10/13 An Unhappy Meal?
Last night I read the craziest thing and wanted to share. Artist and photographer Sallie Davies created “The Happy Meal Art Project.” What began as a stunt to prove a friend wrong has turned into a sobering illustration of what is filling the bellies of many children.
Davies purchased a Happy Meal with a plain hamburger and put it on a plate in her kitchen. She left it there untouched and photographed it once a week. Unbelievably (or not) it didn’t do a thing. The bun didn’t mold, the meat did not begin to decompose…it sat there like a plastic, toy replica of food.
Day after day the meal sat there unchanged and frozen in time. The photo on day 180 is no different than the photo on day one. What in the hell is in this food? I find this so interesting. Logically it all makes sense to me. It is no different than you telling me that a Twinkie wouldn’t decompose. I get it, but when I take into consideration that a Happy Meal is a household staple in the diet of so many children every week, I wonder what is happening in their little growing bodies. In the thirty years since the Happy Meal made its debut, consumers have bought over 20 billion of these space age, air resistant meals.
Maybe its time for a happier alternative to this meal with a toy. Why not try a veggie burger on a whole wheat bun? Pressed for time…a veggie burger can be made in your microwave if you need it at drive through speed. Here is a link to the review of the most amazing veggie burgers I have ever tasted. If the toy completes the “Happy” then stock up on fun things from the dollar store. Rock out your own Happiest Meals at home and change your family’s world one meal at a time.
Have a delicious day.
Happy Meal stats from Cleveland.com
Tags: Amy's organics, compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, Happy Meal, Sallie Davies, the Happy Meal Art Project, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, Unhappy meal, vegan experience, vegan products, vegan wannabe, veggie burger
October 13th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Yuck. I often wonder if there is a link between this kind of stuff and the influx of severe food allergies found in children these days.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
There absolutely has to be. I know I sound like Andy Rooney, but when I was growing up I didn’t know one person with a food allergy. None of us had asthma and were hardly ever sick. You got chicken pox and the occasional flu or sore throat, that was it. The incidence of food allergies, childhood diabetes and obesity are staggering. We have to be aware of where our food is coming from and exactly what is in it. This behavior is no longer a luxury for those with unlimited income or time but an absolute necessity for our health and well being.
October 15th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
[…] newest installment in the recent obsession/revulsion with fast food is the “Happy Meal Project.” A New York photographer, Sally Davies, set an uncovered McDonald’s Happy Meal burger and […]