Monday

Interesting observation...

It has been established that I got my perfect meal from Flame Broiler, which is located in Sherman Oaks. It has also been established that when it comes to healthy meals, Sherman Oaks also beats out Panorama City/Arleta. Is it a coincidence that Sherman Oaks is a higher class community whereas both Panorama City and Arleta are working-class communities? I don't think so. More often than not, one's quality of life is defined by where she lives. Where one lives determines her access to resources, and her access to resources basically determines the quality of her life. For example, my journey to find the "perfect meal" revealed that the Panorama City/Arleta area did not have many places that offer healthy alternatives, whereas in Sherman Oaks I was able to eat at three restaurants that offered all natural, healthy dishes. A resident of Panorama City or Arleta has less healthy options compared to a Sherman Oaks resident, as seen in my results. 
I have lived in Panorama City for 11 years and I have yet to see a restaurant or food joint that offers healthy alternatives...there is a reason for this. Healthy and nutritious food comes at a high price; organic and all-natural products are more expensive to produce because farmers do not use any pesticides or artificial substances to induce the growth of crops. So naturally, the nutritious food is more expensive than the processed stuff (Healthy Food > Processed).
Seeing as that Panorama City is considered a working-class, with some areas on the lower end, neighborhood, it is no surprise that the availability of healthier restaurants is practically zero- most of the residents would not be able to afford the more nutritious food. Instead, there are numerous fast food chains like McDonald's, Carl's Jr., Del Taco and In-n-Out that offer not-so-healthy food at cheap prices that every resident can afford. 
These unfortunate trends lead to higher rates of obesity in working-class neighborhoods (Obesity Rates in Working Class Neighborhoods). 
Across the pond in Britain, obesity has been linked to social class. Bob Holman, who works on projects in socially-deprived areas in Britain said that, "This [Obesity] is not rocket science. Poor health is a well-known feature of deprivation. Mothers are not daft and they do know fat and crisps are bad for children but they can't afford the alternative. The Government has to give them the means. Initiatives are not going to change anything unless you've got the cash in your pocket. If you buy a salad at Sainsbury's, it's still very expensive. (Poverty and Obesity)" When people do not have access to better food due to location and financial limitations, they have no other choice but to eat what they can afford- sadly, what is usually affordable is the fattening junk one finds at the local fast food place that only proves to be unhealthy. 
So here it is- in addition to finding my "perfect" meal, I also discovered the sad truth that where a person lives ultimately determines the quality of his life. Working class neighborhoods like Panorama City and Arleta have a lower prevalence of healthy eateries because eating healthy is not cheap- people will obviously opt to eat the $1 burger rather than the $8 organic crepe if it means they save money. So no demand for the healthy stuff equals no healthy resturants. Sherman Oaks, on the other hand, has more healthy alternatives because as a higher-class neighborhood, its residents are able to afford to eat right; people willing to pay more for nutritious food equates more healthy eateries. 

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