Endangered Sweeties

New York has done it. They have outlawed a great evil known to man.

Trans-fats, take a hike!

NY Times:

Both the trans fat and calorie regulations would be enforced by the health department’s restaurant inspectors. Inspectors would check the packaging of ingredients used in restaurant kitchens for the amount of trans fats they contain, but prepared food would not be routinely tested. Violators would face fines of at least $200.

So, NYC will have finicky trans-fat police fanning out over the city. The fat squad. Reaction:

“This will be better for people’s health, but we’d like to know where to go from here,” said O’Neil Whyte, a baker at Sweet Chef Southern Styles Bakery in Harlem. “Things without trans fat are harder to get and more expensive.”

I suppose subsidies for alternative ingredients are in the offing. Maybe there are some profitable non-profits working on getting some government grants for that. But I am a little surprised, you'd think the powers that be would just slap the usual vice-tax on trans-fats and profit from the human misery, like tobacco and liquor.

And here in Chicago:

Chicago’s proposal is under discussion. “I’m disappointed we’re losing bragging rights to be the first city in the nation to do this,” said Edward Burke, a Chicago alderman who is pushing the ban.

Well, far be it from me to suggest that this would be a poor choice for the Second City to brag about being the First City to put doughnuts and fritters on the endangered sweeties list, and endangering the livelihoods of thousands of local businesses and their families. So I'll just say it---dumb and dumber! Here's Ross Kaminsky, RCP blog, on the--you guessed it-- JUNK SCIENCE peddled by trans-fat banning fanatics, the same ones who peddled trans-fats as healthier over 20 years ago.

Better to brag about the Bears. Hopefully the next time we're playing in something big, the mayor will still have some decent food to wager.

One more thing....HEY LIBERALS---listen up---it's my body, so get out of the bedroom, uh, my favorite restaurant!!! (And I thought Fat was beautiful now.)


UPDATE:Trib story here, Sun Times here.