"I'd like a fat-free, no-carb, no-whip, splenda-substitute, soy-product Hot Chocolate, please."

"Ma'am... [sigh] no. *No*."
"But - what - what - the menu says I can -"
"It is a travesty, a tragedy, and an insult to both mankind *and* hot chocolate. *No*."
"Bu-"
"NO. Bad!"

You know... it just occurred to me that, should you order such a "drink" (though would there be anything actually in the cup?!) such as that 5 years ago, your "barista" or drink-maker-of-choice would either stare blankly at you for a while ("er... I mean..." [as you duck your eyes in shame] "... a medium coffee. Black. Extra-bitterness.") or they'd laugh nervously, wondering how they were going to get the crazy person out of the cafe. It'd be absurd, and I'm pretty positive you'd be ostracized from coffee spots world-wide.
And yet...
at some point in time, someone came along with a fresh cup of joe, shoved it into the unfortunate lunatic's hand, and sat them down somewhere - with comforting eyes and a friendly smile - to say:
"Hey, all that nonsense you came up with a few months ago? About substituting everything that makes up a delicious hot drink with ingredients that don't taste one iota as good? Well, I think you've got a good head on those shoulders... and I want to *do* that."

Before I go any further, I do drink and eat fat-free, no-carb, lacking-in-whip, splenda-substituted food. HOWEVER! I'll be damned before I start using soy. No way - that's a low *so* down there that even I will not deem to stoop to it.
... in any case... there was a definite point where people began deciding that it would be easier to subsitute all of the amazingly delicious, but nutritiously awful food and ingredients with doctored science projects that save US calories while supposedly saving us the taste, as well!
... sometimes.

To be honest, it *is* a good idea... in a way. One of the nicest things about having those substitutions is that you feel that you can still eat the foods that you love, without worrying that you won't be able to fit into your jeans. At the same time - shouldn't we also be focusing on (rather than constantly making substitutions) eating those things in moderation? As in - learning slowly how to love the foods that your body will love you for eating? I'm not talking soy and tofu... necessarily. (Sorry, vegetarians, but I'm a bit of a blood-thirty omnivore, myself.) Fruit. Veggies. Leaner meats. Desserts that do not drown the eater in a sea of chocolate and sugar. Or, at the least - struggling to stay afloat in the sea of chocolate syrup on a few nights a week.

For example... my mother suggested upon my return home from Indiana that I consider writing down everything I eat during the day. Not to lose weight, she pointed out - to be aware of how much I consume during a day. (If you're not aware, apparently I am a tornado of refrigerator destruction.) I'm in good shape right now because I run like a fiend and generally devour massive amounts of say, grapes, as opposed to Pringles, but! For the future, losing the tendency to graze would be good.

("I see a massive grocery bill ... mostly produce...")

so... I figure... I can either substitute with all the finesse of someone who singlehandedly boosts coffeeshop profits, or... I can start to rationalize the amount of food I put away.

Or I can just run more.

...
We'll see.