Keeping a quick pace, I looked at the climb as an opportunity to work off all the Arabian sweets I had consumed the days prior to Petra, and easily passed those choosing the very popular donkey ride up the never-ending steps.

FORBES: Jordan's Most Valuable Treasure: The Ancient City Of Petra

Ms. HARRISON: When we look at all the advertisements together, candy, sweets, soft drinks and fast and convenience foods make up over 80 percent of all of the foods that were advertised.

NPR: Kids Have Easy Access to Junk Food

It sounded like a place where the teen-age years went on forever, all gray days by the water and strange-tasting sweets that fizzed in your mouth, making you think of the possibility of sex.

NEWYORKER: The Cold Outside

Her brother Frank would spend all five pennies the first day and gorge himself on sweets.

FORBES: What Equality Should We Seek in Society?

He called for a ban on all soft drinks and significant reduction of the amount of sweets available, while insisting children try healthy food they claimed not to like.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Call for children's food ad curbs

Add to this the constant bombardment of the US consumer by all kinds of fast food, sweets and fats commercials, especially kids, and you get a blend of consumer-deceiving marketing unique to the U.S. in both its intensity and gravity.

FORBES: Connect

After a contemporary American dish, like asparagus flan with a scoop of pistachio pesto, and chilled lobster topped with pickled white asparagus, skip the sweets and order the Evolution of Cheddar flight (after all, you are in Wisconsin).

FORBES: Hotel Of The Day: The American Club

Gone is the mid section of fruits and veggies narrowing to the tiniest peak of fats, sweets and oils built on Bush-era dietary research that all fats were bad fats.

FORBES: U.S.D.A. Topples Food Pyramid With A Very Expensive Plate