Voice of Reason

Last weekend in the middle of the move, Paul got us sushi and other yummy stuff from Tokyo Joe's.  I heart Tokyo Joe's. And Garbanzo. And Bombay Bowl. And Qdoba.  But that's another story entirely.  Back to Tokyo Joe's.  They had these gigantolicious cookies by the register just so kids can beg their parents for them and eat half their body weight in sugar and chocolate and other deliciousness.  Also so adults like Paul and myself can look at them and drool at the stuff we can't eat while we're establishing better eating habits.  So Paul got 2 of them, thinking that his son and my 3 kids could split them up; he and I were not part of the splitting up plan.  Good thinking, right?

Well, when we got back with all the food, all 4 kids were dying for a hunk of the chocolate chip one which left the poor, unloved oatmeal raisin one with no takers.  So Paul caved and ate the oatmeal raisin cookie for breakfast on Sunday.  Ha!  Suckah!  I held fast and had oatmeal and an apple.

Before he busted into the cookie though, Paul showed me the label.  It looks something like this.  Actually, it looks exactly like this.  Duh.  And they're not kidding when they say, "BIG. HUGE. LARGE. YUMMY."  This thing is almost the size of my face.  I'm taking Paul's word for it that it was yummy.

And here is what's printed in small type at the bottom:

Disclaimer: THIS IS A BIG-ASS COOKIE ... It contains sugar & lots of it.  Not intended for daily use.  We highly recommend that you share it, possibly with your training partner on the way to the gym. It's a Reward ... Savor it!

Above that is a list of ingredients in the cookie. Guess what? They're all actual pantry items you could purchase at any grocery store. There are no weird, lab-developed chemicals that actually should not be consumed by humans, no food dyes, nothing strange. Just real, whole ingredients. Amazing.

This is why I heart Tokyo Joe's and other fast food places like them. They prepare actual, real, fresh food. No modified food starches, no plasticized fries or rubbery cheese. Food that would actually rot if left out for a while.  And they are very clear about what is a treat and what is actually good for you. That, my friends, is a very good thing.  I hope Tokyo Joe's and places like them can help change how people look at fast food.  I know we'll never be rid of McDonald's and Burger King (and truthfully, I don't really want to be -- sometimes a double cheeseburger and fries can really hit the spot) but I'd like to see them become much less prevalent.