www.CostaRicaTicas.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/0 ... l?ref=food

This article is sort of timely since I was just in CR last month for probably the 10th or 12th time in the past dozen years. Over these past years the proliferation of Fast Food and Junk Food Outlets has been clearly evident as has also been the "rounding" and "whaling" of more and more Tica's and CR youngsters. I just happened to be in one of my favorite CR Artifact stores speaking with the owner who is a Costa Rican lady and somehow we came on this very discussion about how the expansion of McDonalds...KFC...Burger King....etc is impacting the Obesity problem in CR. Well...now SMASHBURGER has decided to enter the fray. GORDO.....GORDA....y mas GORDO....y mas GORDA.......Truly SAD!!

A real problem I have had is eating healthy when in SJO. It is difficult to find healthy fare in the gulch. One problem is that eating salads in places where the lettuce might contain parasites and the other vegetables should really be washed in a chlorine solution is a real turn off.

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"I'm not one those pathetic lietuenant colonels working a silly civilian job, working out two hours a day trying to reclaim a body they lost 20 years ago and four hours a night completing War College by correspondence in a sad attempt at colonel. Tyler Durden told us [i]'Self improvement is masturbation[/i].' My mid-life crisis is going to involve a new sports car, or the zoftig redhead with daddy issues in accounting, or better yet, racking up frequent flyer miles going to Pattaya."

and they deliver that crap to you. it is the worst of the worst and the locals are in love with it. every mall and store with a food court is packed. and yes it appears to be fattening them up. sort of makes you understand why there are countries who want nothing to do with importing american "culture"

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

JTF, recently I saw a juice place and a vegetarian spot on the way to Harry's Poas Bar. Haven't checked it out yet, but sure they would fit the bill.

People chose to be fat...don't see why more places like this is going to matter. If your destined to be a fat fugg, you will be

I made the mistake of actually getting a Big Mac in CR while waiting on someone..woof, I'd rather eat Jenny's crotch


Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

There have always been tons of non American places like pizza joints and bakery's along Avenida Central where you can buy high fat/calorie foods. I know because I always eat at these places.

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

Fried chicken seems to be real popular as well in San Jose at least. It's not just KFC (and there are plenty of them), it seems like every street has a pollo this or pollo that.

haha Downtown, are you kidding me HikerTom? Thousands of chickens give their life everyday to fill downtown San Jose. And Cujo is right. Or wait, not sure if this is exactly what he is saying, but sort of. Why limit these places. A normal height weight proportionate person as myself enjoys them every once in a while. I have little respect for gordos who eat in those places all the time. I know people that brag about how they don't eat fast food, yet their belly hangs over their belt. Dicky do disease..

fast food is like heroin. we have all been around it long enough to know its bad for us. but if you just unleash heroin on unsuspecting rubes you end up with a lot of junkies.

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im way deep into nothing special
riding the crest of a wave breaking just west of hollywood

Just check the obesity rates in the US... Prior to the proliferation of fast food joints, the US population did not have an obesity problem... Same holds true to all the foreign nations that this crap has been exported to... It ain't just CR... There was a time when you would not find a fat bar girl in Thailand... Not anymore since McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut have come on the scene...

http://www.managedcaremag.com/sites/def ... chart1.gif

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"Mongo only pawn in game of life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3K6UmgJIOw

Any chance of "In and Out Burger" coming to CR?

mcdonald's is the problem? that's it? it is only part of the problem.

income, education and who you hang with are the main reasons for weight gain.

here where i live, i can go to a poor community, sit outside starbucks and lose count of all the fatties. i can go to a community where is it more or less middle class and find fewer fatties. i can go to Danville, CA or Walnut Creek, CA and find nearly no fatties, but fast food is as available to them as it is anyone else. Danville and Walnut Creek in the summer.... endless parade of hotties.

i bet the same applies to smoking, if i took a poll.

stupid people do dumb things.... unfortunately stupid people are often poor too. damn, double whammy.

see, mcdonalds isn't but just a small part of the problem.... HDR is probably biggest attractor of dumb and poor in all of SJ so prepare for more.

besides mcdonalds, CR is probably taking in a lot more ready type meals (microwave, frozen, box). in some of your minds, guess this is the USA's fought. i don't see it that way, people have a choice and often take the fast low road.

a lot of people in the Philippines are dumb and poor, but their income prevents them from over eating. It isn't a lie when I say that for a lot of families there, everything outside of the electric bill goes to food and sometimes they still don't get enough to eat. like many latinas, when filipinos get to any industrialized country, they too put on wgt because they might not be as poor, but still dumb. LOL!

for you sensitive types, sorry for saying dumb instead of uneducated.

Yup, D2, you make a lot of good points - and don't worry about the political correctness - sometimes the truth hurts!

Its a choice, where to eat, to smoke or not, and so on - and very often folks make the wrong choice - I don't really like fast food, but eat it probably once or twice a month, which is OK, b/c its in moderation - if you ate it 3 meals a day for years, its a bad thing.

( McDonalds was sued by the mother of an obese adolecent who developed all sorts of health problems from that diet - maybe the Ch*ld should have sued the mother who proportedly should have known better - this was a few years ago - the family lived in an urban setting - Chicago, NYC??? - Not that it matters but I believe they were African American, if that helps anyone recall the situation; I do not believe they won the suit......unless they got a bunch of Big Mac cupons ).

Point is you have to take responsibility for your own actions - its not the fault of McDonalds, the government, someone else for your problems in the vast majority of cases - I swear the older I get the more sense the quote from the "Pogo" comic strip makes "We have met the enemy and it is us"

When women stopped cooking (and started working outside the home) is when fast food really took off. The family had to eat and it was quick and easy. This is the case today also when both parents work, it's easier to throw a burger and fries at the K*D instead of making him a sandwich or dinner. Schools (in NYC) finally got rid of soda machines recently and started a healthy food program in schools. Too little, too late.

I think technology is far more responsible for fat K*ds than fast food. K*ds don't go out anymore, they stay home and play on the internet or playstation. Their only physical activities are gym and playing sports on Wii. The parks in the summer time are almost empty these days. The fields/courts were always packed when I was a K*D 20 years ago, they are seldom used now. We went out because we didn't have anything to do at home, now they have all kinds of gadgets at home. Fast food and soda was always there. And my friends and I ate it pretty often. But we burned it off that same day playing until dark. I used to stay and play basketball until I literally couldn't see the ball anymore.

By industrializing food, the fast food chains commodify and make convenient cheap, high fat foods. A frozen burger or a tub of pickles can be stored indefinitely, but a bannana or an orange cannot be frozen, and is unappealing after a few days.

How many times have I wanted to treat all the chicas at a particular establishment to lunch, thought it would be great if they had salad, and then realized there was to salad establishment anywhere nearby.

_________________
"I'm not one those pathetic lietuenant colonels working a silly civilian job, working out two hours a day trying to reclaim a body they lost 20 years ago and four hours a night completing War College by correspondence in a sad attempt at colonel. Tyler Durden told us [i]'Self improvement is masturbation[/i].' My mid-life crisis is going to involve a new sports car, or the zoftig redhead with daddy issues in accounting, or better yet, racking up frequent flyer miles going to Pattaya."