Comments on: Now we’ll know how many calories are in a New York cheesecake

By: PastaQueen

PastaQueen — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:47:42 +0000

It would probably be easiest just to order a signed copy directly from me. When you factor how much it would cost to send your book back and forth, it’s a better deal anyway since you’ll get a whole other book for not that much more money.

By: cathy

cathy — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:36:31 +0000

Seeing how many calories I’m about to consume at one of the lovely non-chain restaurants I visit would be very much like Hester Prynne’s letter A and the Ancient Mariner’s albatross: I can do without the constant reminder.

Rather than support posting caloric information and making restaurants less like places to enjoy food and more like science labs, I’d be much more interested in getting consumers to think outside of the box when it comes genetically-modified, scientifically-engineered fast food.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:49:01 +0000

I agree – the restaurants that post their nutritional info online make me think twice about visiting… but then they’re probably no worse than the ones that keep it a secret. The Keg is a good example. There’s really nothing i’m willing to eat there except the plain baked potato.

Knowing what you’re eating in restaurants kinda kills the fun, doesn’t it?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:13:28 +0000

I love nutritional information! I’m sort of a walking encyclopedia for all of Starbucks’s drinks and pastries.

The other day, my co-worker (of more than two years) was horrified to learn that our chocolate chip cookie contains something like 500 calories. It’s about the size of a hubcap, so I’m not sure why she was surprised by this.

Is it mean of me to feel a little sense of glee when I see people react to their newfound nutritional knowledge in such a visceral manner?

By: Merry

Merry — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:49:26 +0000

Well, it’s not pseudoscientific, but I can see why you’d be upset in that case. If someone is acting rude, because of my weight or for some other reason, they’ve got worse problems than weight.

Thanks for expanding on your original comment.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:47:04 +0000

Thanks so much for getting back to me!

I’ll probably have a heart attack after work when I figure out how bad my favourite coconut cupcakes are.

Have a nice day!

By: servetus

servetus — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:22:32 +0000

Actually a lot of people go to restaurants because they want to celebrate something or be with people and the food is not their primary or even secondary reason for being there. Americans go to restaurants to socialize in way that (for example) Europeans don’t. They also use fast food in a way that (for example) Europeans don’t.

Stigmatization-because now if you are overweight, and you decide you want a bacon cheeseburger, you will not only have to get past the sighing of the waitress or cashier, your waiter or fellow diners will have the ammunition to criticize your choices explicitly. “Are you sure?” “Do you really want 800 calories and all that fat?” The people who think they should be helpful (e.g., by bringing you a Diet coke when you ordered a regular) will now have all kinds of pseudo-scientific information right at their hands to help them out.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:51:07 +0000

Danielle – go to “add an item”, and then on the left choose “click here to add a recipe.” It’s the best recipe calculator I’ve found because you can put in the specific brands of your ingredients, which makes a HUGE difference compared to ones that just take generic listings (e.g. chicken broth can be VERY different nutritionally from brand to brand).

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:16:16 +0000

Hi there, I’m new to Pasta Queen’s blog – love it! It’s nice to see such a great group of (mostly) positive people cheering for each other.

A quick question for the person who mentioned The Daily Plate. I can’t find the section where you can put in a recipe and get the calories, fat etc. info. Can you point me in the right direction? I’m hoping it isn’t right there on the homepage.

By: PastaQueen

PastaQueen — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:44:34 +0000

Some restaurants are more strict about measurements than others. I know at Quiznos they weigh your chicken and they have a slicing board to precisely measure the bread. At chain restaurants, strict controls like that can add up to bigger savings since they’re precisely controlling their portions.