Travelers often return from France shaking their heads at how French people manage to stay thin. And certainly, the wine, the cheese and the wonderful breads, are all tempting. Not to mention “les desserts.”
But after a few days watching my son’s summer baseball team touring around, I am equally perplexed, “How does anyone stay thin in Kansas?”
And of course, one answer is that most Americans are not thin. A front page story in USA Today stated that the average American is 23 pounds overweight, and 34 percent of Americans are obese.
While travel is always an excuse to try new food or indulge in treats, hotels and restaurants in the heartland seemed to take sugary and fatty temptations to a new level.
For example, at the Best Western in Hays, Kansas, the free breakfast was substantial with the usual waffles and cereal and yogurts. But the fruit was all sweetened and processed, and while they offered hard-boiled eggs, there were also biscuits with cream gravy, “Hot Pockets” with sausage, egg and cheese, and “Sausage Wraps” which basically looked like breakfast corn dogs.
In Junction City, almost every restaurant besides fast food was closed on Sunday, except a popular local buffet – Sirloin Stockade. The price was certainly right, under $10 for all you could eat, including steak. Soft drink refills were also free. While there were plenty of choices, there was only one fruit, cantaloupe, and most of the vegetables and side dishes were fried or sauteed in what looked like plenty of butter or margarine. Of course, the price included plenty of desserts.
“All You Can Eat”, in fact, seemed to be a common theme at many restaurants, from the Golden Corral to a few Chinese buffets. And in fact, remembering my days living in Orlando, I remember that many, many restaurants catering to tourist also are buffets. They are relatively cheap in labor costs compared to traditional restaurants, and have a reputation for value.
Near the freeways, the choices were, as in much of America, fast food, fast food, and more fast food. Or most gas stations had food shops, generally advertising things like 2 taquitos or hot dogs for $2, and 42-ounce discount soft drinks.
As to grocery stores, near the interstate, the only options we saw were Walmart Super Centers.
Of course no one is forcing travelers to fill up on these large meals, but the path of least resistance certainly was a high calorie one. And while travelers may imagine that watching their waistlines is a problem overseas, perhaps the real health challenge is staying thin while traveling closer to home?
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
