I grew up on a diet that was dictated by my mother. Picture this: no cakes, no cookies, no soda, no sweets – no snacks around the house!
True story. Here’s the back story:
After giving birth to me, my mother gained a ton of weight. So she decided to eat healthy. And to help herself eat healthy, she decided to put a ban on everything sweet and sugary that was bad not only for her, but also for my brother and me. So, cakes, cookies, and coke became once-in-a while, special treats at birthday parties or weddings only. I would always look forward to these special occasions to satisfy my sweet tooth.
Mother also ruled out fatty food from our nightly family dinner, and prepared mostly fresh fish, lean meat and vegetables – all of which were easily available and affordable in every market in Hong Kong.
To some Americans, she may sound like a tiger mom or food fascist. But at the time, I didn’t rebel: I bought her arguments, which still ring loud in my ears.
“This is junk food; bad for your teeth, bad for your skin, and it makes you fat! ”
“Wow, I don’t want bad teeth, bad skin and certainly not FAT!” I remembered saying to myself as a kid.
Fast forward to today in New York where I live, and I see a real “food fascist” ruling my city. He’s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Mayor Bloomberg recently proposed a ban on the sale of super-size sugary drinks (16 oz) at restaurants, movie theatres and street carts. His plan has been generating a lot of buzz in the city, on TV and on the Internet – as the most-viewed, most-emailed, most controversial talk of the town item. Many New Yorkers feel he’s out of line, out of control, and out of his mind.Well, I can certainly understand his reasons – they remind me of my mother’s parenting style. But wait. He is not my mom, and I don’t want him to parent my diet choices.
Diet choices – good or bad – are our personal responsibility. I believe it’s our responsibility and our parents’ responsibility, not that of the government, to ban food or beverage choices (with the exception, of course, of illegal drugs or poisonous foods). In this case, a ban on the sale of mega-size sugary drinks, intended to combat the obesity problem, is misguided.
Yes, we have a huge obesity problem in New York. More than 50 percent of New Yorkers are classified as obese or overweight, and 1 in 5 kindergarten students is also obese. But I think mandatory educational programs for head start children (ages 3-5), kindergarten students and even a tax on fast food make a far more effective mix of weapons to fight obesity. Educational programs can change minds, and taxes can dent pocketbooks – both are powerful and persuasive measures that may well curb your appetite for junk food.
What do you think?
从小,妈妈就控制我的饮食。请想象一下一栋没有蛋糕,没有饼干,没有汽水,没有糖,没有任何零食的房子。
以下便是这故事背后不为人知的辛酸:
我妈妈因为生了我之后体重暴增,所以决心要健康饮食。于是妈妈就下了一道禁止令。她下令家里不能有任何甜的所谓不健康的食品。这决定不仅仅是为了她自己,也是为了我和我哥。所以从那时,那些甜点、汽水什么的都只能在一些特别场合才能吃到。我特别喜欢参加婚礼和生日派对,因为只有那时我对甜食的欲望才能得到一些满足。
但是我们家不只吃不到甜食,就连油腻的东西也被我妈妈禁止了。我们家吃的都是香港各个超市里都能买到的又健康又实惠的东西,像鲜鱼、瘦肉和青菜。
也许对于一些美国人而言,我妈妈可能有点像虎妈或是一位食物法西斯主义者。但是我有时不但不反对而且还赞同她的观点。
“这些都是垃圾食品,不但会吃坏牙齿和皮肤而且还会吃胖!”
我记得小时我会对自己喃喃自语:“哇,我可不想牙齿和皮肤都变坏。当然更不希望变胖!现在让我们快转到现在我居住的纽约。纽约还真是被一位食物法西斯者控制了。他便是纽约市长迈克· 布隆伯格(Michael Bloomberg)。
最近纽约市长提出:餐馆、电影院和路边摊等等不可以出售大过16盎司的甜饮料,例如可乐。他的计划已成为纽约当下最热门、最具有讨论性的话题。不管在电视还是在网上都能看到关于这个计划的信息。很多纽约人认为他这次做得有点过分。他们觉得这次市长有点越界了,有点疯狂。但他的计划让我想起妈妈对我的管教,所以我能理解他的目的。可是等等。。。他不是我妈妈。我也不想我的饮食习惯被他控制。
我们的饮食,或好或坏,都是我们各人的责任。我认为这是我们的责任,是我们父母亲的责任,但不是政府的。政府不该禁止我们吃什么喝什么(当然这不包括非法毒品等等)。为了解决肥胖问题而禁止餐饮店卖大杯饮料的主张是片面的。
是的,肥胖是纽约的一个大问题。超过一半的纽约人可以说是过胖,而且平均五个幼儿园的小朋友当中就有一个过胖。我认为通过教育让3到7岁的小朋友对饮食有更完整的认识会是一个更有效的对付肥胖的武器。提高快餐税也是一个不错的选择。教育可以改变思想, 加税也会让消费者花钱时更谨慎。
这两个策略都可控制你对垃圾食品的欲望。
你认为呢?