Taste and See

We are all aware of how the media has squandered, squelched and pulverized the very blatant fact that America overeats. Yes, this is quite clear, thank you, just ask our waistlines.

 “But we can’t help it!” we scream. After all, they serve apple and walnut salads at fast food restaurants, allow carbs to come back and Rachael Ray can make magic in 30 minutes. So to fear food or not? That unfortunately is the question –

I would love to think that personality traits, cunning jokes and witty conversational techniques could be found in every man or woman's character. Is this at all possible? Or are we in fact – gulp – exactly what we eat?

So you watch CNN over cereal and pick up the Mustang Daily on the way to class. Does this make you an active citizen? Does the fact that you bubbled in your absentee ballot and sent it on its merry way in hopes of making a difference make you a better American, or, better yet, a better person?

You’d like to think so. You’re eating what you hope will help you blossom into that person your 8-year-old self always dreamed about being. You’ve made it this far, into college and out of Mom’s kitchen and out from under Dad’s roof. Meanwhile, you’re selectively picking up and eating the stuff you think will set you apart from the 3.8 GPA sitting next to you, and you’ve sacrificed the “crap” food you know will only weigh you down later.

I guess the point here is, we are what we eat. We are also the thoughts we have when we wake up in the morning and the ideas that spring into our heads. We are the debates raging inside of us while walking past the usual protest on Dexter Lawn, and the reasons why we think America could be better.

So in a way, I’m happy to think that America overeats, especially college-aged Americans. It’s refreshing to know that we’re chewing what needs a second glance, and digesting it all to figure out what is best.