Enter "The Heart Attack Grill". Nope, not kidding. This place actually exists in the good ol' US of A. Here's a few snippets from the main website:"Taste Worth Dying For!"
"Butterfat Shake - World's Highest Butterfat Content!"
"Flatliner Fries - Deep Fried in Pure Lard!"
The burgers range from 1 to 4 beef patties, or otherwise known as "Single" through "Quadruple Bypass Burgers". The main "theme" is that of a hospital setting. Your waitresses? Scantily clad "nurses". If you weigh in at over 350 lbs (conveniently, there's a scale in sight of all the tables), you eat for free. The owner claims that, "Everybody applauds and cheers for them. A big smile comes over their face, and for once they are finally accepted. They are not picked on here." Hm. I wonder how long the feeling of euphoria lasts? Until the next time they have to get dressed?
They even hired a 600 lb spokesman named Blair River (pictured above). Who recently passed away at age 29.
I can't help but wonder, how do these feel every day? Healthy? Strong? Happy? Able-bodied to do the things they like to do? What about mobility? If you're getting winded walking from the car to the house, is that a good thing? What about achy or even painful joints? What about a good night's sleep? Do they even know what it's like to be able to follow their every whim perhaps like it was when they were kids? Can they even play with their own kids? Not really, would be my guess.
Why on earth would anyone want to promote that kind of life?
Ok, so I can certainly see where one could find the humor in this (with the exception of Mr. River's passing). It's pretty clever. But this has taken things too far. We're facing a crisis - and every day it gets worse in terms of preventable disease taking our loved ones from us way too early. That, in my humble opinion is definitely NOT funny.
Spiced Turkey Burgers with Tomato ChutneyRealSimple.com
Ingredients
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- pinch of allspice
- pinch of cinnamon
- kosher salt and black pepper
- vegetable oil for grill
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (dark meat or 93 percent lean or less)
- 3/4 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese (3 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 squares of focaccia, split
Directions
- In a small saucepan, combine the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside. (The chutney can be served warm or at room temperature.)
- Heat grill to medium-high; oil the grate. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, Gruyère, and garlic. (Do not overwork the meat.)
- Form the mixture into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Make a shallow well in the top of each (to prevent overplumping while cooking). Season with the chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Grill the patties, turning once (do not press or flatten), until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 160° F, 6 to 8 minutes per side.
- Serve the burgers on the focaccia, topped with the chutney.
Nutritional Information
**Note, to cut down on sodium, omit from "seasoning" the turkey patties and cut (oops! I almost said cut the cheese!) the amount of cheese from 3/4 to 1/2 cup (lose some calories that way, too).
