Once a week, Dave and I go treat ourselves to dinner at a nearby restaurant. This gives me time away from the kitchen, especially when it’s really hot. I’m doing my part to conserve energy by not using the electricity for cooking dinner. It’s counterproductive to heat up the kitchen with the air conditioning running, anyway. Maybe everyone in California should do the same thing, that way they wouldn’t be in the dire straits that they’re in!

If we could afford it, we’d eat out seven days a week. That could be pretty expensive because we’re not small eaters. In fact, many people can’t believe how much we eat every day. We actually consume between 4-6 meals daily, which is normal for us. We seem to work out enough to burn it off. And working 13-hour days really does burn calories, too. We’re not small people either. Both of us weigh over 200. And in some places, we’ve been mistaken for pro wrestlers.

So when we get hungry, we usually decide that we’re going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant. Since I have a stomach disorder, it’s usually better for us to go to a place like that because there are many more food choices than at a typical restaurant. These places can be very healthy, if you make the correct decisions. But decision making is the key.

Many local towns have quite tasty offerings for the connoisseurs who cruise the buffet bar. Contrary to what you may believe, the food’s not gross. However, a wide spectrum of the customers—how shall I say it—are wide themselves. But there is a minority who appear to be health conscious, too.

It’s always an adventure. We like looking around the packed dining room and observing the foods people have put on their plates, then comparing it to their body type. Many of the big eaters, and I mean people over 300 pounds who have probably never exercised in their life, pile their plates up with fried food and high-calorie starches. Mom and Dad have piled their plates high with French fries and fried chicken while their children have done the same thing, following in their footsteps. How sad and disturbing. Along with their overweight children, they’ve even brought grandma and grandpa, who are also overweight!

Did you ever see the Saturday Night Live skits of the "big butt family?" You’ll be living it, and it’s pretty scary.

Many of these restaurants have over 75 items on the buffet bar. I never thought I would see someone try to eat them all, but I’m sure it’s happened. Judging from the width of some of those posteriors, it’s amazing that an ordinary chair could accommodate them. Now, I’m not trying to make fun of people who are overweight. I’m just pointing out that a plateful of greasy, fatty, salty food isn’t helping the situation. I think these are the same people who tell their friends that they’re in good shape, and that all they’ve had to eat for the past day is a scrambled egg white, three tic-tacs, and a Diet Coke.

What do you say to a 300 or 400 pound person who’s lost 10 pounds? "Gee, you look like a rail, I hardly recognized you!" C’mon. We all know by now that 60% of the American public is considered obese. Just add French fries and you might as well call the hospital and pre-schedule your heart attack. Make sure your cell phone is preset to dial 9-1-1.

So much for the patrons. Let’s get to the food.

Most all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants will take your order for an entrée of beef, chicken, or seafood selections with a side dish of a vegetable. Actually, you can do quite well because you can get a grilled steak or chicken or broiled seafood with a baked potato or rice. This is a better alternative than a deep fried platter full of indistinguishable chicken nuggets or breaded fish. They’ll deliver this entrée right to your table.

They also offer a buffet where you can chow ‘til your heart’s content. And actually the buffet can be a good choice because it offers a variety of soups at the soup bar and a pretty good selection of fresh vegetables and toppings at the salad bar. What’s nice is the variety. You can have baked, broiled, boiled, sautéed, and yes, fried items. You can have the same thing fixed differently. What’s also nice is that they offer ethnic and comfort foods and entrées, like pizza, manicotti, tacos, hot wings, chicken and dumplings, or beef stew, etc.

Now we get to the serious temptation, namely the dessert bar. Here you can really go wrong if you make the wrong choices by loading up on sugary high fat baked goods. This includes macaroons, triple chocolate brownies and cheese cakes. A moment on the lips, but years on the hips will be your reward. The better alternative? They have a great selection of canned and fresh fruit. Chowing down on fruits gives you essential vitamins and, how do you say, roughage? You can even have a smidgen of ice cream to satisfy the palate.

So after eating at these all-you-can-eat restaurants for the past few years, I can say they’re generally pretty good if you know what you’re getting, and if you can control yourself. Sal Seeley mentioned in his last column that he was waiting for his fat burner tablets to arrive in the mail. I think many of these restaurant patrons are also waiting for the same thing. Good luck on that one!