Heads Up, Guys, Madison Jumps To Front Of Healthy Line
Wisconsin State Journal :: LOCAL/WISCONSIN :: C1
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
William R. Wineke Wisconsin State Journal
"You can go an entire day without seeing fat people in Madison."
The quote, from a Men's Health magazine story listing Madison as the best city for men's health in the country, is designed to instill civic pride -- and we are smart, healthy and good-looking, are we not? -- though it does beg the question of whether the article's writer ever actually visited the city.
Madison was listed first among 101 cities ranked by the magazine in its November issue. A year ago, the magazine ranked Madison No. 24. It gave no reasons for the improved standing, but we can assume it just took the editors time to come to their senses.
Madison ranked ahead of three California cities -- San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Ana. Minneapolis was fifth. Memphis ranked last.
Of Madison, the magazine says: "Walk ... and you'll see what every healthy American man dreams of seeing: choices. Jogging or kayaking? Thai food or East African? A curvy blonde reading Nietzsche or a willowy brunette reading The Onion?'"
Madison, it continues, has 6,000 acres of park space, plus lakes "which are really just big liquid parks."
Does all this really lead to good health? "Only six cities in the United States have a lower male mortality rate," it says. Well, there you go then.
The magazine quotes Dr. Patrick Remington, an administrator at the Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, as someone who "epitomizes the typical citizen: intelligent and witty with an endurance athlete's slim physique and a younger man's gaze coming from behind his glasses."
It also suggests that Madison people form a health "oasis," a "stronghold against Wisconsin's bratwurst/cheesehead reputation, as well as an example for the rest of our overweight nation."
They said it, we didn't.
The magazine ranked cities on the basis of fitness, quality of life and health. Madison received an "A" in each category; Memphis received an "F" in each.
Whereas the Men's Health investigators couldn't find a fat person in Madison, they seemingly couldn't find a healthy man in Memphis.
"For a quick weekend, it's nirvana; guys can gorge themselves on Corky's ribs and Pig's pork shoulder and head back to the airport before things get nasty. But the locals never escape."
And if they did, we know where they would want to escape to. Do we not?