Determined To Succeed

They say ignorance is bliss and I totally agree.

Take for example celebrities like that ultimate asshole Mel Gibson, whose tirade against his girlfriend – laced with racial epithets – showed the darkest sides of human beings. Who would have ever known he was one of the biggest angry, sexist racists on the planet? Not only has he offended Jews, Blacks, women and Hispanics but he is also a misogynist of the worst degree who will never again receive one thin dime of my money or one fleeting minute of my time watching anything he is a part of.

Sad to say that extends to films so much a part of my movie-going past (”Lethal Weapon,” Mad Max”) but who cares. I ain’t going to patronize someone or something that has, at it’s core, evil. Was I better off not knowing about this side of him? Debatable. On one side I could still have those wonderful movie memories of him saving his black best friend, Danny Glover from racists in “Lethal Weapon 2″ (oh, irony, I feel thy sting), him challenging Tina Turner to the ultimate road rage duel in “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” or him talking about freedom in “Braveheart.” Hell, I would also still be cherishing the moment I actually met him years ago when he was out promoting “The Passion of the Christ.” On the other, I would rather know so that I no longer line his pockets with my money – money he is obviously using to further his own hatred.

That said, I can say the same about the restaurant chain Friendly’s. In all the hype over KFC’s Double Down sandwich (the infamous one that features two fried chicken patties as bread to bacon, cheese and a “special sauce”) I didn’t hear much about Friendly’s new monstrosity that makes the Double Down look like diet food. It’s called the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt and it replaces the traditional bun with two grilled cheese sandwiches and totals – sit down for this one – 1,500 calories!!!!

Holy crap!!!! Are they kidding me? Are they kidding us all? The answer is no. This is a real menu item that, sad to say is three times the caloric intake of a KFC Double Down. In other words I COULD EAT THREE KFC DOUBLE DOWNS TO EQUAL ONE ULTIMATE GRILLED CHEESE BURGER MELT! Who in the hell thought of having grilled cheese sandwiches (delicious by themselves, just one of them, with a cup of tomato soup) serve as bread to a burger?! This during a time when obesity rates have increased in 28 states over the past year. In Pennsylvania and Delaware, 28 percent of adults are obese, in New Jersey the number is 24 percent.

Egads! I know that restaurants are not in the business to make people healthy by policing what we as consumers choose to eat. They are in the business to make money by offering “foods” that appeal to people, younger people especially while not necessarily keeping you guys aware of how bad these things are for you. Like that dirty little secret a certain actor had been hiding all these years, taking our money while we consumed his “talent.” Well, my friends, just check out the “talent” of the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt:

1500 Calories
870 Fat Calories
79g Total Fat
38g Saturated Fat
180g Cholesterol
2090mg Sodium
101g Carbs
9g Dietary Fiber
4g Sugar
54g Protein

That is horrendous! And believe me when I tell you THAT’S NOT THE WORST THING ON THEIR MENU! Don’t believe me? Check out Friendly’s Mushroom Swiss Bacon Burger, Loaded Waffle Fries or their “Create Your Own” Chicken Strips Entree. Their menu can be found by CLICKING HERE. See for yourself how heinous this place is.

I am not saying that every restaurant chain doesn’t have their own dark and dirty menu secrets. They do, I am sure of it. But that’s why I do my best not to have them. One of the coolest things the State of New Jersey did was compel all chains to actively display (both drive-thru and in-restaurant) basic nutritional info so you can make more educated choices about what we consume.

Was it better not knowing how much sodium was in Friendly’s Loaded Waffle Fries? Debatable. I loved ‘em and they were a great snack food. But now that I know that they have over 4,720 mgs of sodium I will not ever let Friendly’s receive one thin dime of my money or one fleeting minute of my time eating or indulging in anything they are a part of.

When restaurant chains create foods that “one-up” another chain’s food by simply making it bigger and nastier, like Hollywood blockbuster movies in the summer movie season, it’s time to say no more. I will not consume what you are throwing out there just because it’s out there.

That goes for you, too, Mel Gibson. You and Friendly’s are dead to me.

P.S.: Unlike the KFC Double Down which I tried to take a bullet for our team, I sure as hell won’t be doing that for this new Friendly’s concoction. Not in a million years. I’d rather see another Mel Gibson movie first.