Fat Food Nation: or, why we want it fast —

As of late, I’ve been noticing just how much advertising there is for fast food joints, especially on television.  Every third commercial is for greasy, processed foods.  I think it’s really tragic, and, frankly, rather annoying…

Gym Culture and the Female Condition: and now I remember why I stopped going —

You walk into the gym and they have to scan your membership card. Inevitably, you have to interrupt a conversation to get one of the juiced up trainers to notice you.

I mean, don’t get me wrong.  I actually prefer they don’t notice me.  It’s those blissful times when they are so busy flirting with the girl in the spandex hot pants that I slip by unseen that I am most happy.

You see, 

when I go to the gym

I want to be invisible–

Understanding food: Italy as a family–

As a senior in high school I moved to Italy to live with a family. Before moving there, I had many preconceived notions about Italian culture and what the Italian lifestyle was like. Having always had problems with my weight fluctuating, I worried slightly over the abundance of pasta dishes and massive meals.

A handful of times, as a youngster, I had been to Italy (and around Europe) to visit my expatriate aunt and uncle during summer vacations, so I had some idea of what my time in Europe would entail. I also seemed to remember, however, that regardless of the elaborate meals, I always seemed to lose weight on these short vacations, so I wasn’t obsessing over avoiding (host) family meals like the plague.