Last night we went out to the local pizza/pasta place here in Van Nuys. This is one of those old, traditional Italian restaurants that has been in the neighborhood many years.

Towards the end of our meal, the waiters pushed together two tables across from ours and we knew that a large party would be arriving. We didn’t know how “large” the large party would be.

In walked about 4 men, 4 woman and maybe 6 children. They were most likely Mexican-Americans, nobody was older than 30, and every single one of them was obese or fat. They looked like nice folks, everyone was laughing and conversing.

When they sat down, they ordered their sodas and pizza.

These children, sitting among their adult protectors and mentors, are learning to live life as fat people. They will grow up and be unable to ride bikes, to walk without breathing heavily, to wear a bathing on the beach without embarrassment. They will never fit gracefully into an airplane or movie seat, or go biking, hiking or make love without effort. As they get older, (perhaps by the time they reach the age of 12) they will be diabetic, and many will have asthma, high cholesterol and the beginnings of heart disease.

The patrons looked like great parents, they were affectionate and kind and caring. But in terms of teaching their children the very fundamental lessons of staying healthy, they were woefully negligent.