Alila: Better than burritos
I think the fried-dough cart was the last straw for me.
I have lived in two cities where food carts were a popular lunch option. But the scenarios in the cities were strikingly different. During the warmer months, Philadelphia also had several carts that sold overstuffed containers of fruit salads. An extra banana would be thrown in for good measure. The fruit carts were just as popular as the other lunch carts.
In stark contrast, New Haven has no such equivalent. Instead of fruits, I see cupcake trucks and fried-dough stands, steps away from the hospital. Seriously, New...
So the government is going to tell me what I can or cannot put in my mouth? I suppose you use the U.S. constitution as a napkin.
Great article, Linda.
#1: I don't think Linda is calling for governmental intervention to protect Yalies. I think she is calling for intervention to protect individuals who may not be as aware of the relationship between caloric intake, lifestyle and health consequences. Additionally, poor people buy what's cheap and plentiful. Should this food be unhealthy by default? I don't think so. Whether or not the local government should regulate portion sizes or implement a "health" score card is up for debate but I do feel listing calories per serving is a low cost, high impact measure for all New Haven residents.
Eponymous, MSIV
UCSF Medical Student
Alila, what will you propose next? Forced marches? Or perhaps mandatory armbands for those who don't eat the food you approve of?
Couldn't agree more. I'm not a donkey: I'm smart enough to figure out what the hell I'm shoving down my throat. Thanks but no thanks.
SOM '10-- Although I agree that what she calls for is necessary, your comparison is completely inappropriate. In so many ways.
Mostly the problem with this piece is that it is poorly written and somewhat incoherent. Is she trying to protect the poor, or the doctors who buy food at the carts? If the former, there are much better ways of getting nutrition to them than attacking the food carts. If the latter...well, they're doctors. If they care, they are capable of figuring out for themselves what they should be eating.
I would not oppose having New Haven require food vendors to have nutrition information available--that would be reasonable because people do (or at least, should) have a right to any knowledge which affects them. Anything beyond that, however, is simply ridiculous.
Also, fried dough is yummy. Cupcakes are yummy. There's more to enjoying life and food than counting calories.
Why should we force the food carts to display nutritional info?
If you don't know what's in it- DON'T EAT IT!
No one is being forced to eat at food carts.
The creeping nanny state our country is developing is truly frightening
If you want to eat healthier food, go to Gourmet Heaven instead.
The liberal indoctrination continues
Does the author have any idea how expensive it would be for the (mostly) Mom & Pop carts to acquire nutritional facts for the dozens of foods that they sell? Did the author even consider it? Judging from the poor quality of the writing, I am guessing not.
Why is there a call for government action?
I am all for regulation- the kind of regulation that comes from me deciding whether I want to be fat or not. The regulation that comes from putting down the fork, or getting a salad, or going to the gym.
Why must the government be constantly invoked in the name of protecting the citizen from him/herself???
I refuse to consider my fellow New Havenites idiots- we are all capable of discerning whether a particular meal is healthy.