America, Land of Really Big Eaters

Epitomizing for me the state of our nation on this glorious 4th of July:

original by: Reuters / Lucas Jackson (modified)

We just can’t cram it in fast enough.

Billions go hungry, while we support “competitive eating” as a sport. This “winner” crammed in 66 hotdogs, to which I can only say: BFD! This is not a “sport” by any stretch of the imagination! It is merely a uniquely American obscenity.

Billions go hungry, while we convert 27% of U.S. corn into fuel for our SUVs.

“The [corn] required to fill a 25-gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol [would] feed one person for a year.” Earth Policy Institute

As Michael Pollan so clearly delineates in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, most of what we eat can be traced to corn—meat, poultry, dairy, sweetener, cereal, many additives, beer, soft drinks, farmed fish, cooking oil, etc.—and corn prices have already risen by nearly 70 percent.

And now, while taxpayers and the environment foot the bill for corn production, food prices are already rising. But go ahead, fill up your SUV for a run to the corner market ten blocks away. Swill that corn to your heart’s content. Let’s take competitive eating to an all new level! Ain’t we special…

Oh, and PS: Do enjoy all the additional acetaldehyde that will be included in every breath of air: no extra charge!