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	Vol.7, No 36, November 1, 1999
	Is food more fun than sex? America is a nation that runs on compulsion and obsession. As a nation, we are obsessed with money, power, greed, sex and most of all, food. The proof is right in front of us. Well, if the Journal of the American Medical Association is in front of you. Ken Hanson The AMA released a series of studies showing that obesity is a leading killer in the United States. There are many reasons America is such a fat nation. We are a secure, developed nation with a strong national identity. We have been enjoying an economic up-swing at full speed and living a lavish lifestyle because of it. But one of the biggest reasons we are so fat is that America's obsession with food is because its popular relationship with sex.  Just look at all the evidence. What do people do before going to bed with one another? Usually they go on a date, usually to dinner. It has even been said that some women will only have sex with a man if he brings them candies and takes them out for fancy meals.  Now I am not about to get into that whole debate, but the fact remains that people often go out to dinner or have the classic candle-lit dinner before going for a roll in the hay. Then after the deed is done, if the guy hasn't fallen asleep  after finishing, and after the girl gets over the need to cuddle, the two are almost invariably hungry after intercourse. If that is not enough evidence, take all the coy things we say when referring to sexual matters.  There are countless sexual innuendoes that replace the sexually explicit reference with a food object. "Look at those melons!" "Can I have some fries with that shake?" or the ever popular. "That must be jam ëcause jelly don't shake like that" are some of the food innuendoes that are made about women. Others include "smells like fish, tastes like chicken" and insensitive references to cherry pie and other baked goods. That is all right, though. This is not a woman bashing session here. There are plenty of innuendoes about men, too. There is the oldie-but-goodie "Where's the beef?" for the unfortunate chaps who are not well endowed. Mentions of hot dogs, sausages, and wieners are always ready to take the place of the less colorful penis.      And when there are too many guys at a party, it gets dubbed a "sausage fest."  And men with exceptional "all-beef, bun length" that plump when cooked have been referred to as Tootsie Rolls, simply because of the size and width of their units. There are countless other references to food that Americans make in regard to sex. Part of the problem is that we love to eat,  and the other part is that we are too afraid to talk about sex out in the open. It has been taboo for far too long.  Maybe if we begin to talk openly about sex, we can lose some of these insensitive innuendoes and maybe even shed a few of those unwanted pounds.  Ken Hanson is the Opinion Editor of the Daily Forty-Niner.		CSULB reacts to investigation   School all year possible solution   CSU gets more cash for high enrollment   Student rewarded for hard work, dedication Fat cat country   Is food more fun than sex?   Council tackles home-gun dealers Film funny despite plot   The Cramps shine musically despite age   Sting release delivers Letourneau pitches her way into 1999 Hall of Fame Class Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.