Opinion American blubber By Scott T. Hards	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
太り続けるアメリカ人 日本での暮らしが長い筆者には、 アメリカを訪れるたびに、 そこで起きている変化が目につく。 特に、いつも驚かされるのは…。

I have now been living in Japan long enough to perceive the changes in the United States that have taken place since I left. One of them never ceases to amaze me: the great fattening of America.

Nowhere else Can you find so many fat people. And I don't mean folks who are just a bit pudgy (something I am guilty of myself at 169 cm and 83 kg), but hugely obese people, many weighing over 200 kg. It's not rare to see a massive person driving around a store on a battery-powered cart because their legs can no longer handle their grotesque weight. Konishiki-sized individuals are hardly uncommon.

There is no shortage of mirrors in the United States. Despite this, medical experts warn us that America faces an "obesity crisis" with 60 percent of the adult population "significantly overweight" and 30 percent medically obese. Why are so many Americans letting themselves become so fat? I see three major reasons:

1) Cheap calories. A trip to a U.S. supermarket will amaze a visitor from Japan. Huge three-pound (1.35 kg) bags of potato chips for a mere $1.99 (¥244). Three-liter bottles of soda for $1.29 (¥158). A one-pound (450 g) bag of cookies for less than a dollar. I could go on and on. It's possible for even very low-income Americans to buy enough calories to become wildly overweight.

2) A culture of denial. Many Americans are unwilling to admit that their weight is their own responsibility. The recent, absurd "fast-food lawsuit" where McDonald's and others were sued for allegedly causing obesity with their products is perhaps the ultimate example. But you don't have to go far to hear a heavy person blame their dilemma on genes, "big bones," a glandular disorder or some other lame excuse. Now there are even laws in some cities banning employment discrimina-tion due to obesity, as if the individual involved had no choice in the matter, such as with their race or gender. To hear proponents of such laws talk, you'd think these people had been force-fed against their will.

3) Restaurant portions. When my parents eat out in the United States, they always split a single entree between them because nearly all U.S. restaurants now serve double or triple-sized portions as the norm. During a recent visit, I ordered a piece of chocolate cake at one place and the waiter actually advised me not to try to eat it alone! The slice that arrived was so huge that our party of four shared it easily with no fights over who got the last mouthful!

This is no longer just an American problem. Japan, too, is getting fatter every year. Shouldn't we be concerned that fast-food hamburgers, one of the fattiest foods, just became one of the cheapest in a well-publicized price cut? Can super-size French fries be far behind?

The adverse health impact of obesity has been documented in countless studies. Not only that, you look bad and it's hard to buy clothes. Recently I decided to do something about my own weight, and I've gone from 91 kg to 83 kg in about three months. I'd like to reach 75 kg. Here's praying more Americans will start accepting reality and stop ordering that extra-large size every time they go for a bite.

Shukan ST: Sept. 27, 2002

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