The NFL
 

Those are better names for the NBA. "Tune in Sunday to ESPN to watch the Miami Heat take on the Houston Humidity." Though it would be a little sad to think of the Executioners going up against the Pacers.

Edited to add: Executioners should be NFL. Saints versus Executioners would be pretty funny.

Question for medical (and not) types
 

A few years back I went to a Denny's or Perkins or something in Washington state and let me tell you, EVERYONE in there was at least 50 pounds overweight. I couldn't fucking believe it...until I saw the menu. There is absolutely nothing healthy on that menu (or if there is, it is well hidden). The "diet" special had three pieces of bacon instead of six and less eggs. Are you kidding?

TM

The NFL
 

Well, you know, "It's not the Heat, it's the Humidity." And they did have a contest, but none of my suggestions made the final cut (Toxic Sunset was another).

Question for medical (and not) types
 

that's what we said the last time we met people at Fridays - we said is there anything on this menu that isn't deep fried? The answer of course was no - except for the potato skins with cheese, sour cream and bacon. Hmm - same difference.

The NFL
 

Hey, I think the cow design is pretty cool - and this from someone with no intention of seeing any games and who could not care less about their record.

I like the "executioners" though, but I think we're trying to get away from that public image (while secretly digging it). I believe there was a contest at one point, but the other names sucked even worse. What do you think about the Houston Potholes or the West Nile Virus or the Africanized Honey Bees? - at least it would be truth in advertising.

We* do have season tickets to every single UH game there is and will ever be, if anyone wants to go. Go Coogs.

-TL

*I don't go to these either, but the other one is rabid about attendance.

Question for medical (and not) types
 

This was your first mistake. Never set foot in a food serving establishment that does not serve alcohol. This excludes fast food places (in the U.S. at least) and crappy "all you can eat" type places. Another rule of thumb--do not eat anywhere where the wait staff are required to wear visors and/or aprons.

Question for medical (and not) types
 

Or flair.

Ultimate
 

I don't think my parents ever ordered me to eat everything that was on my plate. My grandparents did though. But the fact is that whether you eat that food or not, it isn't going to go to starving kids. And if you eat it to the point where you become unhealthy, you aren't doing anyone, including the starving kids, any good.

If you can order a smaller size and order a larger one and waste it that is one thing, but that isn't what we are talking about here. You are right, most places don't offer a half portion, and frequently, it takes more effort to explain they can charge you full price and give you half the food than it is worth.

What is the average portion size for chicken supposed to be? 3-4 oz I think. That is about the size of your fist. Compare that to the slab of chicken you are given in some restaurants, never mind the amount of pasta they give you. It's nuts.

I have to eat out a lot, and sometimes I have no choice but to grab something at a rest stop on the turn pike. As far as restaurants, I have learned what and how to order so I don't look like I am causing a fuss and yet still get a reasonably healthy meal. It took me a little while to figure it out though.

As far as rest stops, I just remind myself it is fuel and do the best I can to make the most healthy thing I can find reasonably tasty.

Ultimate
 

Heh.

The NFL
 

You mean kind of like how Vancouver canucks got to see the Vancouver Canucks?

Ultimate
 

I don't think the point is that you shouldn't have ordered the extra french fries so they could've gone to the starving Chinese. The point was that you should be thankful that you have food, and shouldn't waste it. My parents were like your grandparents in this regard -- their view was that tossing good food is a "sin". There's just no debating with that. And in truth, it's pretty easy to understand their point of view, considering that they grew up in environments where they regularly prayed for food -- not thanking God for giving them food (i.e., grace), but praying for more because they were hungry.

It's really a cultural shift -- the notion of eating so much that it is unhealthy is something my parents simply didn't grow up with. They grew up with hunger. It's pretty hard to leave that behind, and to see a wasted 15 cents worth of pasta as worth only, well, 15 cents.

I still have trouble leaving food behind, but I've progressively gotten over it as portions have gotten so out of control. And, I do have my mom's tendency to over-shop and over-cook, which ultimately leads to wasted food.

Ultimate
 

My mother was just the opposite. "Always leave something behind on your plate. A clean plate is the first step to getting fat, dear." So I have noticed that I am a little obsessive about this, actually. Even if I am starving and want to eat everything on the plate, I always leave something behind, even if it is just a few grains of rice or something.

Edited to note that although my mother grew up with rations in wartime England, she is not frugal about food. When it comes to plastic containers that food comes in though, she is a freak. She hoards them until the collection takes over the house.

The NFL
 

Precisely.

Ultimate
 

I think that's exactly right. My grandparents lived through the depression and my parents were poor. The thought of wasting food of any kind was unthinkable. I'm thinking that if you've grown up in an environment where you could have food one day and then not again for awhile, you would tend to eat everything you had, not knowing if you would ever see the bounty again.
The way it is now, and the fact that most people have enough money and enough food to have never known hunger is foreign to the older folks.
I guess it's all about where you come from.

Ultimate
 

My grandma washes plastic bags (the foldover kind, not even the ziploc kind) and hangs them out to dry so she can reuse them. She also thinks it is 1973, which is the last time she actually purchased plastic baggies.