Posted on 06/04/2009 7:46:20 AM PDT by GonzoII
Catering to gluttony is big business these days. Practically every restaurant — including all the popular chains that you and I and every other American dines at, now and then — goes way overboard in the super-sized portions they dish up and the bad-for-your-health ingredients in the food. For example, check out what one recent scientific study discovered about some dishes served at a very popular Italian food restaurant chain.
(Excerpt) Read more at patrickmadrid.blogspot.com ...
I keep trying this whole take out thing. Splitting portions and taking some home. The next morning I always find maybe two fries, a broccoli, and a scoop of meat, potato, ale pie left. My children feign innocence, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t eat it.”
May I make a suggestion? A nice cup of tea?
I was responding to YOU, not SJSample.
One of the fast food restaurants in town offered a gigantic burger for a while. It didn’t go over well, so they stopped. I am sure that you have some concept of proof that precludes my anecdote, so I’ll go talk with someone not quite so obsessed.
"Ahhh but the strawberries, that's... that's where I had them." ;)
Do not use potty language - or references to potty language - on the Religion Forum.
Did I? I swear if there was a reference to potty language in that post it was entirely accidental and I have no idea what it was.
OK used history, spotted it, sorry.
Let me try this again without some accidental potty mouth.
The issue does indeed involve basic capitalist concepts. If what you’re offering is not what the customers want then the customers leave, period. By focusing entirely on portion size and whether or not it has driven enough costumers away from a given business for them to change you are the one creating the false choice. American tastes are constantly in flux, right now there’s a rebellion against large portion sizes led by the “obesity epidemic” crowd. This really hasn’t been going on long enough for us to know if it’s got enough of the common people support to cause changes. We know it can though, because that’s just a basic concept of capitalism. And we do know, just as the original post said that restaurants stop selling what people stop buying, regardless of the specifics of the item.
Actually, that might be a better example, if the reason people didn’t buy it is because the portion size was too large (or the price for the portion size was seem as a poor value).
I’m not obsessed; I’m just trying to keep the discussion of the issue on point. And I don’t think I’ve posted anything that wold lead to the conclusion that I need to calm down with a cup of tea. I’m quite calm and measured with my posts.
I copied SJSAMPLE because I made reference to his original assertion, and it’s considered poor form to do so without pinging that person.
But by all means, talk with whoever floats your boat, JA.
Then may I make a gentle suggestion? The thread topic, in this religion forum, is gluttony, the forgotten sin.
So, may we discuss gluttony, rather than some other extraneous argument? That would seem to be the original point.
For some reason, people find it hard to discuss gluttony, particularly as a sin. As a person who has fasted for religious reasons, including the “Black Fast” I can attest that gluttony will separate one from the Savior.
That's not what the original post said. Here it is:
It’s a proven fact that these restaurants will stop offering/selling these items if the customers stop buying them.
As you can see, the reference ("these items") was to larger portions, as that was the point of the thread - customers buying large portion items. SJSAMPLE, in making that assertion, did not broaden the factors to anything other than the subject of the thread article - large portions.
And my question for SJSAMPLE was to offer proof, because s/he claimed it had already been proven. So far, nobody has provided proof that consumers en mass have made such a choice strictly on portion sizes.
If you have evidence that this has happened, please offer it, and if it qualifies as a consumer choice made en mass based strictly on portion size, then I will admit I was wrong to assume it has not been proven, and the discussion can be closed.
It's that simple.
There is no question in my mind that if/when consumers stop buying an item the wise restaurateur stops offering it. Another option is for the wise restaurateur to retain the large portion offering and ADD a smaller portion item. That would not qualify for proof of SJSAMPLE's assertion, because s/he specified that the restaurant would STOP offering the large portion item.
Again, may we discuss gluttony, the forgotten sin?
Perhaps you have some experience or logic on the subject to offer?
One thing I’ve noticed, people who are gluttons rarely prepare all the food they eat. Usually they are using other people to prepare it, either commercially or in the home.
And it is. We know from many centuries of recorded history that businesses stop offering what people stop buying. To request proof on one specific type of item is silly. When people stopped buying sun dried tomato and basil (one of the more annoying flavor fads) restaurants stopped selling it, when the Atkins fad faded restaurants stopped selling no carb stuff, when the previous low fat fad went away so did most of the low fat foods. This is the path of business, it is proven that when customers flee from Item X, regardless of what Item X is, businesses stop selling it. So from that we know that if enough customers flee from large portions the portions will shrink.
OK, if you insist, but I don’t think you’ll like it.
The premiere reference WRT fasting in the Bible is Isaiah Chapter 58:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Isa&c=58&v=1&t=KJV#top
Are you sure you want to stand up in a public forum like this and announce that you’ve “fasted for religious reasons”, when the “Black Fast” you mention you’ve done does not seem to qualify as a fast God recognizes, as detailed in Isaiah 58?
Now a confession: When I replied to SJSAMPLE, I did not notice that this thread is in the Religion Forum. I have FR set to display Comments with text, and I scrub through them on that page. When I see a comment that interests me, I click on it and comment. I don’t take notice of what forum the thread is in.
FR used to give us the capability to disable different forums, such as the Religion Forum. We can’t do that any more. I try to stay out of religious discussions, as a general rule.
There, now I’ve properly offended you, so you know I’m just out to get SJSAMPLE.
Yes, I have agreed with that concept. I thought I had done so in a reply to you, haven’t I?
Again, that is not the issue I have been debating. I’ve made the point clear way before now. There’s no point in repeating it again.
Have you ever seen the cartoon of a man on the Internet and his wife asking him ‘what have you been doing all this time?’ And he replies ‘someone on the Internet was WRONG!’ (or something like that) LOL
I think we’re seeing a prime example of that here on this thread.
You’d be surprised how many restaurants will be happy to serve you sensible off-menu items like a grilled chicken breast with some steamed veggies. All you have to do is ask.
For me, the premiere example of fasting in the Bible is Christ’s fast in the desert. He also discussed it with the apostles, as being the only way some devils can be driven out.
So, perhaps we have little or nothing more to discuss.
ROFLOL!
Perfect.
Second, when his disciples asked him why they couldn't cast out that particular demon, he specified 'this kind' - a dumb and deaf spirit. Do you have a Bible version that adds 'a gluttony spirit' to that description?
Mark 9:29 - And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
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