studentsineurope

World’s fattest countries: We’re (not) number one!

A French friend of mine recently speculated (in al lseriousness) that Americans prefer to drive cars with automatic transmission so they could have a free hand to eat. WELL JOIN THE CLUB!

Americans like to be “first” in everything, but this is one list on which it’d be better not to appear.  The World Health Organization recently published a list of the “World’s Fattest Countries” based on the percentage of overweight adults, and the United States, despite its reputation for girth (not that kind), places third.  The two fattest countries are, puzzlingly, tiny Pacific islands.  Europe is also well-represented in the Top Ten.  Germany, Bosnia, Croatia, and the U.K. are ranked fourth, sixth, ninth, and tenth  respectively.  The U.K.’s presence doesn’t surprise, and neither does Germany’s, with their steady diet of delicious sausage and finely-brewed beers, but Croatia?  I thought Croatians typified the Mediterranean diet, with their appetite for seafood and Italian-inspired cuisine.

I rarely eat fast food back home; in fact I think I’m much more likely to visit McDonald’s or Burger King when I’m in Europe.  They’re a reliable source for a quick, inexpensive (emphasis on inexpensive) meal or late-night, post-party indulgence, and that’s probably why Europeans continue patronizing these places even to the detriment of health and local food culture.  McDonald’s and its French-fried peers are a terrible influence on the world, but they fill a certain gap.  Maybe we shouldn’t expect an instant dinner that costs less than five euros and is served until 3:00am, but if not there, then where?  Hopefully a healthier, better-tasting, less socially damaging alternative will develop, but until then, in my prediction, Europe (and the world) will keep putting on the kilos.