The Hong Kong government took the term “nanny state” to a whole new level when it issued a rather bizarre health warning to Hong Kong’s armchair World Cup football fans yesterday.
“A spokesman for the Department of Health said today that even though crispy snacks (such as potato chips and fried food) and alcoholic beverages could add to the World Cup festivity, it is important to maintain healthy eating, get sufficient sleep, avoid tobacco or excessive alcohol, and stay within the law in terms of the smoking ban,” runs a statement issued by the government’s Information Services Department.
The lengthy health bulletin is then split into “Snack smartly,” “If you drink, drink sensibly” and “Stay away from tobacco” subcategories, with the following advice:
* When you feel like smoking, wash your face, do stretching exercises, try deep breathing and drink water to divert your attention from the urge.
* Limit fatty and sugary snacks (such as potato chips, candy bars and buttered popcorn).
* Drink plenty of water or light tea.
* Choose drinks with lower alcohol content. Reduce alcohol content by adding ice.
* Do not get into rounds. Drink alcohol-free beverages in between.
All well-intentioned, but it leads us to question our bureaucrats' grasp of reality. Ice in beer? Football without beer and chips? We’re surprised they didn’t throw “snack on tofu and carrot sticks” into the mix.
For more well-meaning, but out there World Cup health tips, check out Drinkaware's World Cup Hangover warning and a United Kingdom sexual health charity's ‘Scoring without getting an own goal’ warning.
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