**Chandler's Apartment**
"Oh, Joey, are you okay?"
At that moment, Monica had just found out and rushed over to check on him.
"Monica, I almost died."
Joey looked as if he was about to cry.
"OMG!"
Monica covered her mouth. "That serious? Didn't they already pump your stomach?"
"He's not talking about that."
Adam exposed the truth. "On the way back, he started craving a burger again. He's crying because he realizes he won't be able to eat like he used to anymore."
"..."
Monica dropped her hand and rolled her eyes at Joey.
"What?"
Joey protested. "You guys know me! Not being able to eat freely—how is that any different from being dead?"
"I'm really curious."
Adam asked with a puzzled expression, "Joey, how did you develop such an eating habit?"
"Hey! I didn't develop it—our Tribbiani family has always had huge appetites."
Joey felt offended, pointing at himself. "It's in my blood!"
"I don't buy it."
Adam chuckled. "I don't think it's genetic at all. It's a habit you picked up. If I remember correctly, you have seven sisters. Growing up, you guys probably had to fight for food, right?"
"Uh…"
Joey froze, then nodded. "Yeah."
"That explains it."
Adam snapped his fingers. "With so many siblings, you had to fight for your food as a kid, afraid there wouldn't be enough. The more you fought for it, the better it tasted. That's why the Tribbiani family ended up with such big appetites."
Joey tilted his head, thought about it, and found it surprisingly reasonable. He had no argument.
"And do you know why Americans are getting fatter and fatter?"
Adam paused before glancing at Monica. "No offense."
"No worries."
Monica's mouth twitched. "It's past Monica you'd be offending. Present Monica is not fat at all, so I don't care."
You say you don't care, but could your expression be any less convincing?
"Glad to hear that."
Adam pretended to take her words at face value and continued with a smile. "The reason Americans are getting fatter is because of unhealthy eating habits. Joey, I've been meaning to say this—you're not just unbothered by your binge eating, you actually take pride in it. You probably haven't realized the sinister force behind it."
"Sinister force?"
Joey, Monica, and Chandler spoke in unison.
Monica scoffed. "How does eating relate to some sinister force?"
"Just look at the food you love."
Adam explained, "Soda, burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, ice cream, chips, hot dogs, pizza, donuts—all of them are high in sugar and calories. Eating fast food like this just once can make you gain weight. If you eat it every day, how could you not get fat?
And haven't you noticed? The portion sizes at fast food restaurants keep getting bigger. And sodas? You can get unlimited refills for just a dollar.
Joey, your biggest pet peeve is leaving a sandwich unfinished, right?"
"Of course!"
Joey immediately shouted, "If today I only eat half a sandwich, and tomorrow it's half again—this is not the Tribbiani way!"
"Sandwiches and burgers keep getting bigger, and like you, most people instinctively finish the whole thing."
Adam pointed out, "The more oversized meals you eat, the more your stomach stretches. Before you know it, you're hungrier more often and eating even more. Then your stomach stretches further, and the cycle continues."
Americans love sweets—so much so that even the concept of a sugar daddy exists. Chips, pizza, and sandwiches are already calorie bombs, but Americans love eating them with extra butter and jam.
The calorie count is absolutely terrifying—it's off the charts.
If we were being realistic, Joey wouldn't just be someone who eats a lot without gaining weight. In reality, he'd be a massive guy, needing help just to push his chair close to the table, which would be covered in high-calorie food—just for him.
Similarly, if not for Sheldon, Leonard and Rajesh living together would've turned them into huge couch potatoes, too.
Why do people always imagine the worst-case scenario as becoming morbidly obese?
Because when people face setbacks, they often resort to comfort eating, and once you start down that path, it's almost impossible to stop. And let's be honest—life is full of setbacks.
"That's exactly it."
Monica had a haunted look, recalling her past struggles.
"The more you eat, the fatter you get, and losing weight is much harder than gaining it."
Adam smirked. "People either drive or take the subway—forget exercise, most don't even walk much. And the heavier they get, the less they want to move. So they stay home, order more takeout, and eat even more."
Now, the question is—who benefits the most from all of this?"
Joey looked completely lost.
Chandler and Monica exchanged a glance and said in unison, "The food industry."
"Exactly."
Adam grinned. "Overweight people eat two, even ten times as much as the average person. If the whole world became overweight, can you imagine how much money these food corporations would make? The profit margins are insane."
"They're treating us like livestock."
Chandler muttered in disbelief.
"Pretty much."
Adam sighed. "Poor people eat cheap, hormone-laden meat that makes them gain weight fast. The heavier they get, the more they eat, and obesity rates skyrocket.
Meanwhile, the wealthy avoid sugary, high-calorie junk food. They opt for premium meats, fresh vegetables, and salads. They exercise and stay fit.
Because they know fast food is garbage—it's meant to feed the poor."
Even Iron Man had a thing for burgers and donuts. The first thing he did after escaping captivity was eat a burger. And when he was dying from palladium poisoning, he landed on a giant donut to snack on.
But that doesn't mean he actually liked that stuff—he was just getting paid to promote it.
If a billionaire like him could be bought, imagine how powerful this industry must be…
"Why has no one told me this before?!"
Joey's eyes widened in shock.
"You really didn't know?"
Adam was equally surprised.
This is something everyone understands.
They've just accepted it.
If you can't afford high-quality food, what else are you supposed to eat besides fast food?
If you don't have time or energy to exercise, well, getting fat is just inevitable.
Even Thor, after spending too much time on Earth, turned into a beer-and-fried-chicken-loving couch potato.
And if obesity becomes universal?
Look at *WALL-E*—in that version of the future, everyone is so fat they can't even stand up.
Fiction always has its roots in reality.
This is common knowledge. Everyone knows it. But people choose to ignore it—because they can't fight it. So why struggle? Why not just lie down and enjoy being a happy couch potato?
At least there are still millions of people in the world who are starving.
Happiness is all about perspective.
Well, everyone knew it—except Joey.
Maybe he really didn't know…
**(End of Chapter)**