Airing of Grievances: I Am A Self Centered Fatso
Usually these posts are reserved for complaints about lunch spots, but just to show I am a good sport who is not immune to criticism- here’s a complaint I received yesterday in regards to my I’m-a-fat-guy-who-hates-health-food post about Recharge, the health food lunch spot opening where Good Portions used to be:
“People (like me and a lot of others) who have moderately high blood sugar levels must watch their carbs and sugar intake, lest they become diabetic. And diabetics are even worse off. Not to mention that a diet rich in carbohydrates and unrefined sugars is just simply bad for you, I’m talking about specific, necessary restrictions that are very common.
It’s not a goddamn fad, if you can get that through your wide-bodied veil of self-centrism. Some people who eat healthy food aren’t born to hippie parents and hate the taste of hamburgers, some people have no choice. And it’s fucking hard enough to find something to eat that is reasonably inexpensive, relatively tasty, and not packed with carbs/sugar, without rotund blowhards bloviating on the internet about how inconvenienced they are by one out of thousands of restaurants in NYC to offer a few menu choices that allow people with dietary restrictions to eat something that isn’t miserable or unaffordable. I’ve never heard of this place, but I assure you, you have plenty of food options available to your gaping maw.”
And then it gets personal…
“By the way, I got my blood sugar levels high by eating like you do (poorly and a lot) for about 30 years. So when your doctor lets you know you are giving yourself diabetes, maybe you will be a little bit less smug about how goddamn inconvenient it is that other people might have the opportunity to eat something that won’t actively and directly impact their health in the short term.
You sound like a rich guy complaining about how poor people don’t pay enough taxes. In other words, you sound like a clueless asshole. Thought you might want to know that. – Matt”
I eat a healthy and balanced meal for breakfast and dinner. Does that make up for it? I don’t even know where to begin with this… maybe I’ll just leave it to you guys.
Got a grievance you’d like to air? Feel free to send it to zach@midtownlunch.com
Posted: 2:15 pm, December 10th, 2008 under Airing of Grievances.
69 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
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69 Comments
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O no he di’ in’t!
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WTF?!?!?! I think someone’s blood sugar is getting a little low.
This guy sounds like he just quit smoking and now everyone who smokes is the devil!
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Awww, I feel obligated to defend Matt, but then again I only eat healthy b/c I am trying to stay skinny so I can land a man, so my healthy eating is self-centric. And you know… people in glass houses shouldn’t throw cheeseburgers. That’s what Jesus said… or something. So back to those tater tots with guacamole….
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…ahhh sarah….such fond memories….ahhhhhh
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It’s a free country. If you don’t like the blog, don’t read it. I’m sure there is something in the blogosphere about healthy eating in NYC, or if not, maybe he should start it. People need to relax…
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Well siad, hungry.
Let’s lynch a Vegan.
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You’ve reviewed at least one high quality health food store. It’s Whole Foods. Whole Foods is absolutely fantastic for lunch. The food is just plain good.
I read your post about Recharge and I was somewhat turned off myself. There’s a lot of good stuff in the organic joints. And I’m not some sort of vegan. I’ll take Street Meat, or Goodburger, or pizza for lunch. So yes, please give the healthier places a shot. You might find something special.
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He’s not upset he has high blood sugar, he’s a jealous fatty who dreams about Treats Truck and Kwik Meal at night.
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I love the line towards the end stating that Zach sounds “like a rich guy complaining about how poor people don’t pay enough taxes.” Does the complainer not know that this site is all about lunches that cost $10 or less? Seems to me that the kvetcher could use a shot of insulin.
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Matt was never quite the same after that encounter with the tranny hooker
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He used DocChuck like prose. Just keep blogging w/ your Hater Blockers on, ha ha.
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What an asshole.
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I come to Midtown Lunch to read about interesting Midtown lunch spots, not about the guy who writes this website. Usually, I get what I’m looking for.
This blog frequently “reviews” lunch spots, and a certain level of opinion has to be expected with it, even if Zach’s personal asides occasionally stray from the point.
In the end, when bashing places like Recharge or reminding us for the not-first time that you are obese and do not like certain things, perhaps it would be wise to consider whether it’s really contributing to your ultimate goal: finding good lunch spots for yourself and for us, your readers. Doing so might make an already great blog even better.
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That entire commentary CRACKED me up. I have nothing to say, just it was all too funny! Sorry it was toward you but this guy is angry, I love it.
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now brian is getting fierce.. what’s going on here?
zach, i appreciate the little asides, keep up the good work
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Everyone deep down inside wants to eat like shit.
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As he was posting, Brian remembered my tranny comment and suddenly realized that his ‘girlfriend’ has an unusually pronounced Adam’s apple
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it’s because hatred of fat people is the last acceptable prejudice.
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Zach, you keep right on doing what you’ve been doing. You’re a gem. My dear hubby used to be a film critic who would write in a personal conversational manner much like your own. He got freakin death threats! About a movie review! So brush off the comments by mean old idiots like Matt and Brian.
We love ya, Zach! -
That’s sad Matt has to get so angry about this.
While I try to stay on the healthy side of eating during the work week, what keeps me going is reading about all the places midtown lunch and thinking that it’s only a few more days until my cheat day (Sat. and Sunday but who’s counting?) when I can sample some of the places reviewed on the website.
Zach, not that you need me to defend you but keep up the good work with Midtown Lunch!
From a semi-healthy eater, Dubya El
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Dear “Matt”:
First off, it is clear you are a homer. Do you own Recharge, or are you just the marketing idiot? Regardless, you just made a REALLY STUPID BUSINESS DECISION by alienating a ton of potential eaters with your rant! We may make fun of health food here (and dammnit, I believe you are trying to capitalize on a fad–which I called out in the comments yesterday), but you still “might” have gotten some business had you kept your fingers on your jimmy rather than the keyboard! Now, all I want to do is through bottles of pee at your storefront and poop on your stoop. I will show no mercy—I will hate on your precious “recharge” until the end of days!!!! Moreover, as it is clear you are an obnoxious ass who treats his employees like s&&t, I hope they slip in some fun dip in your drinks and food!!! DWell on that for a while! Hope to see you in the hospital when I get my third triple bi-pass after setting a new whopper eating record of 39 burgers in an hour!!!!
Your pal—
Goats
pal, but I piss on your health issues! Would you like some whine with that fake tofu cheese your LAME restaurant offers??? For goddsakes man—take a chill pill!
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mmmmmm… wide bodied veal of self-centrism. (sic)
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zach is not obese, i can attest to that. I also don’t think he’s giving himself diabetes. Me? probably. Zach? definitely not.
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Dear Zach, Brian and Matt have a good point. For all the money that I am paying you for this site, you should really cater this blog to more of my interests. I’m not interested in your waistline or your opinion on health foods. I expect a certain level of service for the money i put into this venture. Stop focusing so much on your interests and focus more on me… or else!! … I…. will… write an angry e-mail?
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Someone should give Matt a cookie so he can run to the corner and nibble on it like a rat and calm down.
What would possess someone to write that? I guess he spent too much of his life eating Big Macs and didn’t find quality fat people eats like you did until he had given himself Diabetes.
Come to think of it.. is Matt… Wilford Brimley?
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Not only will this website lead to diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. But it is now NEW and IMPROVED! You get all this PLUS liver failure and alcohol dependency! You don’t need to thank us. Zach does it out of the kindness in his heart.
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Awwwww Sarah, thanks for the sacrifice you make for us. You deserve a vodka soda next time you’re at Joshua Tree / Dorrian’s.
Also why would you pay for calories at lunch, when you can get a guy to pay for really expensive calories (foie gras / filet mignon) for dinner.
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Zach, we love you man! You provide a highly valuable service. Don’t change a thing! Your personal opinions and comments are what makes ML such a standout. Your review of Recharge wasn’t even all that negative.
What a tool.
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My liver’s becoming foie gras, I plan to leave it to Zach after I die.
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Zach, if you share I’ll bring over the fava beans & a nice chianti
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Matt does a point, though he didn’t need to descend into personal attacks.
A lot of “health food” restaurants suffer from the attacks of the angry throngs of haters who pontificate that “all you have to do is eat less and exercise” (right, and everyone is the same blood type and has the same genetic makeup and food affects everyone the same way. btw food allergies are a myth).
I made the same point Matt did (albeit a lot less angry). Zach “went there” by saying “didn’t atkins die with the man” (following it up with “I’m kidding”, which was supposed to make things right)? This is a sensitive issue not just to dieters but to diabetics. The “low carb” craze died because of all the idiots who thought “low carb dieting” thought they could eat 2lbs of steak smothered in butter and cheese without bothering to learn any of the real dietary lessons and health benefits of “low carb” eating and how effective it is at controlling weight, as well as controlling a diabetic’s blood sugar.
The problem is now that diabetics and dieters alike suffer because manufacturers ditched the “low carb bandwagon” and stopped making products that people in this lifestyle could eat and enjoy, all because people who wouldn’t be eating the food anyway condemned it as a fad and turned people off of the “low carb” lifestyle.
I can sympathize with Matt, though he didn’t need to make it personal.
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….anyone else having images of Mamacita with a large…..something….. in her throat? being forced fed grain…to make her…er liver…expand?
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I think you’re on your own with that one Rudy.
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arp is currently cruising the craigslist personals, searching for keyword “pre-op”
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I really hate getting all serious on the site… but I feel like I should briefly respond to some of the comments:
Eating healthy is completely defensible. The Atkins diet, is not. People on that diet eat steak and butter and cheese because they are told it is ok, and they would still lose weight. And you do. Of course you end up looking like death, but you’re thinner (until you start eating bread again.) Congrats!
Atkins is a joke- and I’m not just saying that because I watched a co-worker scrape cheese off of a slice of pizza (in a meeting!) and eat it with his bear hands while on the the Atkins diet.
I also feel this way because any diet that tells you fruit is bad for you, isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
I have nothing against eating healthy. I’m a huge supporter of Zen Burger, and I can get down with brown rice. Who knows, maybe Recharge will be amazing. I admitted I haven’t been to the other location… but me making jokes about a new health food place doesn’t mean I hate diabetics, or don’t take health issues seriously. Clearly Midtown Lunch is not the website for that kind of discourse.
And in the end my ranting admittedly means nothing. If the place appeals to you, you’re going to go there whether I shoot my mouth off or not…
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i admit, i try to be balanced about what i eat and being a food-lover, i love everything from the greasiest street food to the freshest vegetables and farm-raised meat. i dig this blog’s emphasis on cheap and flavor – but ill go to umamimart or other similar blogs for the real dish on the dankest food out there…would be nice if u opened your standards toward flavor and quality and didnt always focus on portion size and fat content. you’re missin out on a lot of real good food out there mister.
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This is a tough one…i can relate both to Matt and Zach. I think too many people are taking this personally…when really only Zach has said right to.
The site itself is fine…if anything from this incident…it will probably lead to more postings on healthy options which is all good.
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Bollocks, this is not or ever has been a healthy site.
IF some twat like matt wants to conform to the induced FDA ” im not very well, you know” bollocks, well more fool him…
Eat butter.Make Love.
To each other.
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yo that rant is fucking hilarious. I can vouch that Zach is not some crazy lunatic making people eat fatty and salty foods so they end up with type 2 diabetes.
It is apparent that “matt” doesn’t frequent Midtown Lunch and doesn’t know about our never ending quest to eat as well as we can in this neighborhood. It’s nothing personal. It’s food and we’re talking about what we like!
I think it’s one thing if Zach blogs about making it harder for diabetics to find nutritional food. But uh… once again, it’s clear that “matt” does not read ML that often because this blog is about tasty food. And Zach is good people so really… wtf yo?
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This sites focus is on CHEAP, BITCHES! (teee hee)
and really getting full, I mean FULL, on veggies and healthy food for UNDER 10 bucks is near impossible.I’ve never, in my life have been full on a salad. Even if it’s a tossed salad with huge nuts and thick dressing. (there, happy rudy?)
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People…get yourselves a sense of humor! We come to this site because it offers up personality in spades, not simply because we are looking for under $10 bargains. The personality of this site is “faux fat guy looking for a tasty cheap lunch within certain confines” (although Zach, you do walk a lot in search of that cheap lunch so that’s gotta count for something!!!) That is what makes this blog funny and why we keep coming back for more. If you want super healthy, go find another site. Zach, we love you! Thanks for putting up with all the bullshit!
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Read that again..see it’s late here Matt……but see unlike you..i dont blame anyone else…i take my own health to be my OWN personal business….you are just a sad ejaculation of the American HBO rip off.
“Live in fear, until we can earn from it” :CEO GSM
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HBO = HMO ’scus me fat fingers……im on the USDA diet.
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Just finished reading. Still LOL-ing.
I love that I missed this entire kerfuffle and I wasn’t even in the mile-long free Chipotle burrito line a block from my office.
Zach, I don’t think anyone SANE actually thinks you’re encouraging poor health practices.
Also, I went on Atkins for a year, dropped 20 pounds, and consequently GAVE myself diabetic issues, because I stopped being able to break down carbs properly and got dizzy every time I had a piece of bread. I learned my lesson. Depriving yourself of basic nutrients is the absolute wrong way to diet.
Now I’m off to revel in mac and cheese and a beer.
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LRAO–couldn’t (and didn’t as you can see way above) have said it any better–this site is about food and fun! it is not a site meant to guide the chronically ill in finding a cheap healthy diet. As far as I can tell, other than doc chuck, few of us are in the medical professsion. For F**ksakes—why someone would take the time to hate on ML and berate on ML is beyond me. I guess some people feel powerful sending in hate mails. F’ing so weak!
Zach, keep it up buddy—this site f’ing rules!!! i don’t know any of you, but you are all definitely a fun bunch that makes the work day bearable! I look forward to the commentary almost as much as the posts! We all rule!!! Even if we die choking on raw gyro meat!
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Zach, I respect what you do with this site but I have to take exception with something you’ve said:
“Eating healthy is completely defensible. The Atkins diet, is not. People on that diet eat steak and butter and cheese because they are told it is ok, and they would still lose weight. And you do. Of course you end up looking like death, but you’re thinner (until you start eating bread again.) Congrats!”
How exactly is the “atkins diet indefensible”? Steak butter and cheese is “ok” on every diet out there. Whether it is the “zone” diet, “south beach”, “weight watchers”, and whatever. You are seriously overgeneralizing this and by making that statement you’re showing how much you don’t know about the diet. Hey, it’s your blog, so if you want to talk about something you don’t know about, go right ahead.
The *media* perpetuated the myth that “The atkins diet, you can eat all the steak butter and cheese you want and still lose weight”, but none of that is in the actual diet plan prescribed by the book, unless you’re a moron and decide to read selectively.
“I also feel this way because any diet that tells you fruit is bad for you, isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”
Again, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Read the book. The book doesn’t say “fruit is bad for you”. If you think you can’t eat fruit when on the atkins diet, you’re doing it wrong. Granted, there is the first 2 weeks of the diet where you “can’t” eat fruit in order to help guarantee your success, but that’s taking one piece of the whole plan and taking it out of context.
Zach, you’re a smart guy, so stop talking out of your ass. Then again, it is your blog. If you want to talk shit about something when you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s your perogative.
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Ah NY. You guys are kookier than Seattle and SF put together, raging against the machine. Angry over eating habits, really? Lighten up, baby. You get a G-F Grill, eat chicken, fish, salad, fruits. Walk when you can, work out 3-4 times per week….not exactly the rocket science.
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I started weight watchers last week, as my waist was starting to equal my height. I like the WW train as it is about portion control and better choices, but still gives you good flexibility that I can sneak in stuff, every now and then, eh? I still come and live vicariously through the reviews. Atkins is, of course, bullshit, as are the rest of the fad diets. Only portion control and better food choices with exercise works in terms of a HEALTHY weight management plan.
Finally, I friggin liked Good Portions, the restaurant before recharge moved in. They, and i’ve said it here before, made a great Roti Canai. It was mmmhmmm good, and cheap.
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“Atkins is, of course, bullshit, as are the rest of the fad diets. Only portion control and better food choices with exercise works in terms of a HEALTHY weight management plan.”
Weight Watchers is a fad too, just one that hasn’t died out as fast. The same people who would eat shitty on Atkins are going to eat shitty on Weight Watchers
“I’m gonna bank my points during the week and pig out on junkfood on the weekend, as long as I stick to the points it’s okay right?!” – This is no worse than “I’ll start with the bacon-wrapped cheese appetizer and I’ll have steak with a side of steak, but hold the potato!” mentality). In either case, don’t blame the diet, blame the dieter.
If you think that Atkins isn’t supposed to encourage ‘better food choices”, then you’re doing it wrong. If you got that out of the book, learn to read. If you only know about it because “this is what a friend said the diet is”, teach your friend to read.
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Arp, the huge problem is a good percentage of people who did Atkins didn’t bother to read and fully comprehend the book. Therefore, every office had two or three girls who would eat the cheese off a pizza, but not the crust. I know many people on WW and will say that it’s easier to follow than a book-based diet. WW is now about learning how to eat with real world food choices.
And every person I know would did Atkins, had no clue how to deal with food after going off the diet-some did due to their health being at stake-and gained back the weight. -
Actually, DocChuck really isn’t a doc at all, the PhD certificates were ordered from *TWITCH* a gag\novelty supply shop and he is blissfully ignorant of the *TWITCH* difference. It’s funny how he makes up stories about his *TWITCH* time in medical school. But that’s not important right now…..did someone actually…….say…….nuts? I will HAPPILY bite your nuts off! *TWITCH*
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i think arp is dr atkins from the grave, his royalties are drying up
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I think the point that can be taken and that is very true that Matt makes is that most of you are assholes.
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Dookieface, it’s funny you don’t realize how big an asshole you are, big enough to have your head up your ass.
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My wife is a medical professional (and much younger than I, a fact I am quite proud of).
She is in complete agreement with the complainant in question.
She is responsible for the fact that I maintain a fairly decent figure for a man my age. My wife and my colleague, Dr. Natura, that is.
http://www.drnatura.com/colonix_program.php?gclid=CMv-uuH3uJcCFQUWGgodvTQVSg
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Blondie. Yup. Thanks for proving my point. None of which is the fault of the diet, but the people who said they were “following” the diet.
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Why are all the ML regular commentators such bullies?
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Anonymous – this is the best explanation I’ve seen:
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Mamacita
My opinion that a lot of the people on here are assholes means I have my head up my ass. Makes a lot of sense.
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DocChuck once put his head up my ass. Sometimes, it is a good thing that I am made of flexible materials and cannot feel pain. I wish the pay were better, though.
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Matt: you’ve now been outed to the world of midtown lunchers as a humorless knob. Where do you get off calling ANYONE smug?
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i don’t understand why people choose to continuously read this blog if they thought it was written/geared towards a bunch of assholes… wouldn’t that make you just plain stupid?
i’d rather be an asshole than stupid. nobody’s forcing you to read this and it seems like you’re wasting your own time. get a life.
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(1) To be serious for a minute: Matt, you think it makes sense to demand compassion and empathy while at the same time trashing fat people? Get the log out of your own eye, my brother.
(2) Seriously, you sound like a dry drunk. Zach isn’t the enemy here. He isn’t the czar of lunch menus. I’d be happy with some tasty healthy food in Midtown myself, but let’s be realistic. Food around there is driven by office workers looking for speed and cheapness, neither of which are really consistent with tasty healthy food. You know what you need to do if you want to eat healthy in a zone like Midtown. Pack your lunch. (By the way, if this were a personal finance blog, everybody would be judging *you* for being a spendthrift and wasting your money eating out! Take a deep breath. Eat a pomegranate. Relax.)
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To me, this blog is about good food. Period. With an emphasis on affordable lunchtime fair.
The truth is that, more-often-than-not, health food joints suck and are only edible because you have to in order to fight fat or some health problem. They are often similar in their blandness, so just close your eyes and pick one. Go get some tasteless sludge to nourish your day and move on. Hard to review on a blog about tasty eats.
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Oh. and Matt should start a blog about health food joints for all the diabetes kids. From the comments there seems to be a bit of interest in it.
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Um, I’m kind of late to the game, but I just wanted to point out to Brian that this isn’t some site that claims to be objective or anything… This is Zach’s food site where he expresses HIS opinions about food. For first time readers, it’s helpful if they stumble across a review, to know where he’s coming from as a self-professed fat guy (even though Zach, you’re REALLY not fat, a lil chubb to hug, but not FAT – ummm, was that inappropriate? I meant it in a nice friendly way, not skeevy weirdo way), to understand why something that appeals to him might not appeal to other people. Zach tries really hard to bring perspective into play for people who can’t or don’t want to just try every place he talks about before deciding if it’s for them or not with his “Plusses (what people who like this place might say)” and “Minuses (what people who don’t like this place might say)”. That’s above and beyond what a lot of sites (including my own) do, to encourage objectivity.
Anyway, Zach, that guy Matt? Thesaurus much? I hate when people bust out the pompous words to make themselves seem smarter or loftier, but then sprinkle expletives within the very same commentary. It’s like… dude. You sound like an a-hole, with or without the large vocabulary (that you’re probably faking).
PS I wrote a novel about the Atkins scam, I mean diet. It’s all about how the egg and meat commissions (fictional commissions in my world) put a “hit” out on the bread/carbs commissions and were very successful until… the bread/carb commissions put a hit out on Dr. Atkins. Hahahahahahaha.
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Yvo – you better watch yourself or arp is gonna get angry.
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ESNY – Not at all. I’m cool with satire and humor. Not so cool on misinformation.
This is What happens When Angela and Mr Peter Lusk(from the Zen burger Review) have kids.