After snagging a Best Actress Oscar at Sunday’s Academy Awards for her portrayal of British monarch Elizabeth II, 61-year-old Helen Mirren had a uniquely common touch to her victory celebration: With cameras flashing, she sat down at an after-awards party and chowed down on a burger — golden statue by her side. We’re guessing it just goes to show that no matter the glamour and glitz, we all enjoy a good meal.Two days later, the real Queen of England’s son indicated that he doesn’t get that bit of culinary common sense. Earlier this week, Prince Charles suggested the British government "ban" fast food.Apparently the King-to-be thinks that regulating away inexpensive burgers and fries is the best way to make people healthy. Unsurprisingly, a number of the Prince’s "subjects" have taken issue with the idea of getting rid of the food the royal family doesn’t approve of — most notably British celebrity chef Marco White. Yesterday, White called the Prince’s suggestion"wrong and foolish," and said that while he doesn’t eat fast food "every day," he likes to occasionally "stop off [because] you know what you get … You have to look at whether restaurants offer value for money."And — in today’s Telegraph (UK) — columnist Bryony Gordon blasted the Prince for promoting the notion that banning away "bad" foods will improve kids’ health:
Make children healthier? I doubt it. If anything, calls to ban junk food and its advertising have the opposite effect, because they allow people to shift the blame from themselves to Turkey Twizzlers and Happy Meals. My kid’s 14 stone? Not my fault – it’s that slightly sinister-looking clown! I couldn’t possibly moderate his behaviour and teach him about a balanced diet!
The only good thing you can say about Princes Charles’ suggestion is that he’s honest about his intentions. Stateside anti-quick-service factions — like the Center for Science in the Public Interest — would never be so explicit about their apparent intentions to incrementally legislate your favorite cheesburger into non-existence. Instead, they push for fat taxes, warning labels, and marketing restrictions.
