Trouble, trouble, trouble

For the past several weeks I've been troubled by infrequent stomach troubles. The problem is, I can't zoom into the cause of it. It could be bad fast food, or lactose intolerance, or old less-than-ideal food, or spicy food. I've narrowed down the potential causes to these four at least, so I've made some progress. I think it's lactose intolerance, but then sometimes I can happily eat cheeses on sandwiches, with no problems. A theory that's been put forward is that there's so little actual cheese or lactose in American cheese that you can happily eat it even as a lactose intolerant person. It could hold true, I don't know for sure because there are so many moving parts in here.

I went to taco bell -- the only one in Boston currently -- today, and spent an hour getting my order. The food was okay, perhaps Taco bells really are better when you're high. I forgot the diablo sauce, that could be a reason why, but then if someone's food needs to be slathered in sauce to taste good, it's time to start questioning the food. I've been eating fast food almost once every other week or so in the past several months, and I've been realizing I miss cheap crappy food less and less. If I don't want to spend too much, I'd rather get something cheap at a nicer sandwich shop or an appetizer at a restaurant. I used to think of fast food chains as great equalizers: the wicked witch of omaha eats at those, and so do we(!), and so do the poorest of Americans. I've come to see them as mirrors of great inequality -- those that can't afford proper food, with a fair balance of fibres, vitamins, proteins, carbs, fats, and what have you can afford fast food. It's not fast food's fault per se -- see other countries where KFC and McDonald's can be downright fancy with their food choices and hospitality, it's just that fast food is a reflection of the poor political power of the poor which can't force the fastfood companies to set minimum quality standards, the fundamental inequality of wealth, and the inequality of availability of healthy food choices. They lie at the heart of the deadly trifecta that keeps poor Americans poor, unhealthy, and mad. It's like the saying about the apple, healthy wealthy and rad was it(?), but the opposite.

Although I have lactase in me now, it is my understanding (from experience) that eating it post-hoc is not how it's supposed to work. Still, an antacid and a lactase tablet in case of a bad stomach never hurt anyone; ...already suffering from grumbling tummies and ill will.