We don’t have fast food outlets in East Hampton, although we are threatened with the possibility of a convenience store like Seven Eleven on North Main Street if the town zoning board continues its feckless actions and shabby favoritism. A convenience store is not the same as fast food but it’s close enough.
I just read in The Huffington Post that one in five breakfasts in America is from McDonald’s. Family meals occur only three times a week for most families and are down to only twenty minutes accompanied by television and texting. The effects on health and obesity are clear.
I guess we are fortunate here in East Hampton to be geographically at the end of an island, with a small population, and with plentiful local produce in season and local seafood throughout the year. But the trends in processed foods and industrial agriculture that influence what and how we eat and drink in this country are worrisome.
The most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork, according to the Huffpost article. Here in East Hampton at the moment, you can add zoning on North Main Street to that list.