I hate the French...eating all those pastries and butter and cheese and wine and bread! Why aren't they all having bypass surgery and starring on My 600 Pound Life?

Husky...I was called husky. I wasn't fat or thin. I was husky. There was even a size called husky. That was me growing up.When the time came to buy me new clothes we headed to the husky racks. I hid my embarrassment as well as any child could. A sugary snack always helped. It had to be frustrating for my parents since everything that fit had legs or sleeves needing to be adjusted. Blue jeans weren't quite so bad since back then you rolled your cuffs up anyway. Mine just looked like I was hiding kielbasas in the rolls.There were so many turned up folds it seemed I was wearing stovepipes. Until they were broken in running was a hazard to my health.

The French. Yes, back to the French and let's toss the Italians in too. Wine and cheese and bread and pasta and olive oil and.... God! I can't hate them. They're my people. OK. Back to the French.

I don't recall seeing 600 pound Frenchmen. As a matter of fact I don't recall seeing Italians or any other European blowing out an industrial strength scale. What in the hell do they know that we don't? It's pissing me off. Spain! Let's not forget the Spanish. They eat weird anyway....tapas? Ever been to a tapas bar? It costs a lot to starve to death with tiny portions of this and that while you drink enough to forget how much you just spent before ending up at Burger King.

Anyway, with my amazing ability to make snap analyses with little or no meaningful research, I have decided the clock holds the key. The clock...I mean the time on the clock. We start work at 8. Stop for lunch around noon and return to the job by 1 pm at the latest. Some folks only get 30 minutes. Their workday ends at 4:30 with the hour lunch crowd following at 5 pm.

Europeans may start their day at 8 or 9 with most everyone breaking for lunch at noon or 1 returning at 3pm. Their day ends at 7 or 8 pm. Some countries even have a 4 day work week. Could having a longer lunch (siesta) be the key to less weight? Less stress and more rest (if you take a siesta) make for better health? I don't know. What about the family life? Mom and Dad don't get home until 8 so it seems there is little time before a light dinner, baths and lights out.

Maybe the clock isn't the answer. Perhaps they don't eat the super processed foods that are made to be cheap and are so easy to prepare. Could it be that they don't have ads that say when you're hungry stick a 600 calorie candy bar in your face instead of eating  a couple ounces of cheese, a baguette and a small glass of wine or sparkling water (add sitting at a sidewalk cafe as you peacefully watch the world go by)? I don't know.
Wish I did.

Our concept of beauty was formed in Europe. We are treated to high couture draped on a body which appears an image emulating a decorated twig  with stick arms and willowy legs gliding down a Paris runway. The image has inspired thousands of girls. It also seems bulimia and anorexia are potential byproducts of that wholly unrealistic aspiration (beware of an unsubstantiated sweeping generality). Somewhere a girl is looking at fantastic sport magazine photos of a model sporting all the right measurements in a sexy, teeny, tiny bikini on an exotic beach somewhere and wanting to be that girl.  She doesn't realize that a technician sits at a computer in a photo studio somewhere adjusting her measurements. He's tweaking not only her boobs, butt and hips, but the length of her legs, waistline, birthmarks, skin color, skin texture and on and on.... What you see is not what the photographer saw, but what the client wants pictured. It's not a real girl. She's an illusion created to sell swimwear.

So back to husky. I still might be considered husky...big boned...broad shouldered...heavy.... It used to bother me. But as you get older you realize body image isn't who you are. The key is knowing who you are more than what you appear to be. Overweight people were (are?) looked down upon but that's not the issue in this flow of  letters. The issue here is to take a moment and look around you. Most of this country is overweight. Why? What do the European and Asians know that we don't seem to understand or care to learn? We better find out fast. Heart disease and diabetes as well as knee and hip replacements could be SOP in our children's future if something isn't done.

The next generation may not have Social Security or Medicare to fall back on if the Republican Millionaires Club has their way in 2019.

So, you there in France or Italy! Spill the beans. What do we need to do to eat good and still maintain that sleek Euro look? Drink more wine and stay away from processed foods? You can tell us. If you will we promise Donald won't visit your country.