By “America,” I mean the people, not the land, and of course by “greatest,” I’m referring to weight. I know you’ve heard all this before, but now it’s MY turn to rant! You go rant about it on your blog and I’ll come read that one, too.

I go out for fast food way too often. This is not by choice. I never know if I’m going to be on the road for work, so it’s either out to lunch or nothing. Today I have to deliver a computer to branch 2, so I went to Dairy Queen for lunch. I participate in this mess to a degree, so I will be adding my disgust with myself to the dialog as I paraphrase, and not just to the industry.

“Would you like a drink with that?”

“But of course! I am an American, and as such I must have a drink with every meal because taking the time to chew my food properly instead of just washing it down with sugary soda would deprive me of the ‘instant gratification’ that all Americans require out of every facet of life.”

“Naturally. What size would you like?”

“Oh my… Thank you for asking me. I have grown unaccustomed to thinking about that because most places just assume I want the biggest thing they have if I don’t specify. Let’s try ‘regular’ please.”

I saw “Drink – Small : $2.09″ scroll across the register. The resulting cup would contain more cola than I could possibly consume since I only had an hour for lunch. Why does this still surprise me in a time when I can go to 7-elevens, KFCs, or various other places and order a half gallon soft drink for myself? I’m talking about fountain drinks with no resealable container. These are to be used in one sitting before the ice melts and the soda goes flat. I’m not always able to finish a 12oz can before it goes flat. One might believe that these are meant to be shared, but the lid had a hole for a single straw. Think about it.

What about that price tag? I’m fairly certain the overhead cost of the bulk soft drink stuff is negligible and they are just raking in the money with that price. Of course they will be quick to point out that refills are free, but I don’t think the first fill is reasonable for anyone to consume!

Why are the cup sizes still going up? Won’t a larger drink keep me from finishing my food? If I don’t finish what I order, won’t I order less next time? Are they counting on me not to be smart enough to think logically about the situation? Someone please explain it to me!

I just can’t take it anymore. It’s not worth the money, the calories, or the waste. I will no longer mindlessly order giant glasses of carbonated syrup with my meals. It’s bad enough I’m eating out to much to begin with. If I get anything at all it will just be water, and I hope you will join me.