Would You Like A Cardiologist With That?

We have a family friend from Nigeria.  He is a physician who has lived in this country from many years.  He had once made the observation that the United States is the only country that refers to food as "junk".  A very thought provoking statement.  Billions of people go to bed hungry every day, some of these people live in the US, the land of excess. 
We have taken junk food to new heights.  I have taken a liking to a show on television that shows gluttony at its finest.  The host travels the country highlighting restaurants that claims fame by challenging people to eat outrageous amounts of food in exchange for the glory and gastric distress that inevitably follows.  The host has tried ingesting sushi, seven pound hamburgers and pizzas the size of a helipad.  It brings to mind the "Old 96er" that haunted John Candy's character in the movie "The Great Outdoors". 
The television show also visits eating establishments known for their specialtiest.  I have sat in my living room practically drooling as visions of heavenly fried chicken and light-as-air waffles are served to hungry patron down South.  They have paid visits to the most amazing barbecue joints in Texas.  I was ready to board an airplane and strap on the feedbag.
One of the restaurants located in Atlanta, Georgia was featured for their over-the-top burgers.  Now, take your cholesterol medication and image this--  two half-pound hamburger patties between three grilled cheese sandwiches (grilled cheese, hamburger patty, grilled cheese, hamburger patty, grilled cheese).  Top the burger patty on top with two fried eggs, eight slices of cheese, ten strips of bacon and mayo on the side.  Wow!  I'm pretty sure this burger must come with a side order of nitroglycerin and a defibrillator! 
Few groups gets more excited about food as my youth group, especially the junior high boys.  These young men are eating machines.  I am often in wonder of how they physically handle the amounts of food I have witnessed them consume!  Well, all it took was the suggestion that this burger did indeed exist and they were ready for a road trip.  Due to budget restraints, we decided to recreate this burger in our church kitchen for the group to sample.  One burger, twenty five people.  Now that sounds a bit more civilized.  Our weather has thwarted our plans in January, so our tasting have been pushed back to February.  What a disappointing turn of events.
There is a magazine circulating that has a feature called "food porn".  The article brings to light those restaurant and grocery store items that are so bad for you that the Surgeon General should have a warning on them.  Unfortunately, many of the items that come up on the naughty list sound wonderful.  Cheese, sour cream, sugar, fat, calories - mmmm!  Of course, as adults, we should try to feed our human machines nutritious food that keeps us healthy and fit.  However, foods that have nutritional value whatsoever are so much better tasting.  I SHOULD have an apple for a quick snack, but a scotcheroo sounds like a better use of my tastebuds.
Our hectic schedules and ramped up lives leave us catching meals on the run and using convenience foods that can be packed with fat, sodium and calories.  Our society revolves around food.  Methodists believe that we need to feed you physically before we can feed you spiritually --- and I think we are right.  I'm not sure if John Wesley would concur, but he hasn't been to one of our potlucks.
Life is short and, under certain circumstances, I do believe that you should eat dessert first.  Do you think any of the woman on the Titanic were glad they skipped desert right before the boat sank?  There has to be a happy balance there somewhere.