The 70’s
Looking back, OMG we were skinny.
I must admit that I miss the funky spirit of the 70’s. Lionel Ritchie & The Commodores, platform shoes, stubbies, Chopper bicycles, The Bee Gees (ok they weren’t funky), but you know what I mean. The 70’s were a time of optimism. The war was long forgotten and the sixties had liberalised western society so that we had a decade basked in Kodachrome. Rich and poor weren’t too far apart and jumbo jets took us to places never imagined. We had it all brother – free education, free parking, free medical and dental, dirt cheap housing.
What we didn’t have was food.
Looking back it seems incredible how un-foodie we were. The prawn cocktail was heralded as life’s answer to culinary sophistication and the fondue was the tie-dye and beads of dinner parties. Otherwise, we ate bugger all. Just take a look at any 70’s TV show. Not a McChubster in sight. The actors were so skinny they had to stand in the same place twice to cast a shadow.
In factual actual, in the 1970’s the average daily calorie intake in the US was about 2000 calories per day. By 2007 Americans were putting away closer to 2300 per day. Needless to say the trend in NZ was similar. Simply put, we are now eating at least 25% more every day than we did in the 1970’s.
As well as quantity there is of course now more variety. In the 70’s we were limited to stuff that grew in backyard dirt and various parts of old sheep. Now we are spoiled for choice and get a bit shirty if we find out that our bok choy isn’t free range or if they ran out of virgins to make our olive oil (its very obvious why Australia can’t produce olive oil).
The point is that we were skinny because we lived on meagre rations. So, is the answer to today’s bloating population to go back to the 70’s? Certainly it would be cool to have the Afro back, and it was nice driving cars that looked like space ships. The inflation would suck, as would a shortage of petrol and itchy underpants. But that aside, a 70’s society would be fairer and less material. Teenagers would walk more frequently as it would be the only way to communicate with their friends. Adults would only drink beer and cask wine, and of course it would be dead sheep and boiled cabbage for dinner. But, and remember this, we would be skinny. Our BMI would be perfect, fast food just a wishful dream.
So, while the thought of a skinny butt in flared pants is pretty tempting, there is no turning back. Yes we were skinny in the 70’s but like everything else back then, there was a lack of choice. That’s the great a thing about life today. We can decide who to marry, where to be educated, what to wear, what to buy, and what to eat. We love choice, and even though we can choose things that are bad for us (Trump, Brexit, KFC Double Down), we would still rather have it. The price we pay is obvious, we are becoming fat and stupid, but I’m afraid to turn that clock back is about as likely as a mother-in-law’s apology or the IRD sending you a smiley face emoji.
Richard Alexander Bain
self confessed soul brother