Il Paradiso

The Europeans must be laughing at us... And if they aren't, well, they should. I grew up in Europe, so I should know. Why? For two main reasons:
1. The Janet Jackson boob thing. Give me a break. All this hoop-la-la for a breast who's nipple was covered to begin with? If this had happened at an European event, nobody would have given it a second thought. Why? Because in Europe nudity is everywhere. On TV (many commercials show naked women) and in magazines, the woman's body is not considered "obscene", is considered a work of art. Go to any museum and you will see dozens upon dozens of naked ladies in paintings and statues. Breastfeeding is revered and never considered inappropriate. Ever. In my view, children are more traumatized by violence and body mutilation... That new MILK commercial where the man's arms come off is a lot more disturbing than Janet's boob by a mile!
2. The Atkins diet-or the 'let's get rid of carbs to lose weight' faze we're in. They even sell hamburgers wrapped in lettuce so we won't eat the bread. ARE WE KIDDING? I grew up in Europe, in Italy to be exact, and Italians buy fresh bread every single day, they have cookies or a pastry for breakfast, pasta every single day, yet... I will dare anyone to go to Italy and find me an obese person. Sure, there are overweight people, but those 90-100+lb overweight people simply do not exist. Why? Because Italians eat at meals, don't believe in snacking and don't eat until they burst. They also believe in eating lots of fruits and vegetables.
Let's put the blame for Americans being overweight where it belongs-in the potato chips, in the twinkies, in the large meals, in people loving fast food (which is bad for you) and not eating enough fruits and vegetables. Blaming bread and pasta is pathetic! I am Italian, I should know! I would never go without my carbs, yet I am thin... hmmmm...