Sunday, August 12, 2007

Hey Folks!

First of all, my sincerest apologies for not being around the last week or two. Things have been really hectic.

In any case, I am back to posting and here's the first post of August.

First an update on Troy Davis. For those unfamiliar, check out this previous post and also this post over at Looking for Sunshine. I just checked out Looking for Sunshine and Yllwdaisies has also posted an update. Good news folks! The Georgia Supreme Court ruled (4 to 3, which is a bit frightening) to hear Davis' appeal to present new evidence. This is still a few steps away from actual justice, but it is a major step. Davis will be allowed to present the new evidence which greatly bolsters his claim of innocence. Anyway click on the link above, it takes you to Amnesty International's section on the Davis case and how to take action. I'll definitely update the Troy Davis case in the future. And I'm sure Yllwdaisies will probably update first, so be sure to check out her blog, Looking for Sunshine.

And to end, let me rant for a second. I'm no fan of mainstream commercial advertising. It's mainly fake, manipulative, and revolves around image and branding. I'm sure I'm not alone when, years later, I wondered how much of my childhood affection for fast food, like McDonald's, had to do with the image and brand the company had built through advertising. Well a professor at the Stanford School of Medicine has conducted research that has something rather interesting to say on this topic. The professor (and team) gave 63 kids (aged 3 to 5) two identical foods from McDonald's. One was wrapped in McDonald's brand packaging while the other identical food was wrapped in plain packaging. The kids were then asked which food tasted better or if they tasted the same. The results: About 60% of the time the kids said the food in the McDonald's brand packaging tasted better. I wonder why they haven't done this type of taste test on teens and adults. Perhaps the results would not be identical, but I think they might be similar.

I want to add that while McDonald's does serve some unhealthy foods, as far as fast food chains are concerned, McDonald's has also done a good deal to serve healthier foods as well. And the article linked to above does mentions this. Having said all this, I'd like to end by stating that McDonald's, like other fast food chains, still has a lot to do. Years ago McDonald's promised to go trans fat free. They have yet to do that.

17 comments:

Jay said...

I have found that any food will taste better if presented to me wrapped in $100 bills.

yll said...

I don't discriminate. I will pretty much eat any & all food that is presented to me. haha.

Ryan said...

The only thing that study proves is that kids are dumb.

D.O.M. Dan said...

Thanks for the update on Troy Davis. I'll be sure to follow the links you provided.

I heard about the taste test you wrote about. It's amazing, isn't it, that the packaging changes the perception that it tastes better.

btw, I'm a bad parent for taking my kids to McDonald's so much, and joining them by eating it too.

LA said...

Okay, I confess... I love the new McDonald's Snack Wrap! I get grilled chicken, not "crispy" (code for fried).

M-M-M-Mishy said...

But I just read a study that showed the Hamburgler made food 60% more tasty. Possible connection?

Welcome back, yo!

Kelly said...

My kids say they want McDonald's but they don't eat the food. They just want the toys. I should be glad, huh? I like to think they have discriminating taste already. ha.

Diane said...

I have to give my parents credit when we were growing up that they generally stayed away from the big chains. So even after McDonalds went in, we still patronized the local burger joint down the street . . . until McD's drove them out of business . . .

But damn, their Sausage Egg McMuffins are tasty

Jenny said...

This is horrifying and yet.... oh that fillet o' fish is tasty. Do they put crack in this stuff?

v said...

Blog Portland - Yeah, hard to argue with that.

Yllwdaisies - I hate discrimination. But sometimes it can be useful. As in discriminating against unhealthy foods.

Ryan - I still find it curious why they didn't do the same study with adults.

Dan - I can only imagine how much more hectic life is with kids. And fast food joints can be very handy. But some aspects of fast food are terribly unhealthy, especially trans fat. McDonald's actually has several items which are trans fat free (check out their nutrition menu on their website). And you live in SoCal right? There must be an In-N-Out nearby? The best fast food burgers in the world and trans fat free. Plus if you ask for ketchup (or mustard, or both) instead of the spread, the meal is relatively healthy.

LA - Yeah, the grilled snack wraps are a rather healthy alternative. And unlike the "crispy" (aka fried) wraps, the grilled ones have no trans fat. Not a bad guilty pleasure at all.

Mishy - Lol. The Hamburgler. Man, I'm still laughing at that comment.

Kelly - Yeah, I think the toys must have a large impact. I remember, as a young'n, associating the joy of the toy with the food. For anyone wondering, I no longer do that.

Diane - Mucho props to your parents! And, umm, do I need to go on another diatribe about --- wow, it seems most of McD's breakfast sandwiches are trans fat free. Still the Sausage Egg McMuffin is rather unhealthy in that it contains one's daily allotment of cholesterol (95%), as well as 42% of fat (27 g; 10 g sat fat), and 38% of sodium (920 mg).

Anon Boxer - Actually, the Filet-O-Fish isn't that bad (though this assumes eating only 1). But it does have 1 gram of Trans Fat and any amount of trans fat is completely unhealthy, even dangerous.

GetFlix said...

U all be lovin' it!! (Yeah, me too!!)

Glad you're back up and running, V!!

sage said...

Glad you're back, but then I was gone. I can't wait till my daughter is out of the McDonald's stage, but the only meat she will eat is McDonald's Chicken Nuggets. Anywhere else, she'll take a burger her way--a cheese burger and hold the patty! Darn expensive cheese sandwiches if you ask me.

Diane said...

v - true, but in my defense, I eat them maybe 2 x per year

v said...

Getflix - Thanks man, and glad you stopped by.

Sage - Yeah, expensive grilled cheese sandwiches. Has she ever tried a garden or veggie patty? Well, does she just avoid beef? I'm a big fan of the turkey burger.

Diane - Sorry, I should have known you only rarely indulged in the McD Breakfast sandwich. I would think even twice a month would be alright. But you're not even close to that. Sorry if the comment seemed more pointed than informative. My mistake.

Diane said...

v - no, no not at all!!!! Did I sound defensive? didn't mean to - I meant it more flippant

v said...

Diane - That's cool. Sometimes it's hard to decipher the seriousness or nonchalance of a person's comment on the internet when it's just text. Just a misunderstanding. Hope your weekend is going well.

Diane said...

I am, thanks, hope you are too!