Gluttony at the Buffet!

[Cinnamon]

Gluttony... defined as an "inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires."

I just had to post my experience at dinner tonight and this word kept coming into my mind. We went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet. Without getting too descriptive just imagine all the tables of food and choices of fat fried, high calorie, sugar and salt filled, fatty foods.

Well I just couldn't believe my eyes watching people walk past me with plate after plate of food piled so high on their plates most would have to hold their hand over the plate to keep items from falling off! And some people walked past me 5 or 6 times with plates filled like that!

There was a nice selection of fresh fruit and veggies, actually a better variety than I am used to when we go out to eat so I was just fine. My hubby and brother did eat the "usual" SAD foods but not nearly as much as everyone else (guess I am rubbing off on them a little bit at a time!) but I just can't get out of my mind that people were eating pounds... POUNDS of food in one sitting!

I just saw "Super Size Me" 2 days ago and the little song at the beginning started playing in my mind. Buffets are so dangerous for people anyway, and this was every type of people you can imagine in age, size, culture... and all were eating this way (except for me!).

Is it any wonder we are a nation and world of overweight, unhealthy, over fed but under nourished people! I just had to vent, and my hubby and brother were very grateful that I didn't go around from table to table lecturing everyone there on their dietary habits! Ha! I guess that wouldn't have been very well received?!

[Doe]

Yea, that's how it is. My daughter and I went to one a month, or maybe two, ago. They had a very nice fruit and salad bar. We both enjoied it.

Teri S

[JennaBoBenna]

woww i went to an all you can eat chinese buffet when i was younger (maybe ten or so) and ate 11 eggrolls. ELEVEN! I was so sick afterwards! AYCE buffets can be dangerous! lol :p
So weird to hear about people getting huuuge plates 5-6 times! gosh! wow! that's...just...crazy. my stomach hurts just thinking about it!

great to hear that they had fresh veggies and fruit! Now...AYCE RAW! Yummm :D

[sweetgoddess]

Cinnamon, my stomach aches from imagining those plates. And I used to do that. I am having terrible flashbacks...lol

It makes you wonder, doesnt it. Why is this the norm? Why is it thought to be so great? Here in Montana, its steakhouse all you can eat buffets. They have a humungous raw food section, but wow, everything else is dangerous to be sure. They should have a first aid station beside it!

Blech! Ugh! Groan! (those flashbacks again) ;)

[Lady Green Jeans]

Thank you for the thread. It was such a reminder of why I quit doing the buffets. My pre-raw SAD days did include many of buffet--especially on travel. I got to a point that I was considering having a T-shirt made that had an arrow pointing to my hips with the slogan " I break for buffets." Now on raw I know there are healthy choices on the buffets--and very easy to make those choices.

Thanks for the gentle reminder.

Kathy

[rawpriestess]

It's funny, my favorite place to go is this one Chinese buffett, I can it the "eat all you can keep down" and my friends love to go there.

I eat all the fresh fruits, and have them make me a special plate in the back that is fresh with no cooking.

My friends eat the crab and peking duck and mongolian beef, etc.

I walk away all happy and lite, they practically ache all the way home to nap.

I love going there, I take one plate of fresh fruits, that I eat first, while they are all eating their first round, then I wait about 30 minutes, and when they are all going back for desserts, I eat my veggies. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[cornvalley]

Cramming in the concentrated foods is a very deep seated survival instinct.
Imagine back in another age where food was scarce and the seasonal harvest was where you had to pack it on. Now the seasonal harvest is 24/7/364. :eek: Denny's anyone?

[JMD]

I find this alarming news--the rate and amount of food people eat. I, too, was like that....but only when I was alone. I also find it disturbing that no one seems to chew their food..therefore how can they know they are truly full??? I make it a pratice to chew slowly, put the fork down between bites, and try not to get to emotional when I eat..excited etc..(I am Italian/Sicilian so I talk a lot, loudly and with my hands!). This has taken some pratice but it is a very helpful too to ease my digestion. They actually sell TUMS at a buffet place around here in the vending meachines. HELLO!! Houston I think we have a problem here......?? :eek:

[Sharon in Colorado]

My in-laws live in Vegas so everytime we visit we usually hit a buffet for dinner at least once. The buffet we go to is off the strip down the street from thier home. The selection isn't the best - if you want a really good one you have to go to an upscale Casino/hotel (like the Mirage) on the strip usually where there are decent salad and fruit options, otherwise there is only iceberg lettuce and sad looking veggies. Sometimes it's better to just order a melon or fruit plate at one of the casino restaurants.

My favorite "buffet" so far has been the salad bar at Whole Foods! :)

[jaurequi]

Hmmm...gluttony is in the eye of the beholder! I eat pounds and pounds of raw food per day, myself...

What I find more amazing is what people eat (junk) and how little it takes to put weight on them (and cause ill health).
I have a relative who eats about 1/8th or less than I do, yet is very overweight. There is a difference of quality; she eats fast food (not a huge amount) just about every day and lots of colas.
I think volume eaters (like me)have it pretty good, for the most part; however, I do think there is a point of excess, even eating healthfully, and some people will eventually have to exercise control.

[Cinnamon]

I did find it amazing with the amount of food being eaten that people weren't moaning and groaning with tummy aches as they went out the door! And I sure do expect that most went home and grabbed for a bottle of TUMS! I think the mentality of "all you can eat" for one price is also such a strong influence, always trying to get our monies worth and then some.

I've certainly done my fair share of over eating at buffets through the years, this seemed in such excess though. The plates of mercury filled seafood in particular... I mean it was ridiculous. I was also distressed to see so many over weight children, in fact as crowded as it was (and there was a line out the door waiting to be seated) there was not one "normal" weight child. Very sad.

I am a big eater when it comes to my raw food, that is for sure. And yes, the quality of food makes all the difference in the world. I can eat more than anyone in my family but look at what I am eating compared to them! My son will joke when we go to our local buffet for family get togethers... "well mom you have like 7 calories of food on your plate!" Ha!

I wonder how most of these people are feeling this morning, I am very glad I am full of energy and feeling light and healthy today!

And... this buffet did have a great fruit selection, the melons and grapes especially were just delicious. I also took some orange wedges and made "orange-ade" out of my water, yum! And I went to the grill portion of the buffet tables to load up on fresh veggies, they had tons of options there. I was a happy gal with my food choices!