Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been talking about a proposal to ban selling sodas and sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and food carts. This move generated a huge amount of conversation from our readers, and we highlighted a selection of comments on the CNN Mash-up.
New York City seeks to ban big sodas from restaurants, food carts
Big Gulp? Meet Big Brother
Friday happens to be National Doughnut Day, and a few readers are tying the soda and pastry issues together.
omegaworks: "Didn't he (Bloomberg) just cut the doughnut this morning for National Doughnut Day? National Doughnut Day... we can't drink soda, but we can celebrate National Doughnut Day ... I guess doughnuts aren't fattening."
Bloomberg's signature is on a proclamation declaring June 1, 2012, to be "NYC Donut Day" in honor of the 75th year of this tradition, which honors dessert-serving Salvation Army volunteers during World War I. The proclamation is posted on a New York Times blog.
A special gift, then? (Krispy Kreme is also marking its 75th birthday this year.)
Top_News: "National doughnut day? I think I'll send 2 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to NYC Mayor Bloomberg just for the heck of it. LOL"
And, for that matter ...
Jeff: "How am I supposed to wash down my 12-inch doughnut with this piddly little 16 ounce drink?"
The most-liked comment from the "Big Gulp" piece suggested giving the proverbial sibling something to do. Others said they think obesity is becoming too big a problem.
Rosemary Sterner: "Maybe if Big Brother would bring back physical education and recess to schools, half the problem would be solved."
Jeremy Iverson: "I hate the government telling me what I can/can't do, but Americans are SOO fat. It's hard not to support this on some level if for nothing else than the message it sends."
Many readers talked about the American diet. This reader says Bloomberg should focus on knowledge.
scnn1a: "Wouldn't it be better if Bloomberg tried to educate people on why to avoid sugary drinks? It seems to me that if people are ignorant they'll just get hooked on to another bad habit! Then doughnut shops will do more business."
This person says there's something to be said for Bloomberg's ideas.
amirite: "I'm so sick and tired of having to pick from supersaturated corn syrupy nasty drinks with my meal. There are some sodas that have half the calories of what's in Pepsi and Coke products and they taste BETTER than the nasty supersweet crap. I want a drink, not a birthday cake in my soda. Others are right, the soda sizes have gone crazy. Drinking a large drink like those banned is like eating a dozen of doughnuts instead of a couple, or eating a whole chicken instead of a serving. Big drinks do make you fat."
New York and California, in the crosshairs.
ThisGADude: "NYC's biggest problem isn't soda. It's a mental deficiency that tends to make one believe you know everything regardless of how ridiculous you sound. The symptoms are prevalent in California, too."
Heck yes, America.
jlerari11: "Bloomberg really doesn't get America. The fact that you can buy a 64 ounce Super Gulp for 99 cents makes it the greatest country on Earth. If you want to dictate our food portions, go govern China or Cuba. Besides, we are not fat because of the availability of large soft drinks. We are fat because so many of us just quit moving. We sit behind a computer for 8 hours and then behind the TV for another 4. What would you expect your body to look like? Do you think a 12 ounce Diet Coke is going to fix that?"
iReporter Sean Cochran of Joliet, Illinois, said in a video post that he actually would support a sugary drinks rule in his town.
“I just feel that we (Americans) find every excuse not to lose weight or get in shape. Yet we always complain that we are too fat or that we need to diet. The first time someone tries to make us do something healthy, all we do is complain. I would welcome the change in Illinois.”
Many looked to the future. Could other kinds of, um, dietary changes be on the horizon?
Halley DeVestern: "Yeah, this is silly. You might as well ban all 'unhealthy' food and beverages in NYC. No more Scotch, bacon, beer, vodka, fettuccine Alfredo, coffee, pate de fois gras, ice cream, cheese, filet mignon, dougnuts, etc. We'll be livin' on Soylent Green next ..."
For everyone else, there's this dining option.
Didelphis325: "I'd love to start a restaurant down here in GA and call it 'Banned in NYC.' Our menu would consist only of items that were deep-fried, pan-fried, chicken-fried or barbecued. Vegetables would include fried okra, fried mushrooms, fried onion rings, fried green tomatoes, french fries or fried corn. Beverages would all be larger than 16 ounces. Although we could not allow smoking, we would have spittoons for those who cared to chew. Every chair would have a picture of Bloomberg on the seat. I consider myself a liberal but this guy is something else."
What's your take? Share your opinion, or just your doughnuts, in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.
Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Or is that Tennessawers ?
To the DeLorean, McFly!
Where are we going Doc ?
Tenneseesawers?
Lmao!
That's only if we're talking about them in past tense.
Or they are on playground equipment...
@ banasy©
That one had to sink in for a moment. LMAO Too funny.
Back to 1836 to see if Nostradamas' prediction comes true....
@bobcat(in a hat) that will be grand. You know how much we love them.
Have you taken a look at the Syria blog recently ? After page 1, somebody really decided to take over it.
No, I'll go look now, Rawr.
@Rawr:
That has to be some bot program.
The time stamps are all pretty much the same.
@ banasy©
I just went back and checked it out again, and this one time I've got to give kudos to CNN. They've deleted just about all of that stuff.
Thank goodness!
That guy was a bit...touched.
I can count the number of movies I've gone to see on my fingers and toes...ears, eyes...maybe count toenails. Anyway, whomever hijacked me...why? CNN keeps these blogs confusing enough without your help.
And I don't think Joey ever wore elastic pants to save a belly button from popping due to pizza glut.
Last night someone tried to get bobcat and I at ea. others throats. Perhaps CNNs moderators are doing what CNN does...post stories we are divided on, while other more newsworthy cables get passed over...ones most of US would agree on.
Has anyone seen 'saywhat' lately?
@ Philip
I don't know what the deal is with CNN and the hijackers. It's gotten the point of me not wanting to post any more. But I don't want to do that because I enjoy everyones company. I'm thick skinned. I will survive.
@Philip, you did a damn good job of trying to damage my reputation last night and your moderator friends left that crap up there I'm told. I would like to see an apology on this blog because I am not going back to that other one.
@not Philip:
We know it wasn't you.
It wasn't chrissy, dazzle, Jif, etc.
Saywhat usually doesn't post weekends.
Dazzie? Someone posted that you had been through a lot, and had made some kind of recovery. (telling me to ease-up on you) I was wondering what happened...how you recovered. That's all.
I'm a cranky old man from time to time to time again, but my heart is in the right place. (off my sleeve)
So sorry to have offended you.
Thank you for that Philip. I do appreciate that and regret some of the things I posted to you. Nothing major or awful happened to me but what did inspired me to be a PHD. Most of the folks I work with our 70% females who've been through what I went through. In my case only temporary drug therapy and holistic healing helped.
Can anyone get anything to post on the Houla Syria board? I just spent 20 min. and couldn't get my story to post.
They just deleted like 125 spots of trash on that board. Maybe it's just temporarily froze up.
Syria is good to go.
I just posted a test post.
Well all my friends in the land of blog, it's time for me to head for the land of nod. You guys have a good night and I'll talk to ya'll tomorrow.
Me, too, all.
Long day.
Good night, all.