Fat

The recent and ongoing debate over the amount of fat in the American diet has frightened many people away from good cooking and pleasurable eating. Yet it's important to remember that there are no bad foods, only bad eating habits--and we shouldn't forget that fat is a necessary nutritional component in our diet. Fat's appealing taste and texture ensured that early humankind received enough calories for the enormous expenditure of energy required to survive.

First the box. Now the burger? McDonald's Corp., which is discarding its plastic foam cartons to please environmentalists, said Wednesday that it is testing a low-fat hamburger to please weight-watchers. One nutritionist hailed the announcement as an apparent breakthrough in the fight against fast-food fat. The new quarter-pound hamburger is 91% fat-free and weighs in with 310 calories and 10 grams of fat, including the bun, ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion, lettuce and tomato.

Regarding the commentary by Carla Kucinski lamenting the increased use of "fat suits" by actors and comedians ("Hollywood Beefs Up for a Good Laugh," June 27): If any obese people are upset by the humor generated by actors in fat costumes, they should either develop thicker skins or eat less and exercise more. Forgive my callous attitude, but as a short man (5-feet-4), I have always had to put up with Hollywood's endless stereotyping of short men as either buffoons or psychos. From the torrent of short jokes in movies like "Shrek" to a TV show like "ER," in which each male character's level of decency and competency corresponds directly to how tall he is (if you've never noticed this, pay attention the next time you watch)

Carl's Jr. is getting an oil change. The fast-food chain announced this week that it is testing cholesterol-free french fries, zucchini and onion rings in its 30 San Diego restaurants. The outlets are cooking all of their fried products in a blend of corn and soybean oil, rather than an animal-vegetable blend, a saturated fat that generally is considered less healthy. If enough customers sink their teeth into the lower-fat food, the Anaheim-based chain says it will switch to vegetable oil in all 490 of its stores.

For the second time in less than a year, researchers have pinpointed a genetic flaw that makes people fat. Three international teams of researchers reported Thursday that they have identified a common defect in a gene that regulates how fast the body burns calories. Those with the bad gene tend to grow potbellies and develop diabetes earlier in adulthood.

Memorial Day usually signals the beginning of the outdoor barbecue season, but it can also begin a period of anxiety for fat-watchers since some favorite grilled items are major sources of saturated fat--the dietary element most recently implicated in raising serum cholesterol. Beef roasts and steaks, cheeseburgers and frankfurters are among the top sources of saturated fat in the diet, according to a recent issue of Environmental Nutrition, a diet, nutrition and health newsletter written by registered dietitians.

Mexican food is arguably the most popular cuisine in Los Angeles, especially at this time of year when so many families celebrate Cinco de Mayo. But a great number of Angelenos have eliminated the celebrated cuisine from their list of acceptable foods because of its high saturated fat and cholesterol content. Consider the typical restaurant combination dinner. A standard Mexican meal includes a cheese enchilada, beef taco, refried beans, rice and the obligatory basket of chips and salsa.

I heard friends brag about how they "lost seven pounds in one week" on a special diet. But one seldom hears how they put it all back on the instant they went off the miracle cure. Diets come and diets go. One recommends loading up on carbohydrates. Another suggests that everything will be fine if you just eliminate all fats. Still another offers total success if you simply live on some sort of master-mix drinkable meals. And each is billed as absolutely the best and easiest way to get your weight exactly where you want it with the least trouble.

Some productions begin with a handshake, a conference call, a Bombay martini at Morton's. We might say they have a hundred starts, or no real start at all, for the inaugurating rituals remain private and various from project to project, studio to studio. But in Hong Kong, all films begin alike. They embark almost exactly as "Peace Hotel" did in a windowless production office on a December afternoon. They begin with a roast pig wrapped in cellophane and two dried fish on a table. They begin with a prayer.