Health crazes are not a new thing in our society, but the extreme that they are taken to in “Egg Salad Sandwiches” seems fantastical. In this fiction piece, written by Caroline O., a narrator is recounting a time in her life to her grandniece where there were “unhealthy foods of the day” that were banned for the twenty-four hours and every aspect of life was controlled by calories and fitness. Proper nutrition was barred by calorie counting and fat-shaming was promoted by posters in schools. This take on the food issues occurring today, but on a much larger scale, impressed me with the ingenuity of the concept. If it is an issue today, why wouldn’t it blow up and take over society?
     

All over the internet, there are articles detailing the fattiest foods,  the newest diets, and whatever vitamin that celebrity is endorsing. Everyone aims to have the “perfect” body, many harming their bodies to do so. The thought of a future where that would be the norm instead of a “craze” is terrifying and intriguing. One of the questions on the narrator’s little brother’s math homework is “If Lola ate 800 calories and exercised away 100 calories, how many calories are there left?” This question is in a child’s math homework, reflecting how big “health” has become in that society. Calorie counting is a normal part of life, in turn restricting a person’s diet and withholding necessary nutrients from them. “Egg Salad Sandwiches” truly brings light to the problem that health crazes are becoming, in a new and inventive way.