And Still I Rise

Almost overnight a proliferation of fast food outlets have sprung up in St Vincent. With the arrival of Mario's, Church's chicken and Subway lurking in the wings the landscape as we know it has undergone huge changes.Prior to these chicken was king as KFC ruled supreme until Bickles specialising in Jamaican patties threatened their stronghold. The throngs of people jostling each other to partake in the promotional samples offered by Mario's and Church's tell its own story.

Some people are already lauding the appearance of these fast food outlets as progress even as longingly list wish for others. I myself am partial to Dunkin's Donuts which so far has not made any one's list. This progress though will demand a heavy price if the lines at these establishments are anything to go by. I remain amazed at the number of school children who buy their breakfasts daily at fast food places. It's almost as if the styrofoam cup and the white paper bag are now a part of the school uniform. Despite the cries of poverty the breakfast and lunch clubs membership is not dwindling at all. The sight of people buying fast food on a Sunday caused a friend to declare that pots and pans will soon be artifacts in the home.

While it may sound drastic in reality we are probably closer to abolishing home cooked meals than we really think. I often wonder if the shifting gender roles where women are more and more the primary breadwinners are too tired to prepare meals so it becomes easier to sacrifice better nutrition on the altar of fast food. These days too grandmothers are younger and younger so you can hardly rely on granny to fill a breach. Something to ponder on. Meantime, as our nation gorges itself on fast food and channel surf to our leisure we get fatter and fatter placing more burden on the shaky health system. What a price to pay for progress.