Deal or no Deal

I had a moment while getting my coffee one day. This is something that although I knew this already, illustrated a point that represents our nation’s affliction of bad food, bad habits and the draw of the deal. It’s not a new concept or idea I am painting here. It is one we see every day in life. The light just seemed to go on as I watched this scene happen in front of me.

I was getting my coffee (coffee only, as I have been donut free for some time now) at a particular chain. I won’t mention the name but it does have two Ds in it. As I was waiting in line a man with three young girls. I would say from age eight to eleven were up at the counter ordering donuts. They had each ordered donut one each, three different types. The clerk then attempted to explain that it was cheaper for them to six as opposed to three. It turned out to cost the same as three. This was explained to the father and he hesitated and then agreed to get two of each donut. The one daughter looked up at the father and asked, “Does that mean we each get two?” He replied, “Yes.” The girl didn’t get extra excited but was simply trying to find out the facts. None of the girls were begging for more donuts, but they weren’t complaining about the bonus either. They seemed as if they would have content with one each.

It got me thinking how we ended up the fattest nation in the world. We have been trained to take the deal as opposed to what is generally less unhealthily choice. The father could have simply said no to two donuts. He was just taking the better deal and did nothing wrong. It is inconceivable to resist the deal temptation in the society of consumption without the thought of consequences.

It is twofold problem. One, it is just not good for you. But that is the overall lesser of the two issues for me. I am sure those little girls ate just one each anyway. I think the lesson that the girls were walking away from that exchange was, damn your health, and take the deal. Worry about the effects later. I think this one event over one extra donut will not kill them. What will kill them is a life time of decisions similar to what happened here times a thousand. Think about the impact that small moment may have on the health of someone over a life time.

I began to correlate that to other bad habits that are inherent to our psyche. The free soda refill is this deal we cannot turn down and actually expect in our dining experience. The restaurants would be doing us a favor my charging us per drink. We might resist the temptation of a second round and saving ourselves just that little bit of bad stuff coursing through our body. I recall at a chain pizza place having at least 6 or 7 refills of fruit punch. The waitress complied and I was thrilled and bloated and for a short time full of energy. She was simply giving me good service and feeding my need for cheap sugar water. At the time, it made me want to go back for sure.

Another chain that is a sit down burger place, offers with every meal unlimited fries as a selling and advertising point. My first thought was no good can come of that when saw it on the menu. I am not sure how much response it gets, but is a scary prospect but alluring temptation for the deal hunter instinct in us all. It was not until the donut incident that in my head it all seems linked together about how our brains have been wired to never turn down the deal no matter the consequences. 

I know I can say I had to make that choice and always have gone for the deal without fail. The deal has taken years off my life without a doubt. We simply can’t resist and it is clearly ingrained into our way of thinking and every business plays into it. Like the anti gun folks say, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, I think the catch phrase for this issue is, “It’s not the bad unhealthy food killing us, it’s our life time choices of the better deal.