Patrick, Dahling.

My state has the highest level of SUV sales in the nation. They're EVERYWHERE. My point is simply that people drive too much, and appear to favor the biggest cars available to man, despite high gas prices and the cost to the ozone layer.

Just yesterday I was shopping the paper for a new car, and I'll be damned if I can find an economy car amongst all the SUVs for sale. With $2.50 a gallon and up for gas, why aren't there ANY ads for a Honda Civic hybrid or a Toyota Prius?

Too many of us obviously prefer the comfort of our cars (whether small, big or gargantuan), and THAT is A (note not necessarily THE) reason why so many Americans are so heavy. They get their lattes, go to the bank, dry cleaners, pharmacy and food -- and never have to leave their SUV, car, whatever. Now, I know some people out there are equally lazy and driving Priuses, yes.

And yes, I was making a link to the two -- because I do see it as an issue of over-consumption in general.

Jules

WHERE!!!! are you getting gas for only $2.50 a gallon?

I had to fill up my tank yesterday and the cheapest gas I could find was $2.98 in San Francisco!

As for linking "obese" with "SUV", personally, I linked them "big to big". Bigger people need bigger cars - no offense meant.

I also remember quite recently how some ambulance companies were asking for bigger gurneys because a) the existing gurneys are too small, and b) they were not strong enough for the added weight. Once these guys got the bigger gurneys, they wanted bigger ambulances.

It's not stopping at bigger SUVs. Now there are thundering Hummers on our roads. No matter what they do, it still looks like an attack vehicle. Even the Hummer2 is a formidable looking vehicle! Certainly the Hummer will be able to carry someone weighing 650 pounds - which is what the new gurneys are pegged to carry sometimes.

Oh, for the days of the deux chevaux! the "two-horse-power" cars that used to run all over France!

I think part of the reason many Americans are obese is that many of us quit smoking cigarettes.
Then of course there is the driving thing.
It would be interesting to see some research on this but I would bet the number one thing that has contributed to the nations size is computers.
One can exercise while watching television but computers keep us in a position that doesn't lend itself to exercise. Even trying to post on a treadmill is difficult with sweat dripping on the keyboard.
When I first got on-line I started gaining weight and had to put myself not on a food diet, but a computer diet before I lost it.

Easytraveler -- if you move to Denver, Colorado, you'll find gas at it's cheapeast at $2.49 per gallon. Of course, that was yesterday...Lord knows what it is today!

I guess it's to keep all the SUV-drivers here in Colorado from rioting. That's if they could lumber out of their cars! LOL

BTW, I'm not saying all SUV drivers are fat or "fat-in-the-making"...even anorexics driving a Ford Excursion can over-consume in areas other than food... ;)

Jules

After all these comments about the Old Country Buffet, I'd like to see one for myself. I've lived in Georgia, Western New York, California, Washington, D.C. and Miami - and I've never heard of OCB. However, that Cracker Barrel breakfast Ira mentioned - yes, I know about that! Those sausages, grits and biscuits - um! Fortunately for me, there's no Cracker Barrel here in Miami.

OK, Jules, now I get. I didn't realize this post was just to vent our frustrations about any issue even if it has NOTHING in the world to do with two French ladies making comments about obesity in Americans.

Is now the time I should rave about the high cost of medical insurance? That has just as much to do with the subject at hand. For example, if it weren't for so many people over eating and not taking care of themselves, there wouldn't be so many medical problems and the costs wouldn't be so high and my health insurance wouldn't cost so much. So if people didn't overeat at the Country Buffet I wouldn't have to spend a fortune every month. Those obese, gambling, alcoholic, SUV driving Americans are costing me a fortune via my insurance. There, thank you, now I feel better too. This really is a fun game.

hey Patrick, i’m obese, i love to gamble (football season coming up – YEAH!!!), love good beer and drive an suv AND on welfare. thank you for your contributions…(tee hee)

Patrick, you are the one who really started it.

As usual, you goad people into responding, then claim that they're "venting" about a huge issue. You asked for clarification, I gave you my reasoning for the larger issue (no pun intended) and now I'm making it a global issue.

I don't give a rip if someone decides to get fat and drive an SUV 20,000 miles a year. I just don't want to get b*tched at if I point out the stupidity of it.

Jules

Huh, Jules, did you not read my last post? I said I NOW realize that your point about SUV's had nothing to do with the subject at hand. Originally I thought you were suggesting it did, but I realize I was wrong. I was just trying to figure out your correlation between the two topics and I apoligize now that I find there was none. It was just another issue you wanted to discuss here. Fine. Forgive me for misinterpreting that the two were somehow related logically.

Though Patreek may not believe it, i had no hidden 'provocative' agenda in my original post, but just a bit of poor planning, the way this 'thread' has turned out is far more interesting than 'how to get to Bellagio' and i just wish i was clever enough to have designed it so that it would evolve as it did. Now that would have been 'Intelligent Design'.

Don't worry PALQ, nobody would ever link you with Intelligent Design.

NShore: Touche!

Patrick's still not getting it.

Oh well.

Jules

I have been thinking about this post all day....no I don't need to "get a life" LOL, I was do heavy duty housecleaning and consequently my mind kept going back to this thread.

I have read time and time again that something like 30% to 40% (not sure of the percentage) Americans are overweight.

That got me thinking.

Wouldn't that also be true regarding the Americans here on Fodors?

Soooo.....I wonder how many Fodorites have felt insulted and hurt due to this thread. How terrible IMO-and it is not a humble opinion.

JocelynP, thanks for posting the other beautiful thread from an obviously lovely and good person from France. That would be someone I would like the honor of meeting.

Patrick gets the idea that SUVs are gas guzzlers.
Patrick gets the idea that many people (and rightly so) equate people who drive SUVs with those who do not have a great regard for the environment.
Patrick gets the idea that driving an SUV is a sort of "self indulgent" thing, just like obesity is a sort of self indulgent thing.
What Patrick DIDN'T get was the original idea that somehow there was a direct correlation between three things -- the two French women who like to ridicule obese Americans, obese Americans, and people who drive SUVs. That SUV comment seemed not to have anything to do with the topic at hand, the opinion these two French women have of obese Americans.
Patrick still doesn't quite get that.
But Patrick DOES get that there really isn't a direct correlation, they are just two very remotely connecting things, just like the other examples he gave. Jules has explained that.
What Jules doesn't get is that Patrick now understands that it was just a way for Jules to let off steam about one of his pet peeves and he never meant it to mean that there is a DIRECT correlation between obesity and SUV drivers.
Do you think Jules will get that?

Meanwhile, jules, I'm really not on your case, and I can't apologize enough for questioning what you meant, since you've already explained very well that you were just discussing another issue. Now can we move on?

LoveItaly, DH and I had the honor of meeting someone very much like the author of that other thread, although in Italy. He was a waiter in a fine restaurant in Verona...not even our waiter. He came to our table to ask if we were from America (was it the practical shoes? lol). When we said yes, he went on and on about how much he loved America and it was his lifelong dream to open a restaurant there. We had such a lovely conversation with this enthusiastic young man.

P.S. Was this "the Italian View of Americans"? No, just one person's view.

Hi Jocelyn_P, I don't know if you go on the US Board or not but when Fodorites ask about restaurants in SF in NorthBeach I always mention the MonaLisa restaurant. Besides the good food and the prices (for SF) I always enjoy the staff so much as the owner brings over young Italians (all legal) from Italy. They are so darling, love their English with their Italian accent, their thrill and happiness about being in America. Their love for the US. So I sure understand your enjoyment of the young waiter in Verona.

Come to think of it...guess that is another reason that I love my friends in Italy so much and why they love me. I love their country and they love my country. In fact after 911 I had postcards from people I did not even know. So many postcards. I had no idea who they were from. Even postcards from Crotia etc. It turned out my friends in Italy had all their friends send me these postcards so that I and everyone I knew would know that they were all praying and sending loving thoughts to us here in America. That was truly a teary eyed thought. I will never forget it. Take care.

"They marveled at how cheap it was - $8.95 - saying that would just about be what just a tiny desert and a post-dinner cafe would cost in France."

And people wonder why the obesity rates are skyrocketing! Food is just too cheap.

PalQ, are you going to share more views with us? that might stir up more debate! ....but it's kind of funny.....

I'm actually an overweight American but I exercise 3-5 times a week. yikes!