Only recently has the Atkins-inspired demonization of carbs begun to fade, its place taken by a new nutritionary enemy: Trans-Fats. These substances are to be avoided at all costs, though at least their ostracization has a more accepted scientific basis. Given this, it's no surprise that the public, already paranoid about the substances they're consuming, quickly jumped aboard this bandwagon. It didn't take long for companies to respond by both removing this substance from their products and proudly proclaiming that they had done so with numerous banners and effusive labels. This was especially easy to do for the products that never contained trans-fats in the first place. Like uncooked pasta. I guess the marketing execs thought that the paranoid public wouldn't be able to figure that out on their own, and needed an excited label to highlight it for them. Pretty soon, I expect to see things liks socks receive a similar treatment. After all, diets might be fleeting, but the folly of the mob is apparently a well established fact.
Even fast food chains have gotten in on this act. KFC is the most recent to unveil a trans-fat free menu. Because health is obviously the first concern of people who are ordering up a MegaMeal from the Colonel. The nutrition is not the only thing that the chains have been changing; many of the larger fast food companies have attempted to evolve their entire image into something healthier, friendlier, and more hip. This has had an enormous impact on the mascots of said chains. Gone are the days of the A&W RootBear and his ponderous tuba theme, replaced by a portly middle-aged manager whose benign blandness is specifically designed to be as inoffensive as possible. And then there's the Colonel! He's animated now, both literally and figuratively. Gone is his stoop and limp, replaced by a spring in his step and a penchant for random basketball. I'm sure kids are relieved to see how the Colonel has recovered from the ravages of age, and will patronize KFC en masse as a result of his new hip persona. Even Ronald McDonald has gotten in on the basketball action. In the midst of this health-conscious era, I suspect there's no room for a mascot like Grimace anymore. It's only a matter of time before his employment is terminated. And given his status as a giant purple blob, I doubt he has many other job prospects aside from appearing at childrens' birthday parties. I guess what I'm saying is that although the A&W Bear might have been the first casualty, he'll be far from the last. Maybe there's a good reason that Tim Horton's doesn't seem to have a very noticeable mascot.
Just because I'm sure you were worried about it, I'll conclude by saying that this quote contained 0 Trans-Fats. And practically no substance, but that's hardly unusual.
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