It seems that the US's ability to justify anything from war through to the banning of pink fluffy bunny slippers in public places by means of using a quick chart knocked up in Excel continues.
Today Philly voted to join New York City in banning transfats from restaurant menus. Now transfats are bad. They make you fat. They clog your arteries. They may well give you cancer. They do terrible things to the nation's healthcare system. That said they do store well at ambient temperatures and don't look runny when you take the top off your margerine in the morning.
I'm all for warning people about the dangers of transfats. And all for telling people when transfats are in the food that they're eating... but a ban? really?
I can understand a ban on smoking in public places. Smoke drifts. It gets into other people's hair and clothing and lungs and leaves them feeling like an ashtray. It's a health hazzard that spreads indiscriminately - so great ban it to protect the people who haven't chiosen to smoke from its nasty side effects.
But to the best of my knowledge the inside of my Custard Cream biscuit (100% transfat) does not wander around the restaurant smearing itself upon people's hair and clothes and finding a way into their lungs and bloodstream. No it's contained (deliciously between layers of crispy biscuit) and thus I should be free to eat it - having made a choice based on the fact of what's in it and my own particular weakness for 'cream' filled biscuits.
So Philly, City of Brotherly Love - get off your high horses and stick to label warnings - or the next thing you'll be banning might be gypsies... and you know where that leads....
1 comment:
I hate to say it Steve, but I will anyway. Banning bad fats is good. Denmark and Sweden have done it without jeopardizing the taste or quality of food. It seems transfat is cheaper so it'll go in everything until they say nay.
You can relax, the taste of your food won't change, just the things it does to your body.
(I know I should add a footnote quoting academic research, but I kind of know what I say is true.)
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