Is Ronald McDonald The One Making Your Kids Fat?

Artist Sally Davies decided one day to chronicle the decomposition of a McDonalds Happy Meal right in her kitchen by taking a photo of it each and every day until it rotted into oblivion. Well as you can see above on day 180, the meal is practically unchanged except for the fact that it was hard as a rock. Now I for one have never really thought about the significance of food going bad. Usually when my bread turns green I just toss it in the trash, but imagine what they put in that food that makes it repel Mother Nature? Maybe someone will start shooting it into their lips instead of Botox? Hmmm...On to an article I read today in AM New York about fast food and the rampant epidemic of obesity in today's children. The article discusses whether it's the parents or the over-suggestive advertising that is marketed towards the children that is to blame. I for one am a perfect person to debate this issue since I have two young ones who both love going to McDonalds. Now let me just say that I try to relegate the amount of trips to McDonalds to two times a month and honestly the kids desire to go only stems from what toys currently are being offered in the Happy Meals. That my friends comes from advertising. These fast food companies know that kids spend a ton of time in front of their televisions, usually watching cartoons like Spongebob or shows like iCarly, and think that it would be the perfect time to promote their product. Some part of me thinks that's truly brilliant advertising and the definition of what marketing is supposed to be, but as a parent of young children it makes me believe that there is also some evil at play. And when I say evil I don't mean some red dude with horns. What I do mean is a corporation who sits around all day crunching numbers devising ways to get kids to eat more kids meals. Ultimately as parents we are responsible for what our children eat and I still believe that it is up to us not to just simply give in. Then on the other hand we can't completely eliminate the bad food because eventually our children will be old enough to just buy it on their own. I remember when I was a kid my Mom wouldn't allow us to have any sugared cereals in our house and until my first sleep over I didn't think anything of it. But once I got my first taste of Fruity Pebbles and Lucky Charms at Mark Mitchell's house all I knew after that was that I wanted more of it.  It's a double-edged sword but as parents we have to be more accountable either way.
Here are some interesting statistics:

$4.2 Billion dollars was spent on advertising by the fast food industry in 2009

12 kids meals out of a total 3,039 were considered to be nutritional

84 percent of parents say they take their kids to eat fast food at least once a week (wow!)

A Great Chicken Sandwich At Goodburger? Who knew?

It actually doesn't look so pretty in the picture does it? No matter, it's the taste thats the key. Seemingly running out of choices that I felt like eating last week, I walked on in to Goodburger feeling a bit defeated that I couldn't come up with something new. Now if I had been hankering for a burger it would certainly have been a great choice even if I have already blogged about them before, but this time I was determined to try something else. Now I wasn't completely sure they actually had anything else so I reserved myself to the fact that I might have to end up with an order of Onion Rings to go, oh well. Thankfully I was relieved to see that they had a choice of either a Grilled or Crispy Chicken sandwich and I suddenly felt the urge to try the Crispy with the hopes that it wouldn't be some frozen board that they warmed up in the microwave. Of course completely unnecessary but delicious, I ordered a sack of Fries to go with my sandwich just in case the sandwich underwhelmed, you know so I wouldn't go hungry. The first thing I noticed when I unwrapped my sandwich was that the Chicken was very thick and stuck out from eaither side offering me a chance to take an un-altered bite of just the Chicken. All I could say was....wow! It was really good and high quality for that matter. Of course once I put it all together and took a bite with the bun and all the fixings I was completely satisfied. The Fries became secondary so I covered them in ketchup and ate them all really fast, nothing like warm Fries in a sack! So the next time you are near a Goodburger but don't want a burger, you now know that they have an extra delicious Chicken Sandwich to choose! However it does make me sad that there are no Chick-Fil-A stores in NYC because that's my absolute fave.

A Picture Of The Ruben I Ate On Thursday

It's ok to be jealous...that's why I posted it. As I have stated before the Ruben is the greatest sandwich ever! This one came from the Soho Garden Deli on Thompson between Grand and Canal. Of course not nearly as good as the one from Katz, but any Ruben is better than no Ruben.

Sausage and Shrimp and Potato Teriyaki Balls...Oh My!

Those are my two new friends, Mimi and Coco, serving up really great Teriyaki Balls (like Dumplings) at their last street fair this year, so of course I made a special trip down to see them today! Just about a month ago I first tried their Balls at a fair that was right outside of my job and I was completely surprised at how good they were. So when I got down there today I saw that they had three kinds to choose from...Sausage, Shrimp and Potato and being as super nice as they are, Mimi and Coco let me try all three, how cool! They were also nice enough to pose for a quick photo for me but I got out of there so they could get back to helping their next customer (I had to get back to work too). Anyway back uptown I went, Teriyaki Balls firmly in my grasp, passing all the crappy choices that street fairs usually offer. A quick note...always look for better choices, you'll find them. Ahh the warm and delicious Balls. The Sausage was really my favorite...no wait I loved the Shrimp...actually the Potato were fabulous! Make up your mind man! Ok I will, all three were really great and I am really happy that I was able to go and see Mimi and Coco today, well worth the trip. My stomach thinks so too.

Gratuitous Ball Shot

That's A Spicy Little Candy!

Forget Red Hots, this is the spiciest candy I have ever had! After having lunch at Laut on 17th street a few days back I was given one of these little gems with the check. Now all in all I love the flavor of ginger but man this was like eating the root! It was gummy and had a hint of honey, but jeez that spice! I am ending every sentence with an exclamation point! Beware the ginger candy! 

Ruben's Empanadas: Feeding NYC Since 1975, Just Hold The Raisins

These are not yo momma's empanada's. Nor are they like the ones you'll find in the Cuchifritos (Hispanic Luncheonette) all over town where they are deep fried and golden. Not that those aren't great, because they are. Ruben's Empanada's hail from Argentina and come in a wide variety of choices. My personal fave is the one pictured on top, the Broccoli with Mozzarella and Ricotta, just add hot sauce. You also have the choice of regular or whole wheat dough which I think is really great even though I have only ever tried the regular. At $4.00 a piece it is rather reasonable but I do suggest buying two because you know I am just like that. So the other day when I was there I ordered one Broccoli and one Beef thinking those would be my favorite two choices. The Beef Empanada is flavored with various spices and has an occasional Raisin mixed in which I could have done without. Not that it's strange or anything but in certain parts of Italy people put Raisins in their Meatballs, however I do not much like that either but I was willing to give this a try. Of course the Broccoli and Cheese was great with a smattering of hot sauce and I finished it rather quickly. With the Beef I decided to take it a bit slower trying to savor the flavor a bit more and to see how much the Raisins would bother me. Let's just say that if I had known there were Raisins in it I wouldn't have ordered it. Now I don't want any of you thinking that I am anti-Raisin, because I am not, I believe in equal rights for all fruit, dried or not. On their own they are a delicious snack and can be exceptionally tasty in one of my Moms Oatmeal cookies or also in a Chunky candy bar (I love Raisinettes too!). Enough about the Raisins. Anyway I highly recommend Ruben's Empanadas which can be found in several locations around the city (I frequent the one at Thompson and Broome), so stop in for a tasty treat that is sure to warm your tummy, even if you order the Beef and don't like Raisins.

POP Burger Coming Soon To University Place

I was walking down University Place yesterday and saw this in a storefront window and suddenly got excited. It was at the corner of University and 11th Street. Being that I have never tried POP Burger this will now give me an opportunity to sample their fine sliders and apparently now their fine coffee. So far their website mentions nothing about the shop but on the window it simple states 2011. I will be on the lookout.