Carbs with carbs, and a side order of carbs. WTF M & S?

[AudTheDeepMinded]

Good grief, no wonder we have an obesity crisis. Was in M & S cafe for a mid morning coffee and spotted their latest menu. Included is a mac and cheese toasted sarnie, with which you can have a side order of fries for an extra £2. Can't believe they seriously thought this was a good idea.
Should probably have posted this in AIBU! what's the most bizarre offering you have seen on a menu?

You know it's posters like you that get MN ridiculed, right? 🤣

No worse than going to the pub for lasagna/macaroni with chips and garlic bread. Although admittedly you do usually get a ‘side salad’ which is like three wilted leaves.

I don’t even think unhealthy food is the biggest cause of the obesity crisis. Go to other counties and there’s plenty of unhealthy food on menus and in stores. Stress, poor mental health and terrible work/life balance are likely to be bigger culprits.

I fucking love carbs (can't not have garlic bread with my pasta) but I have noticed a trend in the last couple of years for things (sandwiches, cookies, cupcakes etc) to be getting more and more over the top. More things are being described as "loaded" or "double stuffed" or "triple-whatever".

Another one you see quite often now is making bastard Frankensteinian hybrids of things which are already quite lovely and treat-like enough on their own, like croisnuts. In a bakery the other day I saw a croisnut, stuffed with Nutella, covered in icing, and topped with three biscuits. I mean surely that's too much for one person in one go? I love cake as much as the next person but I think lots of "treats" are getting to the point of the grotesque now.

The Mac and cheese toastie is another example of this. Mac and cheese, great! Toastie, great! But no need to put them together in my opinion.

I think a lot of it is for Instagram and to become the next viral sensation and it sort of trickles down into places like M&S from there.

@Babybellblue

Not just unhealthy. It's Obscenely unhealthy.

Lol

When I was at uni we were served lasagne with jacket potatoes and garlic bread. One time the vegetarian option was macaroni cheese fritters, served with veg and another carb but I can’t remember what it was.

Anyway, nowt wrong with carbs. What makes the macaroni toastie and chips unhealthy is the fat and salt, not the carbs.

(continued)

Ben & Amy linger in a dark passage near the entrance of M&S cafe.

Ben: "Are you sure he's coming? What if he forgot?"

Amy: "He better show up. I'm paying him enough -- wait, there he is, leaving the cafe."

Ben: "Wow, he looks amazing -- such shiny hair, such glowing skin!"

Amy : "Yeah them vegans are all like that. That's his girlfriend with him today. She helps carry all the bags."

Tom and Meghan walk non-chalantly down the road then suddenly duck into dark alley with Ben and Amy.

Amy: "Is it all there?"

Tom: "3 Wholesome salads, 5 mac and cheese sarnies, and 3 orders of side fries."

Amy: "I don't want any salad!!"

Tom: "Yeah of course not, I'll just repack the bags for a sec..."

Ben: "Are you really a vegan? I never met one before!"

Tom: "Actually I had coeliac disease so I had to experiment with diet and decided plant-based works well for me. Whereas vegans have lots of principles --"

Amy: "Never mind that . Bags are sorted. Here's your money. Let's go Ben."

Amy and Ben run off laden down with bags of carbs.

Meghan: "I don't know if this is right, Tom. I know you get free food, and you paid for your car, holidays and university degree by selling carbs to addicts. But don't you feel guilty??"

Tom: "Neah. It's not like I'm one of those dealers selling whole loaves of plain white bread."

Meghan: "Oh yeah, that would be terrible. Imagine that all the corner shops used to do that."

Tom: "I know, crazy, right ?!"

@kwiksavenofrillsusername
I don’t even think unhealthy food is the biggest cause of the obesity crisis. Go to other counties and there’s plenty of unhealthy food on menus and in stores. Stress, poor mental health and terrible work/life balance are likely to be bigger culprits
But stress, poor mental health and terrible work life balance don't contain calories do they? Unhealthy food does. Lots of them. Eating too much unhealthy food causes obesity.

I had a toasted fruit teacake and a coffee for breakfast in a cafe today. Delicious. Plenty. A treat after a long dog walk. Washed down with a gorgeous strong coffee ( not particularly relevant but it was great). On many tables nearby families were ticking into a full English breakfast. Fat families. Calories are the cause of obesity. Thinking that eating a day's worth of calories in one plateful on food is ok, normal.

Tucking not ticking

@Joystir59

I had a toasted fruit teacake and a coffee for breakfast in a cafe today. Delicious. Plenty. A treat after a long dog walk. Washed down with a gorgeous strong coffee ( not particularly relevant but it was great). On many tables nearby families were ticking into a full English breakfast. Fat families. Calories are the cause of obesity. Thinking that eating a day's worth of calories in one plateful on food is ok, normal.

I’m not sure you picked the right name there.

I saw the Macc cheese sandwich advert outside our m&s and was shocked at m&s coming up with such an unhealthy stodgy option. Pasta in a sandwich. Yuck. Unnecessary.

@Joystir59

I had a toasted fruit teacake and a coffee for breakfast in a cafe today. Delicious. Plenty. A treat after a long dog walk. Washed down with a gorgeous strong coffee ( not particularly relevant but it was great). On many tables nearby families were ticking into a full English breakfast. Fat families. Calories are the cause of obesity. Thinking that eating a day's worth of calories in one plateful on food is ok, normal.

Do you enjoy judging people on one tiny snippet of their days?

Obesity is a lot more complex than "eat a fruitcake instead of Full English".

I've never had a Macaroni cheese toastie (although I might be changing that very soon) but I do love macaroni pie which is double carbs, and would definitely eat macaroni pie with chips. I've also been known to eat macaroni cheese on top of chips with garlic bread on occasion. And I always have lasagne with chips, garlic bread or both. Shove a bit of salad or some peas on there, or maybe a few decorative parsley leaves and it's a balance meal right?

@Europilgrim

Why would you put cold salad leaves next to steaming hot pasta covered with cheese? I don't necessarily put it on the same plate but I often have pasta and salad. Would you have cooked veg with it??

Nope.

I would eat vegetables with it if they were part of the pasta sauce or something, but it would never occur to me to add a side of vegetables or salad to a plate of pasta.

This is one of the most judgemental threads I've seen on here.

"Fat families" what a lovely way to describe people.

Also - yes salad with a pasta bake is lovely. As is lasagne with a side salad.

Seriously guys can we all just stop arguing about fucking carbohydrates. We are grown adults FFS.

@cricketmum84

This is one of the most judgemental threads I've seen on here.

"Fat families" what a lovely way to describe people.

Also - yes salad with a pasta bake is lovely. As is lasagne with a side salad.

Seriously guys can we all just stop arguing about fucking carbohydrates. We are grown adults FFS.

Basically this is a perfect example of a MN thread about food - particularly carbs.

Just be glad no one mentioned cereal.

@LittleBearPad too true.

If you can't make a chicken last 6 days and have a HUGE salad with every meal you are fat and disgusting.

I really need to stop looking at any threads about food 😂

@Joystir59

I had a toasted fruit teacake and a coffee for breakfast in a cafe today. Delicious. Plenty. A treat after a long dog walk. Washed down with a gorgeous strong coffee ( not particularly relevant but it was great). On many tables nearby families were ticking into a full English breakfast. Fat families. Calories are the cause of obesity. Thinking that eating a day's worth of calories in one plateful on food is ok, normal.

That is quite a harsh comment to make.

As for judging on only a small snippet of their day.. Its very rare to watch a larger family unload their trolley at the supermarket and it be full of fruit and veg.

And yes most people to judge if their really honest.. but it's kinder to keep those opinions of others to yourself.

[quote cricketmum84]@LittleBearPad too true.

If you can't make a chicken last 6 days and have a HUGE salad with every meal you are fat and disgusting.

I really need to stop looking at any threads about food 😂[/quote]
But obviously no salad with any pasta because that’s just really odd (despite being what lots and lots of people eat)

We shall be having roast chicken today. That’s the next week’s meals sorted.

In wouldn't be tempted even if I wanted a treat. I agree, bad example.

To me a treat would be having chips instead of jacket potato or boiled and then having a dessert.

Goodness me fat families but hey a toasted tea cake for the win eh

Some people put crab in macaroni cheese. Shame M&S didn't, the thread could've been

Carbs with carbs, crabs, and a side order of carbs. WTF M & S?

Do we have an obesity problem? Yes? Is that caused by overeating the wrong foods? Yes. Are we allowed to talk about overeating without being accused of being horribly judgemental? No. Why not? I consciously maintain my weight within normal parameters every day of my life. I was raised by fat parents who made us stay at the table until we'd eaten every morsel. I was luckily a slim child but those early familial eating patterns have had a lasting damaging effect. I have learnt how to eat a balanced diet full of lovely food including cake and chips sometimes. I know what a normal portion looks like. Way smaller than the portion sizes we have become accustomed too. Way more fruit and veg goes on my plate than carbs protein or fat. I eat less in amounts less frequently. I've adopted the habits of a slim person, which is what I am through sheer determination. In my mind there will always be a conscious struggle, with the old parental voice urging me to 'eat up'. So I know it isn't easy. But it is about taking control of what one eats. Look around- very very often if you look at who is eating all the fatty big portions they will very very often be overweight people. Not always but often.

And I'm my opinion raising an overweight child is tantamount to child neglect. It's just awful- to see overweight kids who cannot move freely, who will grow up without any experience of what it is to be slim. Not fair. But hey, I'm just awful for daring to mention the elephant in the room.