Exhibits, Shows and Displays

Do you think Thanksgiving as it is practiced in America today, unwittingly promotes OBESITY?

I understand that the original Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and the Indians was a celebration of survival in the New World. So they had plenty of reason to stuff themselves in feast-like fashion because the alternative (e.g. starvation) could have become a reality without Divine Providence (as the Pilgrims might have called it) and of course, assistance from the Natives who showed the Pilgrims how to grow and plant less familiar crops in the New World. But in modern America, we live in a developed society -- a "land of plenty", as it were -- such that not many in America should have to worry about starvation much these days. I just notice, however, how the grocery stores heavily stock their shelves, freezers and produce bins in plentiful amounts in anticipation of the Thanksgiving week mobs of shoppers. And how at least in my area of the country (mostly Hispanic), obesity is such an epidemic, it becomes like navigating an obstacle course just trying to dodge the huge bodies pushing huge grocery carts at the grocery store Thanksgiving week...and I wonder if we haven't been pigging out or "worshipping food" a bit too much as a society. Europeans will certainly criticize overweight Americans, and rightly so, although there are plenty of obese people in Europe as well. I am the chef in my home and cooking is a keen interest of mine so I watch the Food Network on cable frequently. And when I see how all their TV chefs so enthusiastically cover Thanksgiving week with all their holiday recipes, it almost seems like we have lost the original meaning of Thanksgiving and just turned it into a big excuse for everyone to pig out more than usual. What do you think? Note, I am not panning Thanksgiving as a holiday. And indeed I enjoy a good meal as much as the next person. I just sense how there are many -- particularly those who celebrate their homelands culture more so than that of the US -- who don't observe "giving thanks" so much and just look to Thanksgiving as a holiday where it is acceptable to stuff yourself more than usual. I don't find gluttony very attractive and sadly, there seem to be more gluttons roaming around today than in times past. Blame it on McDonalds and fast food, I guess. But I am not panning Thanksgiving as a holiday. I just wish more folks would remember it for what it originally stood for.

Public Comments

1. The meaning of Thanksgiving is not only to celebrate the artificial peace between the English and the Indians, but it was also meant to celebrate the end of the harvest and how bountiful the harvest was during the time period. Essentially what this boils down to is: eat as much as you can to celebrate; so no we have not lost focus on the true spirit of it and yes it does encourage obesity, if obesity simply means to over engorge.
2. i know how to practice self control
3. Why ruin a good thing?? My daughter will be 1 on Sat, and I want her to grow up with the same traditions that we all did. If you want to analize something, make it something bad like war, hate and greed. Not a holiday meant for family, friends, and love!!
4. I suppose some people will use Thanksgiving to stuff them self way more than the should...but these same people will do that without a holiday. I find nothing wrong with enjoying a wonderful meal on the holidays even with pie and treat ...but then the next day it is back to normal.
5. It's only one day. You can't eat that much in one meal to make you fat. It's the other 364 that cause the weight problem. All holidays are so commercialized now. The tv cooking programs are really pushing it because they finally have a "focus" for the show and want to demonstrate lots of different dishes that people ordinarily wouldn't be interested in. Americans are getter fatter because we have so many choices of things to eat, easily accessible; and have to exert less energy to do anything. I remember having to sweep the living room floor & carpet-now we can get a vacuum that will do it without any effort on our part. Kids can't safely run the neighborhood to play-they have to stay close to or in the house--so no exercise; and the trend begins.
6. ugh.. It's only ONE day of eating lot. And ONE day that we give thanks for food,friends,and family. You can't get that fat in one day. It's just a tradition.
7. then in a months time you have to do it all again! haha.
8. thanksgiving only comes once a year so it is hard to make a point saying that it promotes obesity. stuffing your face once or twice a year doesn't cause obesity. i agree with you about mcdonalds. it is unfortunate though that some people are facing starvation and I wish that it didn't happen but i'm thankful that my family isn't one of them and that we can enjoy our holiday together with a good meal to fill our bellies.
9. i think you will find the food itself to be the main culprit for obesity in usa. in europe many people tend to eat fresh foods with little preservatives and other chemicals. in usa its expensive to try to eat in a healthy way. cheap food is also fatty food and unhealthy food. watch as the economy goes from bad to worse you will see obesity rates rise. many people will eat fast food because it's cheap. notice that the poor usually have the highest rates of obesity in usa.