Walking thoughts

While I was walking my dog I tend to think about a lot of things. We live in an apartment and all around us are different restaurants and I thought why does our entire lives have to or seem to always revolve around food. The smell that was in the air was someone cooking bbq now being in Texas it's one of my favorites and yet the smell didn't make my mouth water like it did during my week liquid diet. It didn't make me want it like I used to. I haven't felt head hunger yet, but it just amazed me how many restaurants there truly are out there you can't walk or drive a single block without something being there. It's as if the people who own those restaurants don't want to help our society get healthier and it's sad. 

I'm sure the people who own restaurants want what any business owner wants - to make money.  

Before surgery I ate most of my meals as restaurant meals.  Now I hardly ever eat at a restaurant.  When I do it's usually connected to some event that made eating there necessary.

Our lives revolve around food because food is what allows us to survive.  It is also the number 1 source of socialization and restaurant owners understand this and are in the business of making money.  It's not the restaurants that make people unhealthy.  It is our responsibility to make smart and healthy choices and go to a restaurant as a special treat rather than every day or every couple of days.

I agree with the above posters. Why hold the restaurant owners responsible for people's eating habits? Why hold cigarette companies responsible for people's choice to smoke? Why hold alcohol companies responsible for drinking?

Wouldn't it be better to teach people personal responsibility? Why make them victims or some unknown evil entity that "makes" them do bad things to themselves? I don't smoke because I don't want to. Period. My choice. My best friend smokes because she wants to. That's her choice. Period.

Love the responses! This was just a thought I'd had and I love hearing opinions. I do realize that everyone has a choice and it's our responsibility, but if our society truly wanted to learn how to make better decisions you would think they would, but let's say they didn't have the insurance to see a NUT or see a dr lets say all they had were places they went to eat why not make a seperate menu with smarter choices to eat rather than mix them in with the entire menu. It's setting them up for failure. For parents they look at the kids menu to decide what they are going to feed the kids why not have a seperate menu for adults to help them tell the difference between a full menu and a "healthier" menu. I don't know seems like a good idea to me. 

By that logic, why not just serve healthier food period?  

There are certainly options for people who are aware - lots of places I go do have menu items marked as being healthier options, often even in their own category.  And I also tend to choose restaurants that source sustainable and local foods, because these are the things that matter to me.  

But if these things don't matter to you, all the revamped menus in the world aren't going to matter and you're still going to get that plate of cheese fries from Outback.  (And Outback does happen to be a place that designates healthier options.)  

At some point, personal responsibility is the only thing that matters.  

On a side note, kid's menus are terrifying.  Tons of bad options and they treat children like proto-humans who are incapable of eating tasty foods that adults eat.  I would have been repulsed to only get burgers, chicken nuggets, and mac and cheese as a kid.  

I have to agree with the kids menu it's the same wherever you go. I personally don't think I'll eat out ever again if I can avoid it. I wasted so much money eating out I'm looking forward to the extra money in my account from not eating out! 

I still enjoy eating out.  But I never ate out that much pre-op and I'm a food snob, so I'd rather save my money for nice places with good food than eat at cheap places with crap food.  :P

I ate out every meal. time to make my chef of a bf cook for me lol