American Marketing Succeeds

In the check-out line at the grocery store today, I was told by the overweight cashier that I was thin because I ate K-flakes (Special K equivalent). I then told her that they were mostly for my husband, along with the Honey Nut Cheerios that were also in my cart. Even though her remark seemed to jive with reality (as I thought of my 6’2”, 165-lb husband who also happens to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables), I started to argue that the Turkish breakfast is much healthier.

She didn’t seem to believe me.

I went on to say that hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and olives are much healthier than cereal.

Again, she didn’t seem so convinced.

I wanted to tell her about all of the books written on the healthy Mediterranean diet. I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t the Turkish breakfast, but the amount of bread and sweets Turks eat and the lack of exercise that contributes to their weight issues. I wanted to tell her that you shouldn’t consume most of your day’s calories so late in the afternoon and evening. But alas, I couldn’t say those things. I’ve only been studying Turkish for four months. But, I know where she works, and I will be back there sometime in the future to set her straight.