A little article from the Daily Telegraph has brought out the Jeremiah in me this morning…

In England a couple of lads with stout appetites have been banned from an “all you can eat” restaurant. The story’s here.

These boys should get on a plane to the USA. We have chains of “all you can eat” restaurants. They specialize in the lowest grade food possible, and there is as much of it as you want. “Yessir. Step right up. Quantity not Quality. That’s our motto.”

Not only would the English lads be able to eat all they want, but the gluttony is served up with typical American cheerfulness. The restaurants are clean, happy places where the whole family can put snouts to troughs with playful abandon. Nice waitresses serve bottomless cups of soda and iced tea and there’s even a dessert bar that makes the kids go crazy with delight.

That’s one of the things America does best–we’ve sanitized sin. Not only is gluttony a happy family outing, but we’ve done the same to all the seven deadly. Lust? That’s not a sordid thing anymore. The girls are all bright and cheerful. Like the cheerleaders at football games they have straight teeth and spray on tans that are just, well, delightful. Wrath and Murder? Abortion is legal. It takes place is a warm, clean room with “counsellors” and “customer care”.  Greed? “Greed is good!” C’mon! It’s the American way! We call it “the pursuit of happiness.” Get more, more more! That shows you’re a success don’t you know? Envy? Pride? It’s all tied up with materialism too and all the shiny things we want. Even sloth is sanitized as sports.

Here endeth the morning rant saith the prophet.