Be The Change

Mike Bloomberg has launched an offensive against junk food here in New York, and yet:

He dumps salt on almost everything, even saltine crackers. He devours burnt bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. He has a weakness for hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, washing them down with a glass of merlot.

Dumping salt on saltines aside, the real question isn't what Bloomberg  eats, but how much. This is one of the subtle things I've noticed in my time moving amongst people of various class backgrounds. I'm trying not to generalize here, but I think people of a more "upper-class"  background really eat differently.

I'm sure exceptions to this abound. But it's only been in the last, say, five years of my life (and really since I've come to New York) that I've seen people who routinely only eat half their entree, then split dessert, and still don't finish. I think it has a lot to do with the stress of being broke. I know that's been the case for me.

UPDATE: From comments:

"Stress of being broke"? That may be true, but it's counterintuitive: since you pay for a meal, whether you eat all of it or not, one would think that pressing financial woes would encourage one to finish up everything on the plate, and as much free bread as you can get.

But you're right: in this society (and in this City, particularly), it's usually the upper-income classes that tend to eat less (and FWIW, generally healthier) than the less-affluent. Weird.

Yeah, I meant "stress of being broke" in relation to people without funds. In other words, the stress of being broke, I think, can lead to overeating. That is obviously highly speculative, and I'm speaking anecdotally, and autobiographically. But food can be used as a drug, sugar makes you feel good. And it can be acquired at a cheap price. Of course losing 30 pounds can make you feel good too, but it's generally not cheap, in terms of time or effort. Again, speaking autobiographically and anecdotally.

UPDATE #2: Also, I should add that a lot of this is influenced by the fact that I am almost 60 pounds lighter now, than I was when I arrived in New York. I'm going to write about that experience soon. (it's really common for people, who move here) It's just not time yet.