Liberal food fight
While most blogs are ranting and raving about former Rep. Mark Foley's disgusting overtures to minors, I figured I'd go down a different road and talk about fat.Just in case you’re wondering about my position on Foley...I'll keep it simple. Any child predator, regardless of political affiliation, is a disgrace and should be put away. There's your story. Anything beyond that is political posturing and should be ignored.
Now, let's get to the meat - err, fat - of another story that's making the airwaves. Under a plan announced last week, a New York City proposal would ban restaurants from using partially hydrogenated oil. Doesn't seem like a real juicy story until you take a step back and think about it. The greasy detail here is of yet another government plan to tell private businesses and individuals what to do.
| Under a plan announced last week, chefs at thousands of restaurants would be barred from using partially hydrogenated oil, which has been found in some shortenings and frying oils for decades. Artificial trans fatty acids are thought to cause cholesterol problems and some studies have blamed them for an epidemic of heart disease deaths. |
Now, it sounds like a just cause. And proponents will quickly point out that these fatty acids are killers. But so is almost everything we eat. Excess Gatorade can be bad for you if you drink too much. So the question is...what is the true cause of this epidemic? Is it the local chef who is cooking for a large audience that will make or break his success if the food isn't good? Or is it our lustful desire to eat these foods high in fat and cholesterol.
Think about it. What sounds tastier right now...a grassy salad with a dash of vinegar and a side of no-salt wheat-thins or a juicy New York strip with a side of mashed potatoes and butter. I won't lie; I'd go with the steak every time. But I do so because that is my personal right. My wife and I understand that when we eat out we can't always tell what's in our food. We know that generally speaking it is healthier to eat at home. But these are decisions we can make. We also make the decision to workout daily and run 5k's.
When a "father knows best" government starts trying to right all the wrongs in the world by taking away my freedoms, something is wrong. An epidemic of heart disease doesn't come from Chef Gordon Ramsey's cooking style. It comes from our inability to take responsibility for our own actions. Every person that walks into a NYC restaurant has the ability to choose the fatty burger and the ability to run it off the next day before work. It's not my government’s job to do that for me. Because rather than educate society on the benefits of a semi-healthy diet and a daily workout we end up with government mandated cooking styles and a generation of people who can't think for themselves.
Newsbusters points out how our MSM is making their support of this ban 'Crisco-clear.'
Richard Berman at the New York Daily News reports on how this is more about the growth of our irrational fears as opposed to a sudden rise of fat pools in our shrimp scampi.
Of course, it wouldn't be a liberal cause without Hollywood.
You decide if this ban is good for New York...but keep in mind the NYC government doesn't think you can.