Duke, I have the ultimate solution to any problems that may arise during life here on campus.  And what's best?  I'm willing to share all this life-changing information with you.

And, what is the number one question on the minds of Duke students as they enter the Bryan Center?  Of course, this could only be: what should I eat at the Dillo?

Duke, I present to you "The Surface Area to Volume Ratio Treatise on the Hierarchy of the Unhealthiness of Mexican Foods at the Dillo."  It WILL change your life.

I will be presenting this argument in the form of geometric proof.  Bear with me, there are some key assumptions:

1)  Assume:  The soft tortilla is the most unhealthy part of Mexican foods.

-Evidence:  At www.chipotlefan.com, there is a nutrition calculator that shows you the exact health content of your burrito.  The soft tortilla is indeed the most unhealthy part.  It has 290 calories, 9 g of total fat, 2 g of saturated fat, and 28% of your daily value of sodium.  Even the cheese (110 calories, 9 g total fat, 6 g sat fat, 8% dv of sodium) and the meat (for steak: 190 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g sat fat, 18% dv of sodium).

2)  Assume:  The different Mexican dishes are being judged on a pound for pound basis, not a unit to unit basis.  That is, of course one huge burrito is going to be more unhealthy than one tiny soft-shell taco.

3)  Assume:  Green vegetables add negligible nutrition to foods.
-Evidence:  Actually, the fajita vegetables are the second most unhealthy ingredient you can put in your burrito.  It has 100 calories, 8 g of fat, 1 g of sat fat, 27% of your DV of sodium.  The nutrition content?  Just 1 g of protein and 1 g of dietary fiber.

So, now to the argument.

1)  Comparing the burrito, the soft-shell taco, and the quesadilla, what do you notice about them?  The ratio of the surface area of the tortilla to the volume of the food item is different.  What does this mean?  Basically, for your big burrito, you've got a lot of food packed inside a relatively small amount of tortilla, but in your quesadilla, you've got a tiny amount of unhealthy cheese packed into a LOT of tortilla.

2)  Based on the surface area to volume ratio, you can judge how unhealthy your food is!  Why?  The burrito has the lowest surface area to volume ratio.  It has the least amount of negative nutrition (surface area) compared to good nutrition (volume).  The quesadilla has the highest surface area to volume ratio, and thus, it has the highest percentage of unhealthy tortilla.

3)  Quo Erat Demonstrandum:  Eat the burrito if you want to be healthy!


The next time you step into the Dillo or any other Mexican food establishment, think of this treatise and realize this valuable lesson.  Or at least be impressed by the fact that Chipotle got it right by selling almost exclusively burritos.