The Socially Aware

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed both the quality and quantity of food you are receiving at restaurants have decreased with the economy?  In many cases, we are paying more for less food.  I’m not an idiot; I know food is more expensive for the restaurants to purchase in this economy, and that expense is passed on to us.  I’m willing to pay a few extra bucks, as long as I am getting a quality product.

Lately, though, I have noticed that my Edamame bowl is less full, my sandwiches are stacked lower, and some of my favorite salads are now made with iceberg lettuce instead of seasonal greens. Should the customer be cheated because the restaurant is struggling? Below is a list of restaurants where the quality/quantity of their food has/have noticeably changed.  Please feel free to add your own experiences.

UsrNme1

Carl’s Jr. – The large fry is now the same size as the small fry.

Claim Jumper – The potato cakes appetizer is now a quantity of two instead of three; the veggie burger comes without all the toppings, unless a customer complains and sends it back; and the ice cream that accompanies the desserts is no bigger in diameter than a half-dollar coin.

Hana Sushi – Now serving half the edamame in the same size bowl.

Quiznos – Less toppings and poor quality of lettuce used on their salads.

According to the guy in front of me in line at Home Depot, Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, Arizona is an expert at spotting Mexicans.  Arpaio’s office, which serves the Phoenix Metro area is being sued for racial profiling. It seems that this follows a long list of accusations against the Sheriff and the department from the local Latino community. While many feel that the Sheriff’s efforts are deeply rooted in racism, others claim that the deputies are simply not trained to properly deal with minority suspects.

Arpaio has been known to form posses, who make random traffic stops, raid work sites and neighborhoods with dense Latino populations, arresting anyone who can’t prove they are legal citizens of the United States. No sheriff in the country has taken the job of immigration enforcement so seriously, and because of his diligence, he is also the most protested sheriff in the country.  The voters backed the sheriff and part-time reality star with a landslide re-election, but the dense Hispanic community is enraged.  So I ask you: do racial profiling laws make it difficult to fight illegal immigration?

UsrNme1

News on the recent law suit:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/02/23/20100223mcso-racial-profiling-suits.html

This was demand I heard from a very upset frequent traveler.  Her reasoning??? American Airlines announced that as of May 1st, 2010 they will begin charging $8.00 for a blanket on their flights.  Oh it gets better, they are only charging the passengers in coach!!  Please remember this is also the airline that charges $25 per checked bag, while other airlines carry them for free.  It’s sad as hotels continue to try discount rooms and cut cost to lure us in to a few nights stay, but  this airline stabs us all in the back with additional charges after you’ve purchased the ticket.  “These extra charges make it nearly impossible for a family with kids to travel!”, she said.

I think she had a point, this doesn’t seem very socially aware for a company in today’s economic turmoil. What do you think? Read for yourself:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/02/09/american.airlines.blankets/?hpt=T2

Usrnme1

I overheard a woman make that statement at one of my favorite coffee shops.  I was shocked by the blatant comment and had to find out why she felt that way.  I asked and she kindly explained that she feels access to more money and family support can lead to more abortions.  Her theory starts with the understanding that young women with Prada purses are no less sexually active then girls with empty purses. She said, “For a wealthy family, a $500 abortion is a quick fix to an embarrassing problem, while women like me would have difficulty coming up with that kind of money quick enough to safely have the procedure. It would take months for me to save that much money!”  Then she spoke of the “those girls” in high school and college, and I was left to assume they were wealthy/popular/ones that would not give her the time of day.  She explained how they would take “family vacations” during the middle of a school week and everyone knew they were abortion vacations.  So I ask, has anyone else ever heard of this theory or is this just the opinion of one angry woman?

UsrNme1

Okay people, help me get a little more socially aware on this topic.  Last night I was at dining at restaurant, when a family of four was seated next to me.  I was immediately disturbed by the size of this family, and by size I mean the mother, father and both children were severely obese. So I ask you, with all the information we have on the problems that come with being over weight and the rapid increase in child obesity, should parents raising little fat offspring be cited for child abuse??

UsrNme1