Scary Scary

What, you'd think I talk about Halloween since it's just around the corner? Well you're wrong! Something else frightens me more than the pumpkin-carved scary face or all the vampirish bloodish ghostly costumes. Make a guess... it's something that's in every single one of us, just differing in the quantity of it. Heh yes, I'm gonna talk bout my best friend who's commonly referred to as Lipids.

I'm telling you, they are invading the entire world. It's not just my best friend but many million other people's too. I walk around in campus and I see all these humungous people walking around and it aches just to see them moving, you know what I'm saying?! It's like ouch, how are they handling their extremities man?? Imagine having layers of blankets and comforter wrapper around you. Try walking. Try flexing your arms or run. You just cant do it without feeling it's such a hassle! And all that is just temporary. What you've just experience is only one tenth of what the real obese people are feeling. Imagine having those bulky stuff sticking on you permanently. Implanted on you under your skin, and you have to carry around wherever you go. Oh my god, it hurts even just by thinking of it.

I have this labmate who's in the same lab session and she's... huge. Every time I see her I feel my limbs stiffening. I feel like her weight has somehow passed on to me such that I'm feeling the difficulting moving. Every movement I make makes me think how it's gonna be like to have Lipids under that part of body. I know it's all psychological.. it's in my head.. ya-da ya-da ya-da. But still. I felt awful. In lecture, there's once I sat behind her and I cant help thinking if she can feel it if I poke her back. Can the receptors penetrate through the lipids and send them to the CNS? (Of course it can, I know, but it's still never fails to amaze me!) I swear I felt scared and worried and uneasy for most part of that lecture that I couldnt really concentrate. That's just... bizarre!

Don't ask me why it's bothering me so much. I have no idea. And by all means, I have no intention to discriminate against obese people. I mean no harm or disrespect. It just bothers me that's all.. for some unknown reason. I was gonna say, "I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I dont think so." People all over the world (look at all the health mags and recipes and talk shows) are getting more worried bout obesity and how our food intake is affecting our health. In fact, New York health officials are proposing a ban on the use of trans fats in city restaurants and naturally created quite a big hoo-hah over there.

Some don't know exactly what is the artificially hydrogenated trans fats, and some are just pissed off that they were told what and what not to do. Check these comments out from the public or/and restaurant owners, some are hilarious (read: stupid and brainless):

1. "I'll tell you one thing. The American public doesn't like to be told what to do."
2. Quote from LA Times: Should the government prohibit restaurants from serving foods known to cause heart disease? And if trans fats go the way of indoor smoking, what's next? Sugar? Bacon? Marrow?
3. Another wondered if a black market in trans fats would emerge: "Who has the time to go all the way uptown for a case of fat?"
4. "It's dangerous when, beyond the realm of food safety, government steps in to tell us what foods are good…. Chicago has a ban on foie gras; maybe it will be butter in Seattle, salt in Minneapolis, bacon in Miami."
5. "They're taking away our right to be stupid, which is our primary American right."

After reading the whole thing, me and my friend had the same quizzical thought: what on earth..??? It's like, there's this group of people who's trying to help keep the public away from unhealthy food choices and fight the epidemic obesity, yet some are just so unappreciative. The last point (No. 5) was just plain dumb and funny. I didnt know American's primary right is to be stupid. It's just hilarious!!!!!
So I'll just leave it at that and you guys make a conclusion for yourself. Do you think NY officials are breaching the human right of food intake even if it's for their own good? Or you think it's perfectly reasonable to do so? Leave a comment if you might. I'd say it's a good thing to do. Too many fat people around, it's just tough. For them, I mean. It's really not easy being a fat people. Hmm maybe that's why they console themselves by eating more hence a vicious cycle. Besides, having one more fat people means taking up more space. Our population of the world is growing like crazy, plus the decreasing death rates, so it'll be nice to have one less fat person - more space!!! =P
I hope that 10 or 20 years down the road, I wont become one of them....
p.s.: For full article about the ban of trans fats, click here.