people’s personal battle with their own gluttony like The Biggest Loser capture audiences across the continent.  Is this normal? It feels like a permission slip to live (in this case eat) recklessly because when it gets out of control, a weight-loss reality show will come to the rescue.

**side note: other shows that glorify people’s out-of-control personal habits include Hoarders and Clean House where essentially really dirty people get a housecleaning service fit for a King.**

I was out with a friend recently, who ordered Poutine (Canada’s signature artery clogging dish) but swapped out brown gravy for…….brace yourselves……OX TAIL gravy! After I got over the audacity of disrespecting the ox tail gravy by smothering it on fried potato wedges, I remembered not to judge a book by its cover, and sampled it for myself.  And alas…it was delicious.  In that moment I had to concur that almost everything that tastes good, is probably bad for you.

Don’t get me wrong, as we age, our taste buds mature and we relish in the renewing flavours (and anti-oxidant qualities) of edamame, broccoli, and Swiss chard.  But until we take a united stand against the addictive and enticing attributes of prefixes such as “meat lover’s”, “triple cheese”, and “all-you-can-eat”, perhaps we should redefine tailgating to actually include a few laps around an actual football field before the game.

Which brings me back to the Double Down sandwich from KFC; at 540 calories for the original recipe version; I think I may have to indulge this week.  Just needed to think it through.  *wink*

Guest blogger Darling Nicky is an entertainment writer, blogger and publicist.  Check out her blog at www.darlingnicky999.com.