Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

embers -- bay ridge. not as good as any of the top-notch places, but the filet mignon is good. it is/used to be next door to a butcher.

All of the above, sedentary lifestyle, too much fast and processed food, and portions.

Being from Texas, where "everything is bigger", one only has to look at the most obese cities in America (at least two Texas cities in the top 10 for the last 6 years!) and say portion size definitely has something to do with it. Also urban sprawl and the lack of good public transportation systems here has left us totally dependent on our cars, so we don't walk enough.

And everywhere in general, the fad diets. Trying to convince us that low carb, low fat, low salt, low sugar, low whatever, is the answer. Look at the rest of the world and you'll see that you don't have to do without to be fit and healthy. It is: not too much of anything, everything in moderation. (Julia Child had it right, and she lived a long and healthy life!)

As far as the rising obesity in children, I think tv and video games. What happened to playing outside? I was always out bike riding or playing games with other kids in the neighborhood. You hardly see that anymore, and it's sad.

Huge portions, eating too many refined carbs, snacking, in general eating way too much food! I travel overseas all the time, and the rest of the world eats normal portions, Americans eat MASSIVE! portions that could easily feed 2-3 people. Plus eating all the cheap but tasty (I absolutely LOVE properly made pomme frites!) stuff just isn't good for you.

The only way I keep my weight under control is by conciously understanding what I am eating and keeping portions reasonable. Trust me, eating for me is serious enjoyment, but I would die of a heart attack before I turned 50 if I didn't take it easy.

When all humans were hunters and gatherers, sure, eat at the buffet till there was nothing left because you didn't know when you would eat next. But we don't live like cavemen anymore.

Ah, my Atari 2600 ... good times.

I agree with everything the other posters have said. But I also think there is the issue of how our meat supply is raised. The elements in beef, pork, and poultry feed that fattens them up for market eventually makes its way to our tables, and we consume it as well.

You must read "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group.....excellent book on business in general with his restaurants being the setting....if there is any one book out there that all restuaranteurs (in business or planning on it) should read, this is it...

I would love a restaurant that had a NO CELL PHONE rule! Please, it is distracting and annoying to hear a loud one sided conversation. Dining out is supposed to be a social event with real people looking at eachother and talking in conversational tones.

Also, I love to eat at places where the staff seems genuinely glad you came!

My #1 restaurant turn-off is inescapable television. When I'm out dining, I'm not there to watch TV. Put a TV behind the bar and leave the dining room alone. The same goes for the waiting area - let me converse with my party, not compete with the TV.

Another thing that annoys me is when no thought is given to people's sizes when seating is determined. If a patron is short, don't give her the high-top with no foot rest. If a patron is wide, don't give him a narrow booth for squishing into. If she's tall, try to avoid the booth where the hanging Victorian lamp will put the bulb right at eye level. &c &c. Pay attention to the customer's unspoken needs and preferences.