# Burgers - really?



## Hannes_F (Jun 1, 2016)

This is a question to the American friends here (and perhaps British too). I had the "pleasure" to eat a McDonalds BigMac today. It took a while for them to make it, so perhaps this is not usual any more and thus maybe my sample was not representative. All I can say is that I got an extremely wobbly pastry-something with some extremely untasty meat-something between it. A sprinkle of ketchup, some traces of cheese, no indentifiable salad. All in all perhaps as yummy as the cardboard case it came in. Sits in my stomach an hour later and produces some unpleasant pressure.

I figured there is no way this could have become a world success model unless Burgers and BigMacs would be substantially different in other parts of the world. Please restore my faith into your taste buds and tell me this is really tasty food in your part of the woods. Any real life pics to share perhaps?


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## Hannes_F (Jun 1, 2016)

PS.: I should add that McCafé is actually quite good here, so I a bit puzzled now.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 1, 2016)

You had the pleasure???

You eat that stuff Hannes and it could result in instant heart failure. That stuff should have a serious health warning. I would rather eat a full pack of cigarettes, and I don't smoke. Arterial Schlerosis will ensue. 
I couldn't go into a McDonalds without an Uzi 9mm anyway because of the clientele. 
Don't ever let me hear that you've eaten that again or I'll loose faith in the German people.


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## dariusofwest (Jun 1, 2016)

Not a fan of McDonald's burgers either lol.


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## Daniel James (Jun 1, 2016)

I love a Maccy D me. Although I am not exactly known for my super healthy lifestyle. Main reason I think I like it so much tho is I grew up pretty poor as a kid, so when there would be a big event or we achieved something we would get a McDonalds (with all its salty/sugary goodness) as a reward. Which made me grow up feeling a very positive psychological connection to it. Regardless of how it tasted, it was the taste of success.

-DJ


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## chimuelo (Jun 1, 2016)

McDonalds was banished from the USA and basically was sent abroad to make fat useless idiots out of our adversairies.
We still maintain some stateside for EBT Card users as its cheaper than buying real food, but really is not popular with working folks.

When I was a kid I scored goals and hit home runs for free double cheeseburgers when real charred animal flesh was used.
Damn they were good.

Last time I ate there was years ago as my kid was feverish.
The next day the smell in my car smelled like a dead animal.
Havent been there since...


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 1, 2016)

McDonald's menus and flavors differ in various countries. Not that it's very good anywhere. The best I've had was in Japan.

Please come to the southwestern US and try a Double-Double burger from In-n-Out before you judge US hamburgers.


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## chimuelo (Jun 1, 2016)

In and Out is the bomb..

But if you want something done right do it yourself.
I use a bbq pit and ground Chuck with some ground lamb.
Wood chips lot's of smoke.

Grilled buns an onion ring and some Stubbs bbq sauce.

I grill tons of meat once a month at the park.
All marinated all natural no antibiotics or steroids.

The inmates come running when they see me at 0700 hours on Sunday.

Hence we renamed the park the Inmate Grill

Poor bastards never get real food.
They really get feverish for the Salsiccia....


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 2, 2016)

There's a national 'eating' shop in Britain called Subway.

Anyone that eats in Subway should be killed and their bodies sent in for research re: medical science.

Instead of eating in Subway, a much much cheaper option would be to go to the local supermarket and buy one of those large plastic bags of salt. Just eat the entire bag of salt and then eat the plastic bag. That's possibly a healthier option than eating anything from Subway.
If Burke and Hare were alive today, they would spend most of their time hanging around a Subway outlet. 

Subway does have it's social benefits though. It's where dangerously morbidly obese people go to meet like minded others of there tribe.
I say dangerously, not because they're a danger necessarily to themselves, but a danger to others and small animals in case they fall on them.

NB. Actually 'killed' is probably the wrong word. Slaughtered is more appropriate.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 2, 2016)

Daniel James said:


> I love a Maccy D me.
> 
> -DJ



Why does that not surprise me.


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## MA-Simon (Jun 2, 2016)

Is it the same subway in germany? Because i do like it. Lots of fresh salad, bread and identifiable meat with tasty sauces... Is nice. I don't like MCD though + Macdonalds is ridiculousely expensive. Its 5-6€ for a burger. There are lots of cool burger places in Berlin where they make real foody Burgers with all kinds of cool stuff. And they cost only 4€.


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## NYC Composer (Jun 2, 2016)

Are McDonalds' restaurants busy in Berlin?


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 2, 2016)

This fast food shit really is a tax on poor people. It's a disgrace and should be stopped. It should be illegal for idiot parents taking their children to these places.


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 2, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> There's a national 'eating' shop in Britain called Subway.
> 
> Anyone that eats in Subway should be killed and their bodies sent in for research re: medical science.
> 
> ...


Is it the same Subway we have here in the US? If so, yes, some choices are high in salt, but there are plenty of lower sodium choices. The veggie and tuna subs are delicious and healthy, especially if you eat them without cheese on 9 grain or Italian bread.


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## KEnK (Jun 2, 2016)

Personally I don't even think of anything at McBurger King etc. as "food".
It seems really gross to me besides being incredibly unhealthy.
I don't trust whatever their processes might be.
I am an occasional carnivore but don't ever consider fast food an option.

And here's a good story:
My Wonderful Wife has been in the film biz as an a.c. for years.
She was doing some special fx shots on the last Lucas made StarWarz film.
For the volcano scene (when Anakin gets hacked to bits)
they ordered up gallons of McD's "Food Filler" specially colored to be molten lava.
This is what they put in the shakes. "Food Filler". Sound good?
In the end though, they didn't like the Food Filler Lava effect and did something else for that scene.

k


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 2, 2016)

Of course, there's one strata of food that falls even below fast food and that's... airline food, economy class.

Some is straightforward. You might get real grapes or cheese. But the chicken in the entres doesn't taste real at all. And the breads (except on Air France) are horrible.


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## Hannes_F (Jun 2, 2016)

Hmm. All my exaggerations aside what I wonder about is this: If money is an issue then for EUR 2.50 to 3.50 I can get a doner kebab - tasty, fresh, lots of salad, even the bread is directly from the oven. To me this is a better offer than a BigMac on multiple levels, so I can not see how McDonalds was able to have that kind of world wide success.
Somebody explained me that eating out in a restaurant would be relatively expensive in the US (don't know whether this is true), so maybe that is an explanation. But that does not explain why even here McDonalds is full of clients (in Hannover). It must somehow have reasons beyond taste and money, maybe it is the brand itself and what people connect with it.
Don't take me wrong, I have nothing against McDonalds and McCafé is actually quite good. In the case of the BigMac I was just puzzled about the (non-)quality of such a world success product.


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## NYC Composer (Jun 2, 2016)

Salt, sugar, carbohydrates and fat, Hannes. People dig them.


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## muk (Jun 3, 2016)

Hannes_F said:


> In the case of the BigMac I was just puzzled about the (non-)quality of such a world success product.



But hey, it's a standardized non-quality. Wherever you are there should be a Big Mac to be had nearby. And it should taste exactly the same everywhere in the world.
If we are at it: can anybody explain the success of Starbucks? Now these are ridiculously expensive coffee analogues. It's mostly water and caramel syrup if I remember correctly. Maybe the concoction has been touched briefly by a coffee bean particle as well, but I can't testify. Could be that they have kinda homeopathic background, after all you are supposed to shake some of their brews.
Anyway, Starbucks. Another hugely successful company that sells low-quality products at fantasy prices. Always wondered how they get away with it.

Here's an idea. 'Funmeal'! It's salted lumps of pure fat. And sugared fat for deserts. Of course there will be 'Fitmeal' for the health-conscious people. That's salted soy fat, served with a salad with sugared fat sauce. Pulled fat for the hipsters. 20$ should be a fair price for the average meal.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 3, 2016)

Death is coming to you all. And it's not riding a pale horse. It's being delivered to you by a spotty youth on minimum wage.

You're doomed!


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 3, 2016)

Death is coming to me, no matter what I eat, might as well enjoy good-tasting foods. Fast food in moderation is no big deal.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 3, 2016)

This is being a typical Yank Michael. It IS a big deal and it sets a really awful behavioural example to young children, even in moderation. Children wouldn't grow up smoking if they didn't see adults doing it. Same with anything that is a bad habit and lazy lifestyle.


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 3, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> This is being a typical Yank Michael. It IS a big deal and it sets a really awful behavioural example to young children, even in moderation. Children wouldn't grow up smoking if they didn't see adults doing it. Same with anything that is a bad habit and lazy lifestyle.


My grandmother lived to 97 years old. Ate Dairy Queen hamburgers, hot dogs, fried eggs, fried fish and orange rolls frequently. What killed her? A broken hip. And she was skinny. I think about 105 pounds.


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 3, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> Children wouldn't grow up smoking if they didn't see adults doing it. Same with anything that is a bad habit and lazy lifestyle.


You cannot compare smoking to eating fast food in moderation. Smoking is much more dangerous than eating fast food in moderation.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 4, 2016)

OK then.


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 4, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> OK then.



That is so gross! I can't watch Cleese without thinking of Basil Fawlty


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 7, 2016)

There are three types of hamburgers:

1) Mass-produced, fast food, full of preservatives and additives. Poor food. Then again, it's widely available, predictable, cheap, and fast.

2) Fat delivery mechanisms. Some "best burger" reviews go for these. They have thick, fatty beef, bacon, loads of sauce, and if they have vegetables, they're Sautéd in grease. Soak the bun in fat and grill it lightly. I count Five Guys in the fatty-burger list. Might as well put a stick of butter inside. Add a couple of tablespoons of salt to top it off.

3) Great burgers. These are made with lean meat of a reasonable size, balanced with fresh, raw, natural vegetables, surrounded by a home-baked bun. Get wild and add a bit of good quality cheese. If you must, add a touch of salt to the surface of the cooked burger. (Salt mixed into food adds little flavor and just raises the salinity of the food.) Don't add sauce; let the diner add a touch of ketchup or a good-quality mustard to taste. Never add fatty mayonnaise.

Skip the fries. Good corn on the cob rocks and can be sweet enough without the need for butter or salt. Put onions and green peppers on the open grill as a side dish. Yum.


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## KEnK (Jun 7, 2016)

JonFairhurst said:


> If you must, add a touch of salt to the surface of the cooked burger. (Salt mixed into food adds little flavor and just raises the salinity of the food.)


I don't cook w/ much salt- most often none at all, so I do agree w/ your prescription, but-
Whenever I cook for friends, they often ask for salt.
I don't get insulted but I think it takes a while for people to get used to the taste of food, rather than the taste of salt.
Besides that I was told by a great pro chef friend of mine that salt actually helps break down the chemistry in foods,
or meld the flavors. I've found what he said to be true.
So since then I became less of a no-salt nazi.

k


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 8, 2016)

One year, I brined a turkey (soaked it in heavily salted water overnight) and it really opened my eyes to the effects of salt. The result was unnaturally moist - almost to the point of being a different species, compared to normal turkeys. So yeah, it was really good and only a bit too salty in flavor, but after eating it, I felt brined!

Since then, I've tried to balance my salt intake. Too little and the body can be dry and brittle. Too much and you plump with water and really alter the body chemistry. So for instance, when it's very hot and I'm active, I'll alternate drinking water and Gatoraid. 

Also, the difference between salt on the surface of food and buried in the food is huge. I like tortilla chips.  Reading the labels, you can see which brands have the lowest salt (and fat, etc.) Some of the brands with the lowest salt actually taste the saltiest. As an example, consider a margarita. Just a touch of salt on the rim gives an immediate salt rush. Now imagine taking all that salt off the rim and mixing it in the drink. Would you even be able to taste it?

Bottom line - balance salt intake. And if you want to taste it, put it where it hits the tongue.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 8, 2016)

Salt is death. Jesus Christ how many more times. Salt and sugar - white death. Everything you buy these days that is packed for sale in a supermarket, including bread, has salt and sugar in it. They do it to get you addicted. That's the reason. Should be illegal. Sugar has a much higher addiction rate than heroine and kills many more people. You don't need to put salt in anything. It's already smothered in it.
I was talking with a surgeon recently who is in fact English but worked a lot on Vancouver Island and he and I both totally agreed that all drugs should be made legal.


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## jacobthestupendous (Jun 8, 2016)

Big Macs are but pale reflections of glorious American burger potential. 

As to why McDonald's is so popular around the world, I can't speak to that. In America, it is successful because it is 1) cheap, 2) fast, and 3) tasty (to a person who has become accustomed to a certain salt/sugar intake, as mentioned earlier in this thread). Unfortunately, you had a Big Mac, which is not generally considered one of McD's better sandwiches.


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 8, 2016)

jacobthestupendous said:


> Big Macs are but pale reflections of glorious American burger potential.
> 
> As to why McDonald's is so popular around the world, I can't speak to that. In America, it is successful because it is 1) cheap, 2) fast, and 3) tasty (to a person who has become accustomed to a certain salt/sugar intake, as mentioned earlier in this thread). Unfortunately, you had a Big Mac, which is not generally considered one of McD's better sandwiches.


You're right. Most of the good restaurant burgers come from mom-n-pop places, in my opinion. I love burgers, but I eat Morningstar Grillers instead (better for weight loss). They taste very much like beef, especially if you cook `em in the pan with liquid smoke.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 9, 2016)

I'm beginning to think that all you guys that I'm talking to here are dangerously close to being overweight?


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 9, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> I'm beginning to think that all you guys that I'm talking to here are dangerously close to being overweight?


I am not dangerously close to being overweight. I am overweight, but only a bit now. I used to be a lot overweight. I lost 40 pounds in about 4 months using MyFitness Pal. But guess what? I let myself enjoy a burger or a donut every once in a while so that I wouldn't burn out. And -gasp-I still lost weight.
Not everyone who eats a burger now and then looks like that guy on the video you shared.
You should stop worrying about this. Stress is every bit as bad as burgers.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 9, 2016)

Cheesus Michael I can't be seen talking with fat boys!


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## Michael K. Bain (Jun 9, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> Cheesus Michael I can't be seen talking with fat boys!


Cheese aint exactly good for you, either.


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 9, 2016)

You don't need a purity-based diet to keep trim. At 58 years old, I have a 32-inch waist, a normal BMI, and I eat burgers now and again. But I also eat a lot of vegetables and fresh, low-fat (not salted/deli) turkey. I also swim at least a couple thousand meters about four times a week, including lots of butterfly and IMs. As a technique fanatic, there's nothing better than lapping a much younger guy doing freestyle and finishing my IM set barely breathing hard. 

BTW, check out Michael Phelps' diet back when he was a young pup in 2008: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/08/13/the-michael-phelps-diet-dont-try-it-at-home/

Gotta exercise if you want to eat dessert!


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## catsass (Jun 9, 2016)

I generally avoid fast food. But if I do partake, I prefer the Royale with Cheese. Or a Big Kahuna burger.


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## G.R. Baumann (Jun 13, 2016)

Hannes,

watch that in case you haven't: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/


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## G.R. Baumann (Jun 13, 2016)

Hannes,

watch that in case you haven't: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/


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## G.R. Baumann (Jun 13, 2016)

Hannes,

watch that in case you haven't: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/


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## G.R. Baumann (Jun 13, 2016)

Hannes,

watch that in case you haven't: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/


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## passsacaglia (Jun 13, 2016)

Love, home made, grilled, burgers. Some grilled tomatoes to this, a fresh salad, there's nothing better.
Oh it's soon 0700 over here, I think it's time to drop by master chim's, can't miss today's bbq paradise. 

Watched my 600lbs life yesterday, I mean...really tragic with people having traumas and ending up eating themselves to death. But, when I visited some sibilings in Houston 2 years ago, all the other really XXL liked people...
Is it just total ignorance, a question of money (is the unhealthy shitty food really That much cheaper than non processed good food?), the sugar and fat addiction or just a lack of knowledge that drives these people to obesity?
I don't have any info on prices of a regular superstore like acme, ralph's or the other ones in the states but..
Since I've studied this a lot..I'm just curious on what makes the people go for the unhealthy, candy and shitty stuff instead of eating "better" stuff?

Heard Denmark has or was about to put much higher taxes or prices on candy. Good one. But, it's a sad chain with Maccy D, fast food, low prices which becomes the 1st alternatives to many (poor) people and the companies makin huge profits on people.


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 13, 2016)

To me, deep fried foods are the biggest culprit. With a burger, you get bread, vegetables, and meat. If the meat is lean and you skip the cheese, salt, and sauces, it's not bad at all (unless you are against wheat or are a vegetarian.) With a cola, you get lots of sugar, but with a bit of exercise, you can burn it off. The key is to skip the fries and other deep fried foods. 

Many deep fried foods are heavily breaded, which soaks in more oil. Why do many fast food restaurants use processed potatoes, rather than whole? Because they soak in more fat and can be laced with salt. Pour salt on it and it all sticks. Then cover it in ketchup or some other sweet sauce to add yet more salt, fat, and sugar. That combination isn't just calories that quickly burn; that is the recipe for fat cell fertilizer.

I was in Vienna recently. (Heard Mozart and Brahms performed at the Musikverein!) They eat lots of stews with meat, potatoes, and bread. There is wine and beer. And what does Vienna do best? Coffee and dessert. There were many pastry and ice cream shops around. Yet, the populace was trim. What was missing? Yep. Processed foods and deep fried foods.

On the other hand, in the US, you can get deep fried butter. Seriously.

Say "no" to the deep fryer.


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## passsacaglia (Jun 13, 2016)

JonFairhurst said:


> To me, deep fried foods are the biggest culprit. With a burger, you get bread, vegetables, and meat. If the meat is lean and you skip the cheese, salt, and sauces, it's not bad at all (unless you are against wheat or are a vegetarian.) With a cola, you get lots of sugar, but with a bit of exercise, you can burn it off. The key is to skip the fries and other deep fried foods.
> 
> Many deep fried foods are heavily breaded, which soaks in more oil. Why do many fast food restaurants use processed potatoes, rather than whole? Because they soak in more fat and can be laced with salt. Pour salt on it and it all sticks. Then cover it in ketchup or some other sweet sauce to add yet more salt, fat, and sugar. That combination isn't just calories that quickly burn; that is the recipe for fat cell fertilizer.
> 
> ...


Word. 
The hidden sugars, and I mean...I know people (anywhere) think that a caesar salad is a "caesar salad" ie Fried bread crutons, super fatty and calorie rich dressing and people may think this is healthy since it's a salad.. 
Yeah, the processed food...so much salt n sugar, so cray! 
I eat a lot of eggs, leaner protein choices, fish n poultry, nuts n good fats and lot of seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Can't beat greek yoghurt with sunflower n pumpkin seeds. So yum! Or just take some natural non sugarish yoghurt mixed with quark and some seeds, some flax seeds for more fibres (had kidney stones once), so I also need a lot of magnesium due to the high protein n kalcium intake. But those seeds haha..love them!


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 13, 2016)

So true about Caesar salads! The croutons are soaked in oil and salt. The dressing is yet more fat and salt. To make this "salad" more appealing, why not add bacon?!?

Hint: order you salad with the dressing on the side. Add a touch for flavor, but don't drown the darn thing. And definitely ditch the crouton (simple carbs, oil, salt) fat pills. 

Remember when people tried renaming "French fries" to "Freedom fries?" They should have been more honest and direct by calling them "Fatty Fries."


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## passsacaglia (Jun 14, 2016)

JonFairhurst said:


> So true about Caesar salads! The croutons are soaked in oil and salt. The dressing is yet more fat and salt. To make this "salad" more appealing, why not add bacon?!?
> 
> Hint: order you salad with the dressing on the side. Add a touch for flavor, but don't drown the darn thing. And definitely ditch the crouton (simple carbs, oil, salt) fat pills.
> 
> Remember when people tried renaming "French fries" to "Freedom fries?" They should have been more honest and direct by calling them "Fatty Fries."


Whoa haha, read about it now. What a story. 

But seriously, deep fried butter?! Still surprise me what kind of creations that are available. Has anyone compared the sizes of the green area and the candy/soda area in a grocery store? Must be interesting. 
But yes, and ofc the "low fat" products with even more sugars to add the missing flavour. Eating "normal" fat products like regular milk (although lacstose free) and regular fattened yoghurt which here is about 3%, and around that digit.
But, I did not know that you could buy kesella/speisequark/quark with 40% fat haha. Your stomach would turn into a Six Flags in milliseconds, which happened to a friend. I can't take more than 15% anymore or my stomach will feel...yeah, like a Six Flags thrill ride.


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## passsacaglia (Jun 14, 2016)

ps , 51 days to digest the trans fats and more than 3 days just to digest/process one single Big mac.
0.5grams is the RDI of sodium, this fella has 970 milligrams in that bite. Whoah.

https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/big-mac.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&strip=all

Last time I had a big mac was...excluding that one bite I had when participating in swedish movie Evil it was during football world cup 94 I think...Iv had a couple of nuggets meals after that ofc but maximum 8-9.


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## JonFairhurst (Jun 14, 2016)

As a kid, I remember that people thought the Fillet 'o Fish was the healthier choice. After McD started publishing their calorie counts, it turned out that the deep-fried breading and thick tartar sauce made it the fattiest, most calorie filled item on the menu. 

I like health information labeling.

In fact, if you go back to the original writer on capitalism, Adam Smith, he asserts that open information is one of the required items for an effective market. If one fishmonger has fresh fish and another's is three days old, you want to know this before you buy. Maybe you go for the fresh stuff. Or maybe you get the older fish at a deep discount. Your choice. But if the information is hidden, you might overpay for a poor product.

This is telling, when corporations fight against labeling laws. They should be asked directly why they fight against proper capitalism and a well-functioning market. Why are they taking the side of con men?

I don't worry too much about calories, but I want to know about salt, fat, and additives.


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## MA-Simon (Jun 14, 2016)

I find it really hard to have to eat _right_.
Not because of the prices and stuff, but because I really loath anything to do with cooking ore shopping.
There is just never time for that, and even if I had the time: I am not going to spend more then 15 minutes making food. So I am struggling with the 2-3 meals a day-thing. Its just repetitive and boring. 
If there was a yearly ration of astronaut food easely avaiable, I would totally order that and be done with it.

I do like dining out with friends though.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 15, 2016)

Ahhh Meester Zeeemon, it isss goot to speak viz you again! I vas speaking viz Jchenny who ist a friednt of mine undt...

No need to think in terms of 2 to 3 meals a day. Don't even think about 2 or 3 meals a day. Just make sure you cut out sugar and salt mainly and take in enough calories, vegetables that contain vitamins and minerals, some small amount of fat and all that sort of thing.

Same when you dine out.


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## chimuelo (Jun 15, 2016)

Love those Potato Onion casseroles and Fruit/potato pancakes Thor's offspring serves up.
Weird to see Europeans eating at McDonalds and Americans avoiding it like the plague.

Nothing beats walking into your Hotel Lobby and smelling gallons of Fresh ground Coffee though.

Eat anything you want, just get off your ass and exercise...


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## MA-Simon (Jun 16, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> Ahhh Meester Zeeemon, it isss goot to speak viz you again! I vas speaking viz Jchenny who ist a friednt of mine undt...


Not bad at all! :D
So avoid sugar & salt, I think that can be done!

Exercise... I got myself one of those virtual-reality headsets!
HTC Vive. Lots of moving arround, it is really quite nice for exercise.
It looks stupid, I know. But its nice.



There is also more relaxing stuff:


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## SterlingArcher (Jun 19, 2016)

chimuelo said:


> Love those Potato Onion casseroles and Fruit/potato pancakes Thor's offspring serves up.
> Weird to see Europeans eating at McDonalds and Americans avoiding it like the plague.
> 
> Nothing beats walking into your Hotel Lobby and smelling gallons of Fresh ground Coffee though.
> ...



I will admit to occasionally enjoying a McDonalds Big Breakfast every once in a while. And I did pick up some Heston Bluementhal burgers at my local Waitrose yesterday. Haven't tried them yet.


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## JonFairhurst (Aug 2, 2016)

Depending on your perspective, this is the best or worst thing in the world:

*Uno's Whole Hog Burger*





Over a pound of meat: Hamburger, sausage, bacon, prosciutto and pepperoni.
Plus: Four types of cheese, garlic mayo & pickles. 

With fries *and* onion rings.

Calories: *2,850*
Saturated Fat: *62 g (3 day’s worth)*
Sodium: *9,790 mg (6 day’s worth)*
Equivalent to eating: Four McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with Cheese and two medium French fries, doused with *18 packets of salt*.


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## Baron Greuner (Aug 2, 2016)

Salt is one of many main factors that cause Arterial Sclerosis.


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## NoamL (Aug 2, 2016)

Speaking as a former fast food worker... It's funny what people consider "fast food" or not.

Back when I worked at Starbucks we would get people coming _daily_ for their fix, people who wouldn't be caught dead at a McD's mostly because they'd been propagandized to believe that McD is for The Underclass while Starbucks is "artisan" or whatever. Meanwhile the turkey sandwiches we were making for them were pulled straight from a freezer in the back and essentially microwaved (the oven was designed & branded to look more like a convection oven, but microwaving did 90% of the work).

So despite all the branding bullshit, the food we made at Starbucks was actually _less fresh_ than McDonald's.

Really good example of how branding is total bullshit.

_Everything_ is "fast food" unless you are buying ingredients and cooking. But people will actually pay a premium to _convince themselves_ that their food is not fast food.

People are starting to see through it a bit though.

For example there's this image making the rounds of mommyblogs and health blogs about what is actually in a Starbucks frap:






left to right:

1. "Frap roast", a fancy name for instant coffee + cold water

2. Whole-fat milk

3. Artificially flavored sugar syrup (e.g. caramel, hazelnut, cancer)

4. More sugar syrup with xantham gum (this makes the milkshake texture)

5. Ice



It's the same thing with "restaurant food." Restaurant food is normal food + butter + salt.


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