Sugar Bombs

Remember when food companies weren’t afraid to use the word “Sugar” in the name of the food item? Take cereal, for instance. Back when I was growing up, we had Super Sugar Crisps, Sugar Smacks, and Sugar Pops. You knew what you were getting! Marketing folks weren’t trying to be creative by disguising what was really in the product. Today, these cereals are known as Golden Crisps, Honey Smacks and Corn Pops. But really... they might as well be called Sugar Bombs, shouldn’t they?

On the news last week was a story about how a certain cereal company was going to cease gearing their advertising of certain products to kids under age 12... because obesity in kids these days is a national epidemic. Or something like that. You probably heard or read all the details while eating your bowl of Sugar Bombs.

Am I crazy in thinking a company has every right to market their product to a target audience without being blamed for the country’s obesity problem? How about blaming the parents for buying sugary cereals for their “don’t know how to run around and play outside” kids?

Last week, I watched a couple shows on TLC about morbid obesity and gastric bypass surgery, so the cereal news story just struck me as another example of people placing blame on someone other than themselves. Oh! And don’t get me started on the Enablers of the obese. There was one guy who was over 1000 lbs. He couldn’t move from his bed. So the wife would feed him anything he wanted, and lots of it. She said he'd "get mad" if he didn't get to eat what he wanted. If you don’t feed him junk and give him an appropriate portion of something healthy, what’s he gonna do? Come after you? He’s bed-ridden! He’ll eat the healthy stuff or starve.

Growing up, my mom bought us all kinds of Sugar Bombs, along with your regular unsweetened cereals too. What do you think we did to those unsweetened cereals? Yep. Sprinkled a couple teaspoons of sugar on top. And the sugar always fell to the bottom of the bowl and sat there, waiting to be sipped up with the last bit of fatty whole milk. Mmmm...

Cold cereal wasn’t something I had every morning as a kid. Sometimes, it was Cream of Wheat (with sugar!), but most of the time, my mom fixed me toast and a soft boiled egg. And on the weekends, my aunt would cook stuff like eggs and bacon, sausage and waffles. Or we’d have some kind of savory rice porridge. We ate a great variety of breakfast foods.

My point: parents are in control of what their kids are eating. Aren’t they? At least up to a certain age. So why is this cereal advertising thing a problem? If you don’t buy the sugary cereals for your kids or you monitor how much and when they’re eating it, why would there be an issue?

People of the world! You’re on notice! Stop blaming everyone else for your own lack of responsibility and control. Stop trying to be your 8-year-old’s best friend and be their PARENT! Just sayin’...

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More Food Talk
Hmmm... maybe these thoughts should be on my food blog!

Related to the Sugar Bombs thing, I grew up surrounded by snacks and things that really were sooo unhealthy (see “The Good” list below). They weren’t forbidden foods or considered special occasion treats in our house. They were just “there”. I think growing up without restrictions on those foods allowed me to ignore them as an adult.

My sister-in-law, Ann, once told me how ice cream was such a special treat when she was little. They didn’t eat it very often. So, when she has it today, she eats a great big bowl of it. It’s that special. “Overindulging” special. I, on the other hand, had access to ice cream at all times growing up. There was no mystery to it.

Is the ability to control yourself, in relation to food, a personality thing or conditioning? Was I “conditioned” to ignore the snacks or is it just the way I think about everything in life that makes me immune to the seduction of chocolate and cookies?

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Growing up in a Thai household, I was introduced to a bunch of foods and flavors most people in America never eat. I’m glad my parents ate a variety of things and made sure I tasted them before deciding for myself whether I liked it or not. This is not to say I like EVERYTHING. But in general, I guess you can say that. There are a few things I really don’t care for (see “The Ugly” list below), but I’ve tried them many times over the years thinking maybe my tastes will change (they haven’t yet).

When I was young, I didn’t eat spicy foods at all. (Weird, huh? Especially being from a culture where hot peppers are in everything.) My mom (and aunt) would cook me a non-spicy version of certain dishes. I didn’t actually start eating very spicy curries, salads and stir-fries until I was in my 20’s. And I stopped picking out things like ginger and cilantro, core flavorings in Thai food, around that same time.

This is all in stark contrast to the foods John ate growing up. What was he thinking marrying into a Thai family? The good thing about John is his tastes are fairly simple. The bad thing is he only likes about 5 kinds of veggies, and two of them are starches. I will credit him with at least trying a bite of a dish he’s never had, especially when we have Friday Night Dinner at my parents’. Luckily, my mom makes sure there’s some kind of protein (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or fish) prepared in a generic way for him. A little hot sauce, a bit of rice and he’s good to go.

I’ve taken that last tidbit of food preparation (a generic protein) to heart when I cook for the gang down on our beach trips. There are people who can’t eat spicy foods or don’t like curry (I know... how could that be possible???), so I’ll usually bake some chicken on the side. Gotta make sure no one goes hungry!

Now, put down that bag of potato chips and go try something new.

THE GOOD: (Bad-for-you) Stuff I Ate as a Kid
Twinkies/Ho Ho’s
Coffee Ice Cream
Candy (any and all!)
Kool Aid (made with real sugar!)
Cracklins’ (pork fat rules!!!)
Slim Jims

THE BAD: Most People Think ______ is Gross, but I Like It
Tofu
Squid
Liver
Gizzards
Prunes
Pork Rinds

THE UGLY: I Tried It, but Still Don’t Like It
Olives
Mustard
Lamb
Raw Durian (a weird Thai fruit)
Sala (another weird Thai fruit)