Organic soy milk, free-range poultry, and kale-cucumber juice, anyone? Certainly eating healthy and staying in shape can help us avoid diseases and live longer. Nearly all fast food restaurants are moving toward healthier options to help us eat better by including real fruit smoothies, salads, and grilled chicken on their menus, but others have been bucking the trend. It's great to have healthy options, but when visiting a fried chicken restaurant, is our intention really to eat healthy? Can we fault the restaurant for offering fried chicken? Fast food restaurants are facing some of the greatest criticisms for unhealthy offerings while home cooks are innovating some of the most creative foods yet avoiding the media coverage. Those restaurants, critics claim, should bear the brunt of responsibility when it comes to obesity in the country, but it all boils down to our own choices, not availability. Throw two strips of bacon, two slices of cheese, and some special sauce between two boneless fried chicken breasts and you have the KFC Double Down. Yes, that's fried chicken substitution for bread in this sandwich that seems like it could have come from Frankenstein's kitchen. Though "the Double Down generated more buzz than any test market item in KFC history," according to Yum Brands (parent company to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell), the hubbub did not translate into sales. Some speculate that the highly critical media coverage deterred customers from ever trying the culinary creation; others believe that American appetites never wanted to product, preferring healthier options. More likely, it's an item that people indulge in only occasionally for fun.

Maybe Yum Brands learned something from the KFC Double Down test. Its newest innovation at Pizza Hut, the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza, was only unveiled at UK restaurants; the company has no plans to bring the taste to the US, so if an American wants to try a hot dog stuffed pizza, it may have to be made in one's own kitchen.

Perhaps some critics should take note of just how popular certain fatty food innovations are. People flock to restaurants and stands that fry up desserts, such as the famous fried Twinkie, fried Snickers, or fried pie. Home chefs prepare Krispy Kreme burgers (a burger with a donut bun) and deep fry turkey, so there must be some draw to these fatty masterpieces. The general population isn't eating like this every day; therefore, these uber-fatty options are likely considered novelty items. The entertainment value of serving a hot dog/pizza or burger/donut combination or any other crazy food concoction creates a carefree feeling and allows people to play with their food.
Epic Meal Time has taken unhealthy to the next level, and though its members may eventually regret their eating choices, there is no denying the entertainment value of guys creating and eating monstrosities like fast food lasagna, candy tacos, and a supersized take on the Double Down. Having foods like the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza available may draw incredible amounts of criticism, but we all have a choice in what we eat. It isn't McDonald's fault that Americans have grown bigger. If you want to eat healthy, enjoy your salad and fruit smoothie. If you want that bacon burger, go ahead and enjoy that, too. Food has become more than nourishment; it's also entertainment and novelty for many people who don't think Double Downs are what's wrong with the world.

The author's tone throughout the passage can best be described as:

Group of answer choices

Nostalgic

Frantic

Candid

Desperate