Would you like fries with that?

First of all a disclaimer...

I love documentaries. I love Michael Moore's documentaries (even though they make me cringe regularly). in fact, for date-night kristi and I will be attending Fahrenheit 9/11 this evening, if it does not sell out. Sadly, there was an attempt by some groups to stop theatres from showing it, which means we have to drive to Tampa to see the film.

I do not understand why I can find Rush Limbaugh everywhere, but have to travel for Michael Moore. They are peas in a pod. I wish people on both sides of the debate saw this. But that rant is for another page.

Anyway, I am a sucker for these kinds of films. I do not like reality television, but I love documentaries. Plus, they are funny. Last part of the disclaimer. I also do not like Fast Food. I have eaten at McDonald's 3x in 15 years. Twice I ate french fries only. The only burger I have eaten in at least 15 years (could be longer- I have no recollection of how it tastes) at McDonalds was on Easter Sunday in San Juan, PR in 1999. I had very little choice. It was the only place open. I have since repented.

Okay, I hate fast food and the fast food industry (exception taken with In-&-Out, Chick-fil-e, Subway and EVOS), so it is easy for me to like a movie castigating it. In fact, I think the book Fast Food Nation is required reading for all Americans, especially those with kids.

A friend emailed with concern that the film would be a Michael Moore style polemic. It is but with a more appealing personality spearheading the attack. In fact, the experiment the filmmaker goes through is engrossing (as well as just-plain-gross) to prove the point that this food is not good for you. 30 days eating McDonalds only (3X per day). Why didn't I think of that? Actually, the thought would have never entered the frontal lobe of my brain.

The film is very funny, a little scary and focuses on the personal responsibility we all have to do something about our eating habits (and the habits of our children). My favorite line of the film is when Spurlock (the filmmaker) says that each time he drives his children past a McDonalds he is going to punch them in the face to make them identify McDonalds with something negative (he was being sarcastic to prove a point- I felt I must state this for my sensitive readers).

As a Christian father, I must say that I take this responsibility seriously (not the hitting of children when they see golden arches, but of keeping them away from the Golden Arches Playground). I believe that protection of my children includes protection from harmful addictive substances and the advertising that exposes them to these harmful substances.

Quick and cheap is not an excuse! Films like this and books like Fast Food Nation are a great beginning for change. This is what Christian journalism should be doing. These guys make be proud as a Chrisitan because they bring what was hidden into the light and expose it (sounds like something Jesus would do or approve of).