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?

Most traditional diets are carb heavy. Cheap and fill you up.

@Crafting1Queen I've never had one of those before, I feel I have finally arrived, thanks! (sorry if you have been offended by this debate).

(whispers) Pie barm and chips. anyone?

Nobody's saying that triple carbs as a regular diet is healthy OP. But why pick on M&S? A lot more people eat McDonald's, sometimes with a full fry up for breakfast first.

If I wasn't coeliac I'd love to try the toastie you mention (though I'm with a PP, when did macaroni cheese have to become mac 'n' cheese?).

@julieca that's a whole other issue isn't it, the cost of food and the lack of skill and knowledge in preparing cheap and nutritious meals from scratch.

@Babybellblue

This is not a good thread for my day 6 of low carbing I Really want macoroni cheese now. Damn it.

I'm on month 8 of low carbing. Our local pub does the most amazing macaroni cheese. It's topped with three different cheeses, bacon, breadcrumbs and crispy onions. And I haven't been able to have it since my diabetes diagnosis and now I feel very very sad!

OP what are your thoughts on macaroni pies?

Ooh, a macaroni cheese toastie with chips sounds AMAZING, haha. Surely it's not that different to deep fried halloumi burger, which is a pretty commonplace veggie item on most menus.

I really, really don't understand why people have to try and police what establishments choose to sell, though. It makes no sense to me. You don't need to buy it, and if enough people think it's unappetising, they won't sell it and it'll just be removed from the menu. If it sells, well, good for them for making a smart business decision.

Businesses are about making money, not policing people's diets. f you don't like it, don't buy it, but don't try and inflict your choices on everyone else.

I think others had it right when they said portion control. Italians would eat triple or quadruple carb meals. How many Italians or even French are obese compared to the US/UK?

Also, these things are occasional. If you are going to eat what the meal the OP listed every day or eat McDonalds every day you will get obese.

It's about portion control and it not being a daily habit.

@feedingthebirds1 I don't get out much so M & S is one of the few places I've been recently!

@Notonthestairs

So M&S can only offer food you consider to be morally appropriate? Or maybe they should vet people before they'll sell it to them? Limit access to aisles based on BMI?Offer a free medical and select food for you?

Genius! 🤣🤣

@AudTheDeepMinded it's not always a lack of skills and knowledge. I cook with pulses a fair bit, but if you make a lentil and chickpea curry, adding potato or serving it with rice makes it much more filling.
There is nothing wrong with carbs. Its about balance.

Reminds me of that time Gary Mallett on Corrie ate a meat and tatie pie sandwich [the bread was buttered as well]

😁

[yum]

@Queenoftheashes
I just came on to say what about macaroni pies. If they were banned it would be a sin. Not a venial one a mortal one.

@Queenoftheashes they sounds rank, but I've never actually tried them so don't have a real basis for that! I certainly wouldn't serve them with more carbs though!

@julieca but surely a triple carb meal, actively promoted, is not balanced?

• @cricketmum84 well done for 8 months... amazing. I'm taking myself off for a walk to try and get macaroni cheese out of my head. I'm too scared to drive in case I accidently find myself outside the M&S cafe!!

I havent had a macaroni pie for years. They were gorgeous. And popular at a time when obesity was much rarer.

@AudTheDeepMinded

Thank you for helping me unpick my thoughts on this, even if some of you are being a little unkind. I agree with what a lot of you say. You can't control what people eat, not should you. I still consider that modelling healthier diets is not a bad thing, nutritious and delicious food does not have to be fat and carb laden. By offering and promoting a meal combination which comprises three lots of fat heavy carb options M & S are not doing this. There is an obesity crisis which is getting worse. A collective effort to help people help themselves surely shouldn't be sneered at as controlling should it?

you're great - you're so lovely and polite and prepared to debate and discuss something. I really love that.

@Babybellblue I did once try low carb and failed after a week (really hard if you don't eat meat) so kudos to you!

[quote AudTheDeepMinded]@julieca but surely a triple carb meal, actively promoted, is not balanced?[/quote]
No its not. But I think a lot of people who think they eat healthily, really don't.

Moral obligation?

Are you the carb police?😂

Nothing wrong with lots of carbs

People are free to eat what they want to eat (at least, for now… soon they’ll tax carbs?! )

Get a life OP, and just worry about your own weight

Continued at the cafe:

Me: "I'd like to order 5 cokes please, for me and my 4 children. Mmmm... 3 lettuce and 2 courgettes."

Staff: "Thank you madam wait, is that a rabbit on a lead you have why did you bring it in here?"

Me: "Yeah sure. That's Daphne. She's lovely. You didn't expect any of us to eat the courgette and lettuce, did you?"

@AudTheDeepMinded what do you think a healthier meal would be for the cafe to sell?

I’ve just googled and my main concern is it appears they’ve used penne, or possibly tortigilioni rather than macaroni, and I think that would affect the biteability. On the positive side it looks like it would be easy to unpick the top slice of toast, so you could put some of the chips in the sandwich construction itself, before reassembling, for the complete mouth experience and true triple-carbation.

@ginslinger thank you for saying that. It's hard when people are cutting and personal when they don't even know you. Debate has got to be a good thing hasn't it? It is not a black and white issue, with valid points on both sides.
Though I am strangely proud to have gotten a biscuit after being on here for ten years!