Commentary

Ban WagonóRoyal Family Edition

Prince Charles today said banning McDonald’s fast food was the key to a healthy lifestyle. His comments came as he attended the launch of a public health awareness campaign. Charles, a strong advocate of organic food, was touring the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi with the Duchess of Cornwall. He asked nutritionist Nadine Tayara: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s, have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.” Royal observers said that Charles would have been aware that his comments would be picked by the media. “He knew there was a reporter there and this is a subject close to his heart,” said one source.

Article here; via Andrea Woodmansee And has Charles actually been to a McDonald’s lately?

Public health activists revile McDonald’s for what it does to our insides and architects revile it for how it looks on the outside. To these critics McDonald’s is unhealthy, superficial, repetitious, and uglyââ?¬â??nearly everything they hate about suburbia wrapped up neatly in an American icon. But now executives aim to deemphasize the familiar Golden Arches in favor of a sleeker, sexed up exterior. Once inside you can still grab on with both hands and shove a 560-calorie Big Mac down your throat, but today’s McDonald’s also offers plenty of heart-healthy salads and such. Diners may even squirt low-fat sesame ginger dressing from the head of the famously progressive Paul Newman.

More from my take on evolving suburbia here.