[Closed] Are some people too 'anti' for their own good?

I bought 200 cigarettes last week - £75! 😯

banners and the fantastically productive 'honk if you want to save the tumbly' signs. i of course honked because it amused me to make a girl on the end not looking jump out of her skin 😀

only saw one person there in the crowd who used to work there.

was definitely more excited about my new pair of welly boots from b&q than i was saving the tumbly.

instead of a mcdonalds they should turn it into one of those s****y new drive-through starbucks or costas.

People would still be fat without McDonalds, i work with lots of different people...old, young, men, women and most are overweight....most dont eat McDonalds everyday either so to blame one fast food company is ridiculous.

Most dont take any exercise at all....i mean none, and the few that go to a gym go through the motions without breaking sweat....i know i've trained alongside them in a futile attempt to switch them onto the exercise bug.

Most of my mates have mountain bikes....sat in the shed, they think its weird that i cycle all the time.

Beer is full of calories....among my colleagues and friends alcohol intake seems to be a daily occurence, eating at Maccy-D's is not.....what is making people fat is spending every evening sat on the sofa drinking beer/wine and eating dinner....night after night after night.

I work in the NHS, you'd like to think that as a group we'd be more clued up than most about diet/exercise/smoking etc....not a chance, meal breaks in the crew room are an eye opener as people devour bags of crisps, chocolate bars, cans of coke etc....then there are the sugar and salt laden microwave meals....eaten daily of course, it's easier isnt it?

Nobody puts a gun to their heads to eat like this, some just couldnt care less, some have no idea what they're doing wrong....

....when i was very lean and very fit i ate a cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and an evening meal, drank loads of water and went kickboxing twice a week (with the odd gym session and cycling too), i would pass on desert if i was out on a meal with family/friends and would often pick the salad as a main course....i looked great and felt great but bloody hell it was boring and took some will power to say the least....the reason obesity is on the rise is not because of McDonalds but simply human nature and the path of least resistance.

Certainly based on the McDonalds I worked at the social benefits were pretty much zero

You're basing this on one McDs you worked at for a short time some years ago you know.... And you keep going on and on and on and on about it. Give it a rest eh? [/stuckrecord]

I'm sure it's not the best job in the world, no. I'm sure you have to work hard (Ahh diddums) for your money, but apart from the 2 secondments I've done away from the quarry I've not had a lunch break AT ALL in nearly 12 years. My heart bleeds for you. Not.
🙂

My major complaint about McDonalds is that they don't have mozzarella dippers on the menu all the time

[img] [/img]

Mmmmmmmmm... deep fried cheese.

Hang on a minute. My arms started hurting. In fact I can't feel it......

Just going back to that link I posted to the Guardian article on nutrition - there were a few families scrimping big time when buying food for themselves and their children. Interesting though that they continued with their basic £25 per month Sky subscription. 😐

My priority would have been feeding the kids properly and doing without Sky.

Lots of snobbery on here.

Examples please? Apart from the pro-McDonalds advocates claiming it's 'people think it's for chavs' I haven't seen any.

You're basing this on one McDs you worked at for a short time some years ago you know.... And you keep going on and on and on and on about it. Give it a rest eh? [/stuckrecord]

I'm sorry, I should based my opinions on absolutely nothing like everyone else in this thread eh?

If i saw rubbish from my business littering the road i would be deeply ashamed.

Plenty of idiots go to McDs drive thru, head up to the hills so they have a picturesque view of bolton town centre (as seen through fog and rain) whilst stuffing their pieholes then offload the wrappers out of their windows.

a meal only holds a kids attention whilst they're eating... sky keeps them out the parents hair for hours a day allowing the parents to sit outside the front of the house smoking and throwing empty tenants cans at people with proper haircuts.

MEDICAL FACT.

based my opinions on absolutely nothing like everyone else in this thread eh?

:O i take offence. did you not see my medical fact?!

People can still buy cigarettes, but less do because of education - and death of course - but education is the answer.

Education is directly counteracted by the massive advertising spend of junk food companies though.

:O i take offence. did you not see my medical fact?!

You'll have to remind me, though no doubt it was all kinds of awesome. 🙂

I'm sure it's not the best job in the world, no. I'm sure you have to work hard (Ahh diddums) for your money, but apart from the 2 secondments I've done away from the quarry I've not had a lunch break AT ALL in nearly 12 years. My heart bleeds for you. Not.

Another great argument - 'my working conditions are crap, so therefore it's fine for other people to get treated like crap too, so that a massive company already making a huge profit can make a bit more' 😕

The irony of all this is that soon, you'll have handy access to the best hangover cure known to man, in a former boozer....

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

😀

Certainly based on the McDonalds I worked at the social benefits were pretty much zero

I've worked for some shitty companies too*. I don't think McDs have the monopoly on treating staff like crap.

*one of the worst was a bike shop!

I've worked for some shitty companies too*. I don't think McDs have the monopoly on treating staff like crap.

*one of the worst was a bike shop!

When you worked in the bike shop, and someone came in to complain about something, did you say 'yeah well what about the worker's conditions in the factory where they made your smartphone, you massive hypocrite?'

I can see why that wouldn't have worked out well for you. 😛

When you worked in the bike shop, and someone came in to complain about something, did you say 'yeah well what about the worker's conditions in the factory where they made your smartphone, you massive hypocrite?'

Ok so you've lost the argument now you're just desperately clutching at staws.

At least you got a lunch break at McDs.

Another great argument

Thanks! 🙂

Mmmmmmmmm... deep fried cheese.

Of course, McDs did not invent those...

So to get the debate back on topic, let's acknowledge a few things.

1) People will always be tempted to eat unhealty food, some will be able to resist it better than others.

2) Unhealthy food will always be available and highly profitable - see 1) above.

3) It's always better to have buildings in use than derilict.

So given those points, it's hard to sympathise with the protesters, isn't it?

Btw, for those who've never been, Farnborough town centre is a pretty crappy new town without much to recommend it, unfortunately. There aren't even many of the typical big chains there - it's as if they can't be bothered - ironically this means many independent shops, but in the form of discount home goods and pound shops. It's a shame because I get the impression there's loads of life being lived in the area.

Nowt wrong with a big mac now and again. Their coffee is cheap and quite nice and the toilets are always clean.

I'm sorry, I should based my opinions on absolutely nothing like everyone else in this thread eh?

Well, I've got about 4 times the experience that you have of working in fast food: Nearly 2 years as a KFC supervisor, and as a delivery driver for Dominos more recently. Plus I worked in the pub in question.

One nil to me. 😛 🙂

One nil to me.

Oof. Back of the net.

Well, I've got about 4 times the experience that you have of working in fast food: Nearly 2 years as a KFC supervisor, and as a delivery driver for Dominos more recently. Plus I worked in the pub in question.

But none of McDonalds, which is what we're actually talking about. 😉

Just going back to that link I posted to the Guardian article on nutrition - there were a few families scrimping big time when buying food for themselves and their children. Interesting though that they continued with their basic £25 per month Sky subscription.

Shhh - you're not allowed to say that C-G,they'll be calling you Edwina in a minute 😉

Mike, which bike shop did you work in then?

Most interesting..... 🙂

Mike, which bike shop did you work in then?

Most interesting.....

It's really not, actually. Crap shop, crap wages, crap conditions, hardly any breaks, hazardous place to work in, loads of arsey customers, tosser of a manager, colleagues who couldn t give a fig. I was young and needed the money (like most folk). I did think that being interested in bikes, it might be 'fun'. I was wrong.

Fortunately the shop no longer exists. I think it might be a McDs now.

Fortunately the shop no longer exists. I think it might be a McDs now.

So given those points, it's hard to sympathise with the protesters, isn't it?

I think so, yes.

Btw, for those who've never been, Farnborough town centre is a pretty crappy new town without much to recommend it, unfortunately. There aren't even many of the typical big chains there - it's as if they can't be bothered - ironically this means many independent shops, but in the form of discount home goods and pound shops. It's a shame because I get the impression there's loads of life being lived in the area.

Oi! Steady on! 😉
There's only one pound shop (In the old Woolies) as far as I know.
We've got an independant photography shop, bakers, a decent LBS and a reasonable hardwear shop. There's Debenhams, Argos, Wilkos, WHSmith, New Look, Boots, Asda and a posh new Sainsburys, with a lovey new 'The Gym' just opened next door. There's new flats and serviced appartments too.
There's a new hotel and Weatherspoons too
Yeah, it's been a crappy for a loooong while, but it's very slowly being rebuilt, and I think that a new (Whilst it could be better) McDs in the old Tumbly will help a little, rather than make it worse. At least they have the financial clout to do it 🙂

What they have to avoid is what happened in Aldersh[s]ite[/s]ot years ago - Massive new shopping centre that to this day has never been fully occupied. Total white elephant.

I remember the days when I'd pop to the local pub after work every night, supporting their business by purchasing harmless alcoholic drinks...

Oh no, wait, those are exactly the days I can't remember.

Maybe McDonalds is healthier after all. I'm fairly sure I have never lost two days of memories from eating a big mac.

But none of McDonalds, which is what we're actually talking about.

Seriously now. I actually really do have an at risk letter at home..... And I'm not proud.....

1)People will always be tempted to eat unhealty food, some will be able to resist it better than others.

2) Unhealthy food will always be available and highly profitable - see 1) above.

3) It's always better to have buildings in use than derilict.

So given those points, it's hard to sympathise with the protesters, isn't it?

1) folk will always do drugs
2) selling drugs will be highly profitable
3) better to have a building in use than derlict

Rejoice the crack house opens next week and molly and PP think it's hard to sympathise with the protests

mrmonkfinger - Member

I remember the days when I'd pop to the local pub after work every night, supporting their business by purchasing harmless alcoholic drinks...

Oh no, wait, those are exactly the days I can't remember.

Maybe McDonalds is healthier after all. I'm fairly sure I have never lost two days of memories from eating a big mac.

😆

Comparing Double cheeseburgers with crack? Even for a vegan, that's harsh! 😉

Rejoice the crack house opens next week and molly and PP think it's hard to sympathise with the protests

What a load of hysterical bollocks.

You'd be out there protesting wouldn't you? 🙄

Consumption of food is portrayed as a chore, get someone to make it for you, much better.... The US have been at this way longer , look at the outcome...

Many places elsewhere you don't see many obese people, most of the rest of the world still eats locally sourced food,in traditional ways, they are though being subjected to the American corporate onslaught, so that there are McD 's infiltrating all cultures with their 'cool' imagery .

Consumption of food is portrayed as a chore

Thats just complete cobblers though, isn't it? There hasn't ever been a time in this countries history where cooking, and cookery has been so celebrated, and ingredients been under more scrutiny

[img] ?nodefault=true[/img]

so that there are McD 's infiltrating all cultures with their 'cool' imagery .

that really is stretching credulity to believe that, in any section of society, McDonalds is, or ever has been 'cool'

Rejoice the crack house opens next week and molly and PP think it's hard to sympathise with the protests

[img] [/img]

Binners, last time i was in jamaica, where they eat really well,lots of youth thought going to a fast food joint was the 'thing'-- whether it was Mc d or the ironically the Colonel's place-- they have much better jerk chicken etc at roadside stalls than the pressurised deep fried stuff that cost twice as much -- power of advertising 🙁

And yes, who has the luxury of making those 'menu's' of the tele- people who been working all day on crap money, juggling kids,or the idle rich with a new hobby to indulge--

I am not saying that you cannot do these things, but societal pressures make it hard for many, as some have said, greengrocers butchers bakers have gone from many places-- all you have is a choice of cling film wrapped stuff from competing super markets.

I think you're being overly pessimistic about food in this country. If anything, despite the best attempts of Maccy D's and the supermarket mafia, I think there are a lot of positives. People seem to care more about what they're eating, (and drinking)

Like the way Real Ale is the only growth area for pubs, I get the same impression with food. People are looking for quality

I get all our meat from a local butchers, where everything is sourced locally. There is just no comparison on quality. Price-wise: Its pretty much the same. We cook lovely meals every every evening, while working and juggling kids. As do a lot of people.

So the obesity epidemic is a myth then eh ?

Glad you ave a lovely local butcher, and that you are not working shifts, or on a building site.

As for drinking ale, at £2 80 a pint -- only as an occasional treat.

Funny how you look at things from a subjective view 😉

I'm not saying its a myth at all. Its very real. But you can't blame McDonalds for that.

Why on earth would working shifts, or working on a building site prevent me from buying decent quality ingredients? I do the same thing every week. I go out and do the shopping on a Saturday morning and get everything we need for the week. The only difference is the location. I go to a few local shops rather than a supermarket. Its hardly some mammoth effort!

Supermarkets do well, not because of a lack of alternatives, but mainly because of the sheer bloody laziness of a lot of people IMHO. A lot of them being the same NIMBY's who bemoan the death of local shops, while doing all their shopping at Tesco's! Which, I think, brings us back nicely to where this thread started

Rejoice the crack house opens next week and molly and PP think it's hard to sympathise with the protests

Silly.

I think it's safe to say that crack is significantly more dangerous than big macs.

People are looking for quality

He's right you know.

rudebwoy - Member
Funny how [i]you[/i] look at things from a [i]subjective[/i] view

As opposed to? 😉

Don't we all do that by definition?

Just going back to that link I posted to the Guardian article on nutrition - there were a few families scrimping big time when buying food for themselves and their children. Interesting though that they continued with their basic £25 per month Sky subscription.

My priority would have been feeding the kids properly and doing without Sky.

That is pretty awful. Just goes to show that we really need to improve education and understanding of the benefits of good food and nutrition, and somehow stop, or at very least, reduce the influence of the advertising that makes things like Sky seem like a necessity.

People seem to care more about what they're eating, (and drinking)

so if that is so, how come obesity is getting worse ??

My point is that if you are worn out from work, you are less likely to cook a meal from scratch,

The supermarket always sees off the local competition, and like all the big fast food outlets, take money out of the 'local' economy,subsidised low wages -- oh yes the wonders of market forces !!

So the obesity epidemic is a myth then eh ?

Glad you ave a lovely local butcher, and that you are not working shifts, or on a building site.

The supermarket always sees off the local competition

Not necessarily. Just exercise some choice. I do. Its not hard.

Same principle as obesity not being McDonalds fault. Its the fault of people who can't make the decision to stop shoveling food into their gobs, then look for someone else to blame, as always. If they weren't doing it at McDonalds, they'd just be doing it somewhere else.

I think it's safe to say that crack is significantly more dangerous than big macs.

Are we facing a 'national crack time bomb' then?

Binners +1

Not necessarily. Just exercise some choice. I do. Its not hard.

Same principle as obesity not being McDonalds fault. Its the fault of people who can't make the decision to stop shoveling food into their gobs, then look for someone else to blame, as always. If they weren't doing it at McDonalds, they'd just be doing it somewhere else.

I agree that its not MacDonald's fault, however I'm not sure its as simple as being "the fault of people who can't make the decision to stop shovelling food into their gobs". How is that you are able to make that decision but they aren't? Are you innately superior in some way, or have you had an education/upbringing/life that has taught you the value of good food and good nutrition?

Obviously if you're just innately or genetically better than other people then we'll never solve the obesity problem unless they all die out or we sterilise all the fatties, so we can create a perfect master race who only shop organic. If its the product of a better education and upbringing, then we have to work out a way to give that to more people.

pleaderwilliams - Member
How is that you are able to make that decision but they aren't?

Because, taking personal responsibility is not THAT hard, despite the list of excuses we come up with these days.

Are you innately superior in some way, or have you had an education/upbringing/life that has taught you the value of good food and good nutrition?

I am sure than binners will respond, but equally sure that he uses common sense. Certainly sounds like it!

Are you innately superior in some way,

To most people, Yes! 😉

Actually.... far from it. I'm a complete bloody idiot. So I'm just not having it that people constantly shoveling junk food down themselves, are blissfully unaware that its bad for them?

I'm sure they're not "blissfully unaware", they must know something of the dangers, you can't live in this country in this day and age and not. But, they still do it.

Why do they do it? Why can you use common sense and take personal responsibility when they can't? If you can do it, then there must be some reason why they don't do? What is it that makes the difference between you and them?

Erm..... Binners isn't exactly a svelte figure IIRC (and nor am I for that matter) so I'm not sure he's an authority on self-discipline. 😛

Well, whether its binners, whose svelteness I have no idea about, or somebody more svelte, the point stands. Why do some people eat well and exercise, when others are obese?

CAVE dweller.

Well I would suggest it's mainly about how successful parents are in fighting against the tide of ubiquitous and heavily advertised junk food. Some do better than others, but I'm not sure those who don't manage that so well should be demonised, while the people selling the junk get off scot free, which is what some people here are arguing for.

Obviously if you're just innately or genetically better than other people then we'll never solve the obesity problem unless they all die out or we sterilise all the fatties, so we can create a perfect master race who only shop organic

Sounds familiar.

Eek!!

Big Mac or 1/4lber and cheese?

Very diplomatically put Grum! 😉 Svelte certainly isn't an accusation you could level at me!

I'm no stranger to the pie! Though I'm just about to cook salmon fillets, new potatoes, and asparagus in a peppercorn sauce! Get me and my fancy northern ways!!! 😀

Sorry, may have gone a little off-track with the master race analogy, but I'm genuinely interested to find out what we think it is that stops other people from being able to keep off the junk like us (assuming you do think that you can!!).

FWIW I generally agree with grum, although I don't really think we should demonise MacDonalds either, I just think we should reduce the influence of advertising, particularly on children, and increase education, again, particularly for children.

Sorry, may have gone a little far with the master race analogy, but I'm genuinely interested to find out what we think it is that stops other people from being able to keep off the junk like us (assuming you do think that you can generally keep pretty healthy).

Genetic predisposition. 😉

Personally I have a soft spot for rubbish food but I am riddled with guilt once I have eaten it. I'm not overweight but I dread to think what my cholesterol is like! It's a choice though, not a good one but I'm adult enough to make it without needing to blame the big corporations for daring to tell me that they have it for sale and how delicious it all is.

I had practically zero education on food/healthy eating etc when I was at school but again, I don't blame my education for my sweet tooth. Likewise my parents occasionally took me to McDonalds when I was a nipper. Again I don't blame them for my constant temptation to raid the biscuit barrel.

As a grown up I am informed enough about the ills of eating junk food not least because when I eat it, I literally feel like junk so I don't eat it as regularly as I easily could. I make that choice because I don't want to die when I'm 40, I don't want to be out of breath going up the stairs, I don't want to be so lacking in energy I can't ride my bike. Likewise when I eat junk food I have to deal with the consequences of that. It is pointless me blaming McDonalds, Tescos etc for supplying it, because I can still choose to either eat a packet of crisps and chocolate bar because it's convenient or I can chop up some veg and throw together a healthy stew. I still have that choice as far as I am aware, like everybody else.

It's not as hard as you think to become obese.

I'm not, but I know some people who are or have been. And they aren't gluttons. Well, some of them ate rather a lot at mealtimes and drank a fair bit, but even that didn't look terribly excessive. Especially if you've been brought up to expect a certain portion size cos it's what you've always seen. And there are people I know who don't eat anything out of 'the ordinary' and are still quite overweight.

I think the problem is mostly people making poor choices when they do eat and not realising it.

Supermarkets do well, not because of a lack of alternatives, but mainly because of the sheer bloody laziness of a lot of people IMHO. A lot of them being the same NIMBY's who bemoan the death of local shops, while doing all their shopping at Tesco's

Pretty much all my groceries come from the supermarket because they're actually open when myself or my other half are available to go shopping. The local grocers, bakers, candle-stick makers et al are conveniently only open when I'm at work.

BTW, dunno if you've noticed but in many areas (perhaps the less, erm, affluent ones) there are no bloody local bakers, butchers etc. so you've no option really. Unless you do all your shopping once a month at the "farmers" market and want to spend shed load extra for some "artisan" carrots just cos they've left the green bits on for you so to make your suburban kitchen look all rustic and authentic.

Diet. Is that the stuff people buy at home, or is everyone just eating badly when they go to McD's? Education, not availability of the product, is to blame. People can still buy cigarettes, but less do because of education - and death of course - but education is the answer.

I'm pretty sure that most of those turning up at MaccyD's in the evening in their Corsa/Saxo/whatever and then leaving a trail of debris along the country lanes for several miles aren't school kids.
I regularly see kids on their way to the local secondary school, often clearly overweight, scoffing a packet of crisps, or chugging a can of liquid sugar, or stuffing a chocolate bar into their gob.

Or to be more concise:
"I see young people being reckless and I see kids eating sweets"

Doesn't look like anything new to me.

*Wonders if Mike's bike shop really closed, or just went down the road to West End Lane instead....) 😉

Anyway, I've just been to the pub. You'll be pleased to know I only had a half.

Of Mikkeler Black Tequila Speyside. AWOOOGA, AWOOOGA, AWOOOGA!

Very restrained there Flashy! My salmon was lovely BTW 😀

Salmon? Do they do a McSalmon now? 😉

Or is it a Fillet-o-Salmon?

A burger with fries once in a while is nowhere near as bad as sticky sugary sweet things ingested pretty much every day.

Yes, which is why I was criticising the junk food industry in general, not just McDonalds. Yes kids have long eaten sweets and drunk sugary drinks, just not in the industrial quantities they do now - with a strange correlation between that and obesity, and the massive increase in advertising spend on promoting such 'foods'.

But of course there's no connection.

This thread seems to have moved on a bit from its original question - but here's my tuppence worth anyway.

Yes, a lot of people are too 'anti' for their own good.

Nobody bothered with the place before, nobody bothered with it when it was empty and becoming derilict - how can anyone be 'anti' in this specific case?

There are instances where I can understand being 'anti' because of the hyper-aggressive tactics of some chains. For example, Starbuck used to have a policy (according to Naomi Klein) of setting up branches that deliberately cannibalised the sales of their own pre-existing branches as that would 'prove' that they had taken as much of the market as possible in that area and most likely killed off all competition. I doubt this would go down too well with shareholders in the current climate though.

This is erring towards simple bullying of small businesses by a big player - but those small businesses must also move with the times. Perhaps they needed to re-decorate or encourage a sort of localism by marketing themselves as niche, anti-Starbucks, fiercely independent etc.

When it comes down to it, there will always be successful independents - but they will be ones that are well-run (and so profitable), and offer some quality and character. Chains will always struggle to oust these as they are too rigidly rule-driven to adapt.

As a potential customer, if you let a particular business go to the wall by not frequenting it, then you can't expect to have the right to decide what should replace it.

[img] [/img]

Binners or Grum earlier?

WTF is that!?

Whole wheat couscous and roasted vegetables for tea here btw. 🙂

I have eaten a McD product only once in my entire life; a Big Mac. And it was a crushing disappointment

Don't eat the burgers in McDs, they are awful. I always have something with chicken in it - either a wrap of some kind or chicken selects or something, which is quite nice fried chicken tenders.

Don't eat the burgers in McDs, they are awful

Snob. 😉

I quite like the 1/4 pounder with cheese. Not a fan of Big Macs at all.

Fortunately fried chicken is one of my favourite ever things - dunno why, but I could eat it all day 🙂

I quite like the 1/4 pounder with cheese. Not a fan of Big Macs at all.

Do you know what they call a Quarter Pounder in France?

Is it to do with the metric system?