I gotta be honest. I never liked Wendy's that much anyway. Slimy thin burgers that fast food serves between two cotton candy-like sponge bread bits always seemed too phony for me. Fast food always forgets the abundance of ways you can dress the hamburger; a sandwich as variegated as the people who eat it. Try eating a hamburger burger with bleu cheese, or salsa, or on pumpernickel bread with caramelized onions and horseradish (my favorite).

Sigh. I digressed before I even began.

I don't eat much meat anymore and I don't eat any red meat at all, because I find these things inefficient and unnecessary. If everybody cut back their meat consumption a bit, the amount of energy and resources saved could feed many, and the rates of obesity and heart disease would go down. We all know this, but for some reason many people don't make the decision to change their eating habits.

Why don't more of us integrate a bit of the veggie-lifestyle into our lives? It isn't unhealthy, I can get plenty of protein on a balanced lacto-ovo diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It isn't expensive, most of the foods I eat can be bought at regular grocery stores for about one or two dollars a pound. And it isn't any harder. In fact, it's easier. Meat has to have extra care taken to ensure that it is cooked thoroughly to kill all the bacteria and parasites that may be living in it. When we know that there are alternatives why do we have this obsession with eating lots and lots of low-quality meat? Why is it when we look at our plates there's a lingering question.



This is a marketing slogan I highly disapprove of. When there exists the idea that beef needs to be omnipresent in our lives, that hot red meat should always be in or moving toward our maws at all times, it is no wonder that fast food joints have invaded our street corners. I don't want this, my utopian society would only have people eating burgers once in a while and each one would be a masterpiece. A finely crafted experience that would guide its eater through a multitude of flavors and textures. A meal can and should be an experience to be remembered and talked about.

So, in protest of Wendy's renewed "Where's the Beef?" campaign and what I feel is a deplorable part of our American culture, I have created these two T-shirt designs using their facebook toy thing.


http://apps.facebook.com/wendythreads/?tshirt_id=12860

http://apps.facebook.com/wendythreads/?tshirt_id=12899

Please go there and vote for them. There is a $5000 prize for the winner and a "year of free Wendy's" giftcard for runner up. If my designs win I will donate the proceeds to charities for feeding the hungry.


I hope it is clear that I have a strong love for eating meat, despite the fact that I have nearly given it up. I can always go back should my ideals change (or should there be a special occasion I want to celebrate), and Thanksgiving turkey will always happen in my home. Please do me, yourself, and your fellow man a favor and skip the drive-thru for a while, and reward yourself with a great, albeit less frequent, dining experience instead.