Well Rounded Children？

　　Four decades ago， mothers across the world used totell their children， “eat all your food， people are starving inChina.” But times have changed and things are differentnow. In fact things are so different that far from havingtoo little to eat， the pendulum has swung way over to theother side.

　　I sat in the corner of a downtown Beijing McDonald’ssipping a hot chocolate and people watching. It is my favoritepastime in China. Nearby a mother and her youngboy， who could not have been more than eight， plonkedthemselves down and unloaded their tray.

　　I watched as the boy noisily munched his way throughtwo cheeseburgers， two jumbo packets of French fries，a large coke， apple pie and some kind of ice cream pudding.

　　What was fascinating was the systematic way heate - it was more an act of devouring. Mom ate nothing，content only to gaze on adoringly. Now， what made thisscene worth watching was that the boy was plump to thepoint of being obese. His cheeks began where his eyesended and the flesh undulated its way down his bodyin rolls. None of this seemed to bother his mother， whoactively urged him on with encouraging proud pats onthe head and cooing noises.

　　Glancing around the room， I saw there wereat least five other podgy boys and adults， presumablyparents， in the same feasting process.Bountiful is the word that came to mind.

　　There is something inherently wrong withseeing a fat Chinese person. It is like seeing awhite Ferrari or watching Jackie Chan in a lovestory. It is just not right somehow. After all， thisis the nation that is known for its slim figuresand healthy lifestyle.

　　The saddest thing is that it is the Chinesechildren who are bloating up faster than youcan say “pass the double thick shake.” Put itdown to the fact that these little “emperors”are being given everything that their now affluentparents never had as youngsters， or thatin some convoluted way fat means well-off andhealthy to many proud parents.

　　As the only child in an extended family，children are spoiled by their parents andgrandparents (on both sides of the family) andgiven food， especially fast food， with a highproportion of fat and calories. They also exerciseless by sitting idle or watching TV whileeating snacks.

　　The government is battling the juvenile bulge， in part，by building more playgrounds， initiating fat bootcampsand requiring students to exercise or play sports for anhour a day at school.

　　But it is not only about more exercise. An increasingnumber of Chinese are eating more processed meatproducts， fat， salt and sugar， but less grains and vegetables，often associated with the modernization of lifestylein developing countries like China.

　　In 2013， the number of obese people under the ageof 18 had reached 120 million， according to the ChineseCenter for Disease Control and Prevention. Inevitably thisis leading to massive spikes in cases of high blood pressureand diabetes.

　　I watched as the supersized Chinese boy and hismother got up to leave. She beamed at him and tookhis chubby hand leading him out. As he waddled away Ithought those extra rolls he was carrying are the priceChinese are paying for their new prosperity and lifestyle.Perhaps it is time that the relationship between the growingeconomy and even faster growing waistlines shouldprovide some food for thought， and doting parents learnto say “No！”