My mom’s health isn’t in the best of shape, so I will be coming back in a month or so to spend some time with her. Preparing for this trip, I already find myself dreading the thickness of the Missouri’s humidity and waist lines.
Over lunch, I was expressing my concerns/disgust with 桃子chan in regards to having to go with my family to eat and other general issues I have with St. Louis. A recurring conversation we have.. especially regarding why Americans are so god damn overweight. Most japanese people just cannot understand it, even if they have lived in America. How can Americans, of whom the Japanese think are very logical and forward thinking, be so illogical and retarded when it comes to their physical well being. Is it hedonism? Laziness? Or just plain stubbornness?
While I don’t have an good answer, my theory relies upon the experiences I had growing up, both in Texas and Missouri. For one, both my parents grew up in the post-depression 40s. Their parents survived the depression and both WWs, and habits from these eras are currently very visible both now and when I grew up, in my house. ( Stockpiling of canned goods, frugality of household products etc.)
I use this as a justification for the way they fed me growing up. Every night we had a healthy cooked dinner and I as forced to clear my plate, even though most of the portions with the same size as my parents. When I would complain, I would get the, “When I was your age, we would be lucky if we had enough food for the whole family…” speech. In addition, if we went out to eat, I had to be sure to eat enough as my parents were getting their money’s worth. (A habit which I have finally broken..) Mornings usually involved a side trip to McyDs for a the sausage McMuffin and peel top OJ before I was dropped off at middle school. ( I lived 5 minutes from my primary school and a 20 minute walk from my middle school.. not close enough for the bus.) This in addition to lack of exercise made me obese.. probably 180 lbs in middle school and peaking 215 in high school. Hitting a height of 6ft in high school and still running a 8.20 mile, I never particularly thought of myself as out of shape. In texas, dinners were huge beyond description, even with 8 to 12 people eating. Huge portions of biscuits and sausage, steak, pork chops, briscuit..
But now, I am 6ft, around 160 lbs and the healthiest I have ever been. Perhaps this is why people don’t think I am American. Anyways, I look back and think what a fata$$ I was. I don’t blame my parents, they just didn’t want their children to be hungry or experience things they did growing up. Nothing really wrong with that…
Anyways back to the original topic. For me it is logical to think: Yes- Americans are eating too much and not exercising enough. I am pretty sure a lot of other americans can recognize they are fat/obese/big boned etc etc. So logically one should exercise, change their diet and be more health conscious. Right? Americans are smart and logical right? Perhaps we just need a kick in the ass, someone to point and laugh (the world already is) or to call us fat and obese. I have no good answer except that Americans are glutinous and enjoy the freedoms that cheap food and good salaries include.