Calories Don't Count

I was in line at a cafe today and the barista said to the woman in front of me, "Would you like a pastry?" The woman hummed and hawed a bit and the barista cut in, "It's Thanksgiving week, calories don't count."I was perturbed by this comment.  First of all, if you know me, you know I cannot abide the mention of calories as food is meant to nourish us and to be enjoyed.  The mention of calories or the healthy state of the food prior to consumption ruins the experience, or at least taints it.  Eating, like all other acts involving the senses ought to be savored and enjoyed, shared with loved ones or even celebrated alone. We are so blessed to live in abundance that we now have to think about excess.  It is no secret that our society greatly suffers from obesity and the related health risks and conditions.With that said, the notion that "calories don't count during Thanksgiving" (or ever for that matter) is deeply deeply flawed and explains in part why we have an obesity problem.  Yes, eat a pastry, savor and enjoy it but maybe not if you have already had breakfast.  We mustn't eat just for the act of eating.  We have to eat to nourish our bodies (and souls) but not to excess because clearly, doing so in excess has adverse effects on our physical bodies.  We are given a body but not an instruction manual for it, it is up to each individual to know how to care for his or her body.  Although it should be an innate feeling of when to stop eating or to get out and move or yearn for the endorphin release of strenuous activity but maybe we have grown away from that.  With the amount of information available to us via the internet, television, radio, doctor's visits, etc. maybe that behavior can be learned but clearly it is not.They say you shouldn't complain if you don't have a solution and I don't have a solution, I just wanted to get my thoughts out and vent.