"I Count Fat People"
Or more precisely, I guess I count NON-fat people ..
I knew it was just a matter of time before I developed a good ole transfer addiction, fellas .. And having come off a youth afflicted by numeromania (the obsessive-compulsive disorder involving counting random objects w/o good reason, adding up numbers of no personal significance, etc. - a/k/a just call me "The Count"
) it was interesting to see how my transfer addiction has manifested itself. At least I bet it is unique. 
Basically, I now keep a small journal book in my car. I carry it with me whenever I go into a restaurant to eat. In it, I first write down the name of the restaurant (in order to correlate with the type and "healthiness" of the cuisine they serve). I make below that two columns, one for "A" (adults) and "K" (kids = anyone not apparently an adult). I make a mark in the column as to each customer I see in the restaurant that night. If it's a big restaurant where I can't see everyone I try to sit close to the door so I can count the people as they come in. I make a ring around the mark for them if they do not appear to be overweight. When I get back to my car I review my notes to see how many of the customers I saw in the restaurant that night were not overweight (and hence how many were). There is some scientific method to my madness, I would argue, so long as I eat in a variety of restaurants and, knowing that people of all socio-economic, ethnic, age, etc. levels have to eat and do eat out from time to time, the people I am counting very likely constitute an accurate representation of the general U.S. population. Moreover, the count is accurate because they are in a closed environment, seated in the same locations for long periods of time while dining.
Very interesting to see the ratio(s), and sometimes quite sad, like tonight (I ate at a Denny's).
Who knows -- maybe a few years from now this information I log in the field (as an "obesitologist"?) may become useful to researchers on obesity trends in he U.S. or some such.
I knew it was just a matter of time before I developed a good ole transfer addiction, fellas .. And having come off a youth afflicted by numeromania (the obsessive-compulsive disorder involving counting random objects w/o good reason, adding up numbers of no personal significance, etc. - a/k/a just call me "The Count"
) it was interesting to see how my transfer addiction has manifested itself. At least I bet it is unique. Basically, I now keep a small journal book in my car. I carry it with me whenever I go into a restaurant to eat. In it, I first write down the name of the restaurant (in order to correlate with the type and "healthiness" of the cuisine they serve). I make below that two columns, one for "A" (adults) and "K" (kids = anyone not apparently an adult). I make a mark in the column as to each customer I see in the restaurant that night. If it's a big restaurant where I can't see everyone I try to sit close to the door so I can count the people as they come in. I make a ring around the mark for them if they do not appear to be overweight. When I get back to my car I review my notes to see how many of the customers I saw in the restaurant that night were not overweight (and hence how many were). There is some scientific method to my madness, I would argue, so long as I eat in a variety of restaurants and, knowing that people of all socio-economic, ethnic, age, etc. levels have to eat and do eat out from time to time, the people I am counting very likely constitute an accurate representation of the general U.S. population. Moreover, the count is accurate because they are in a closed environment, seated in the same locations for long periods of time while dining.
Very interesting to see the ratio(s), and sometimes quite sad, like tonight (I ate at a Denny's).
Who knows -- maybe a few years from now this information I log in the field (as an "obesitologist"?) may become useful to researchers on obesity trends in he U.S. or some such.
Oh man, that's fascinating. Being a cultural anthropologist, I love what you're doing. Do you count gender? It would be really interesting to weigh gender in on those observations. When you get a body of evidence down, I'd love to look at it if you don't mind sharing.
I'd bet Morgan Spurlock would be one who'd love seeing this too. He's the "Super Size Me" dude.
I'd bet Morgan Spurlock would be one who'd love seeing this too. He's the "Super Size Me" dude.
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