Week3: Fruity Surprises at the Breakfast Buffet of a Business Hotel

Toward the end of Week 3, in a business hotel far away, I was faced with a long day in a neighborhood with nothing but the shiny visages of fast food joints and a a few Latino spots in a shady socio-economic neighborhood with lost dogs roaming the streets and rumors of gang violence moving east from LA.  As I walked out of the hotel gym at 6:45AM I inspected the free breakfast buffet with some dubiousness.  I spied with my little eye something that begins with an F.

Image courtesy of Dole.

Dole tropical fruit cups. Just for fun I looked at the ingredient label.  Absolutely nothing in there except a few different kinds of fruit and some corn syrup. I grabbed two.  They were pretty damned sweet for my personal taste, but I managed to suck them both down around noon o'clock. Knowing I would be lacking protein, I continued my reconnaissance.  In the little fridge there were several different kinds of yogurt.  All but one were some version of low-fat/low-calorie with about a gazillion ingredients no minor chemist could pronounce.  However, toward the side there were a few Dannon All Natural.

Image courtesy of Dannon.

I quote the ingredients from memory because nowhere on the Dannon company website can I find an ingredient listing for any of their products. Nutritional info, yes. Ingredients, no. Milk cultures, pectin, and vanilla flavoring.  That's it, IIRC. As a matter of fact, on their Our Products page, Dannon does not even list All Naturals as a product. I had to go to the site map to find All Naturals, despite the fact that this is clearly one of their products. Other yogurts in the fridge were all from the Dannon company, and all had less calories to varying degrees.  Dannon Natural Vanilla has 120 calories, the others had between 80 and 60 each. Along with various other treats for your body and the environment. 2.5 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein.

The last thing I grabbed before I hauled my sweaty body upstairs to shower was a banana. There was only one thing under that wrapper, and we all know what that is.