Gluttony at the Dome: All-You-Can-Eat Seats

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a big Twins fan. I have to admit I don't really watch a lot of games (we have a bare bones cable package for news and PBS Kids) but I enjoy reading about the team's exploits -- and blunders -- and my wife and I take our kids to a half dozen games a year, attend a handful more by ourselves and listen to games on the radio.

Recently, however, I noticed a promotion that gives new meaning to "big" sports fans. The All-You-Can-Eat seats allow patrons to scarf an unlimited number of "hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, soft pretzels, [and] fountain soda" then sit on their duffs for 3 hours while their blood sugar goes through the roof. Sounds like a recipe for a heart attack, or at least an invitation to adult onset diabetes.

I find it really quite sad. Not that people enjoy this kind of food, but that they're enticed by how much money they could "save" by stuffing themselves with it. It highlights one of the central problems at the intersection of our brand of capitalism and the "personal food economy." A rational consumer wants to maximize the value of his or her food dollar, so portion size becomes the primary gauge of value. Once again it's quantity over quality.

I don't think I'm that much of a food snob, at least not at the ball park. I enjoy a good beer or two, and typically eat a large bag of peanuts by myself. But I'm not going to stuff myself on food simply because it's cheap and available. There are relatively healthy food choices at the ball game, but you have to search them out, and they do often cost a bit more. The "Carving Stations" for instance serve a nice roasted turkey sandwich, carved up on the spot with a Caesar salad on the side. So I guess I'd rather sit in the "cheap seats" and eat the pricier fare.

Next time I go to a game I think I'll take a stroll over to the A.Y.C.E. section and see if the patrons there look much different from those in other sections. My guess is they probably won't. But if they start sitting in these seats game after game, I'd suggest the engineers take a close look at those gusset plates before the end of the season, as the Twins will have found a new way to achieve spectator growth.