I swear I don’t go out looking for places to write angry letters to, it’s as though they come to me.
Dear Kona Grill,
During a recent visit to your restaurant in Troy, Mich., the features menu that was referred to as ‘Get the Skinny’ made my experience less than desirable. I find it very harmful for a restaurant chain to push what they feel fulfills the need for low calorie meals, as the new healthcare legislation will make your company disclose all nutritional information. Although I find this information to be beneficial in some instances putting the label of skinniness and food in the same setting can lead to some of your customers, including me, to feel uncomfortable dining in your restaurants.
Health and food are linked on many levels but when placing that in your restaurants it can make people from many different backgrounds feel as though they need to remove themselves from them. We live in a very fat phobic society that dictates false body ideals and health as one in the same, creating a very hostile environment for someone who does not hold those body types, or someone who may also have disordered thinking when it comes to food or their body.
This is why I would really like for you to think about not labeling your low calorie menu with the word ‘Skinny’ as that does not equal health any more than fat equals un-health but look into branding it as a healthy nutritious option that will leave you feeling satisfied and content. I would also push to remove low calorie alcoholic drinks from the menu, as alcohol is never a healthy option no matter how few calories a drink might hold.
Again, offering healthy nutritious meals is a great idea for people that are looking for options that are hard to find at most restaurants, but branding them with a misleading and harmful ideal creates an environment that most people should avoid at all costs. This is includes me.
-FW
I usually agree with most of what you have to say, but this gave me pause:
“as alcohol is never a healthy option no matter how few calories a drink might hold.”
Moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks per day) can help raise HDL cholesterol and reduce arterial plaque, which both help the body protect itself against heart disease. You may not like alcohol, but it is, in fact, “a healthy option” when consumed in moderation.
In addition to being wrong on the facts, however, you’re also wrong to denigrate what other people choose to consume. If you want people to respect your bodily integrity, you need to respect the choices they make about their own bodies. Please stop trying to police other people’s food habits.
Although I understand why that specific sentence that gave you pause I don’t see anywhere that I am trying to police others food habits. Aside from that, yes there is research on the health benefits of moderate drinking but there is also evidence of what even moderate alcohol consumption does to your liver and other health factors that it contributes to.