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Originally Posted by Ustwo
I always thought Euros stayed thin by chain smoking.
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The usual line is that Europeans tend to walk more than North Americans. I think with the French specifically, if they can walk somewhere in less than 30 minutes, they tend to leave the car at home.
Another factor is portion size. I believe Americans invented the idea of "super size." It looks like they've exported it with everything else. The hook is simple economics. Consider the following:
Let's say you can large-size your meal of a hamburger, small fries, and small Coke. I don't go to McDonald's often, so I don't know the usual cost, but let's say it costs about half the combined price of a small fries and Coke to make them into large sizes (we'll say $1.50). Simple economics will tell you that this is an incredible deal.
However, you've just paid them $1.50 to add 500 calories to your meal (which is equal to nearly 3 cups of Basmati rice, by the way).
A good deal shouldn't dictate how much you eat.
Here's another interesting comparison:
Hamburger, large fries, large Coke: 1130 calories
Cuban-style black beans and rice for a family of three: 1080 calories