A Wisconsin man charged a local restaurant with false advertising after he was told to stop eating during an all-you-can-eat fish fry. Bill Wisth, of Mequon, says he was getting ready to move on to his thirteenth piece of fish when Chuck’s Place in Thiensville cut him off, claiming they were running out of food for the other patrons…. “Well, we asked for more fish and they refused to give us any more fish,” he told local NBC affiliate TMJ 4.
It’s human nature to want to push the envelope, I suppose. See how far you can take something, how far you can push yourself, how much pain you can endure to do better than you did the day before. Everyone wants to see what they can do, which is probably why so many view “All You Can Eat” restaurants as akin to what red flags are to bulls. Too often, people like Bill Wisth see an “All You Can Eat” sign as an invitation to indulge in random acts of gluttony. When last I checked, gluttony was still one of the Seven Deadly Sins…but it’s also the only one which has been turned into a competitive sport.
It would be easy…and mean-spirited…to make fun of Wisth for his undeniable girth, but that’s also part of the problem. If you want to understand why Americans are becoming increasingly obese, all one really need do is look at people like Wisth. Our collective unhealthy relationship with food is what’s killing us. I’m not perfect in this regard, so I hope the gentle reader will refrain from the “He who lives in a glass house….” argument, but somewhere along the line we’ve lost sight of the reality that food is fuel. It’s not entertainment, it’s not validation, nor is it an emotional crutch- though there can certainly be elements of those things contained within the eating experience. Like most anything else in this life, moderation is key.
We eat to live; when we live to eat is when the problems begin.
Any restaurateur who hangs an “All You Can Eat” sign in the front window of his eatery has to know that they’re asking for trouble. If you don’t mean “All You Can Eat” to be exactly that, you should find another way to convince customers to take a seat at your table. There will always be people like Wisth who will see “All You Can Eat” as a challenge to their manhood.
It seems as if 13 pieces of fish should be adequate for anyone. Then again, if you have no concern for your health and well-being, 13 is just a number…and one (or eight) more can’t do THAT much damage…right??
Wisth tips the scales at 350 lbs., which means that he’s undoubtedly and repeatedly put his long-term health at risk. There’s the very real possibility that Wisth is digging his grave with his teeth. While no one has the right to force moderation on anyone who chooses not to exercise it of their own volition, Wisth’s relationship with food may well ultimately prove fatal. The effects of obesity over the short and long term are undeniable and well-documented, so this sorry saga leaves me with two questions:
Why would a restaurateur participate in a practice that arguably contributes to the obesity epidemic in this country? True, no one is putting a gun to Wisth’s head and forcing him to reach for that 14th piece of fish, but why be complicit in perpetuating our national obsession with gluttony? Surely there must be other ways to promote your business and attract customers…or do you choose to camouflage the poor quality of your food with an “All You Can Eat” sign?
Doesn’t Wisth have better things to do with his time? If one is to stand on principle, how about one that actually means something? How about one that doesn’t contribute to obesity and the resulting health issues? Isn’t this really just a sign that Wisth has WAY too much time on his hands and no sense of perspective?
This is still (nominally, at least) a free country. If Bill Wisth wants to dig his grave with his teeth, then who am I to stop him? But why must the proprietor of Chuck’s Place perpetuate a practice that contributes to people digging their grave with their teeth?
Call me silly, but I think both sides could benefit by taking a step back and looking at what they’re doing. Of course, that would mean taking a measure of personal responsibility…and we all know how much Americans hate being asked to do that, right??
