St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington, WV - A haven for healthy dining. NOT!

Charlie shared this video with me knowing it would get a rise from me. It hurts us more (Charlie and I) seeing this as he is just back from India where my father goest to Max Hospital in Delhi three times each week. The offerings are not always healthy, but they are so many and so varied that one can keep their lifestyle healthy if that is their wish. Does the Huntington hospital give you any such ability? Not really.

This is a telling video not just about Huntington (yes the same city that Jamie Oliver made famous on his show about obesity and school food) but a video that shows the ugly face of the obesity pandemic gripping our dear homeland. Our national security would be stronger if we had less guns, better education (with equal blame ascribed to parents and teachers as one does to kids) and better offerings of food in schools, colleges, work places and hospitals. Please share,  protest, and challenge and therby sow seeds of change. Enough waiting for someone else to fight our battles. Let's debate (amongst each other, with our family and friends and at work), deliberate (before we make decisions and choices) and lets make a difference (make change happen, and not just remain a figment of our imaginations and our chatter).

Comments

[Mary Ann Joulwan]

Move over, Jamie Oliver!
Charlie's here to give us an up close look as to why Huntington, West Virginia is known as the "Fattest Town in America". And what a shame to have it showcased in what looks like a rather handsome facility. Why can't there be nourishing and delicious food offered instead? Would healthy food take longer to prepare than a corn dog? If only a few patrons would speak out, maybe change, however slow, would begin to take place.

Thanks, Charlie, for giving us such great insight.
And hey, what's with your hair?

Mary Ann Joulwan
New York City

[Charlie]

You are so right Mary Ann. I was very frustrated seeing the cafeteria there. As I walked in I saw a very overweight man sucking down a Corn Dog slathered with thick globs of Nacho Cheese and with each bite he plopped a fat dollop of Sour Cream onto the end with a spoon! It got no better as I scanned the room, mounds of fried chicken, fries, oddly jiggling gravy, and of course there was no dearth of soda and chips. Shocking! Sad! Depressing! And they tout themselves as having an excellent Cardiac Care Unit. Good for them, because after a stop off in the dining area, one needs it!

[Bonnie]

Great video and topic Charlie! I wonder what you found that was practically edible in that hospital cafeteria?!

This topic is an awareness that needs to be raised many more times and in many venues to get attention. Now, its not to say I won't power down a corn dog or a warm Krispy Kreme donut on rare occasion but we gotta long way to go baby! And to make eating healthy more affordable for the masses is a challenge we may never solve anytime soon. Without a collective renaissance in our thinking about food and what we eat; change will take a while.

I am forever amazed at would be institutions (hospitals & schools) offering the same old, same old with little regards to providing better choices.

Is America's food culture in need of a serious face-lift?!! Perhaps some stimulus funds ought to be going here first! Then we can solve health care overhaul..

Thanks for the rant!

[Suvir Saran]

Bonnie - Charlie and I are back stateside now. His first day at work, and my first flight within the US now. Came late last night and now on a flight to Napa.

WV is not alone in such oddities happening. Sadly our country and a lot of the planet (increasingly so) is not paying attention to how we present foods, what impact the choices we offer people make, and where we place what items.

We had another experience in WV that was horrific. I am sad we did not document that one. Will be back sometime this year, and if that has not changed, make a video of that one and share.

How are you?

[Bonnie]

Just wonderful! aaah, jet lag..I remember it well. Great post on Larry Wu. He represents his employer quite well. Reminds me of my 13 years w/ Pan Am as a flight attendant. Still planning on a visit north, weather permitting, of course. Will look for flts for 11-14 wkend.
It is time to change the way we eat in America...

[organic food]

I do not understand how people can always be so block-headed.

There is no friendliness in people any more.
People are increasingly acrimonius and we cannot solve problems
of any type until we can get along. We can disagree,
certainly, but we still are requiredto make decisions and get
the da*n job done.

[Penny Imes]

Great post, I admire the writing style :) A little off topic here but what theme are you using? Looks pretty cool.