Healthy Eating Update

America, I hereby declare you free of the scourge of the Turkey Burger.

We've all been there. You want a burger. A fat, juicy, beefy burger with fries on the side and a lot of ketchup. Maybe a draft beer, in a frosted glass. Yeah....

So you call a friend or two, tell them to meet you at Joe's, jump into your car and head for your fix. But something happens along the way. The little voice of conscience and waistband says, "Don't do it, Desperate. Don't eat the enemy. Have something healthy instead. How about a turkey burger? Not really what you had in mind but you can pretend. Yes. Order the turkey burger. And forget the Stella, make that a Diet Coke."

And you cave. You abandon your dreams. No Cheeseburger in Paradise for you. Just a turkey burger in the loser's column.

Last summer I thought I'd found the solution. There is one place I've been to that sells a -- brace yourself- turkey burger that is actually delicious. I know, I know. I thought it was a hoax too. But the waitress assured me, nothing but turkey here. Real burger deliciousness in a healthy, waist0conscious package. Woo hoo!

Well. All dreams must end, I suppose.

The other night we were once again at this eatery that I thought was going to save me ten pounds this summer. But we- the spouse and I- made the mistake of chatting with the waitress before we ordered, and the subject of the turkey burger came up.

"Yes, isn't it fabulous?" she gushed. "We sell a lot of those."

But what makes them so fabulous, we asked?

She glanced around. "It's all turkey," she whispered. "We grind the meat ourselves. But--"

We held our breath.

"-- we add the skin of the bird to the meat. It makes it so juicy!"

So there you have it: the secret to "healthy" food is it only tastes great if it's actually sickeningly unhealthy.

As I said. You are now free to roam around the menu. And have the Stella. I hear people who drink diet soda are as fat as the rest of us.