Finally, Elected officials doing the Peoples Business

**jaminjim** · 03-13-2010, 08:26 AM

With all the nonsense being proposed in the Local, State, and Federal Governments, it's nice to see a Politician doing the work we actually sent them there to do. What, with crushing deficits and unemployment at close to double digits finally common sense.

FOXNews.com - Chefs Call Proposed New York Salt Ban 'Absurd'
Oh, but wait! How about this for a headline: New York Assembly To Ban Salt.

Think I'm making this up? That's okay. For a minute, I thought MSNBC, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News and FOX News were making it up, too (and FOX probably was).

But no, this is a real thing. Brooklyn Democrat Felix Ortiz has actually introduced a bill before the New York State Assembly banning restaurants from using salt in food preparation, and proposing a $1000 fine for any violation. The vital language of the bill reads: ""No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food."

While I originally thought this had to just be some kind of stunt by a small political animal looking to get his name in the papers, Ortiz actually appears serious about this. The New York Daily News quoted him as saying: "It's time for us to take a giant step. We need to talk about two ingredients of salt: health care costs and deaths."

I would rather talk about the only ingredient in salt: salt. And maybe about the way it is used in real restaurants (read: those where you don't order your cheeseburgers through a giant clown head), which is sparingly. Pretty much every preparation, every recipe, every dish in a professional kitchen has salt in it--a reasonable amount of salt, in most cases. The perfect amount in the best. And to ban the use of salt outright would be tantamount to saying that every restaurant meal served in the state of New York, from now until forever, must taste like the salisbury steak that you stole off Uncle Jimmy's lunch tray when you visited him in the hospital after his hernia surgery. It's like saying everything must taste like grandma's nursing home dinner or those special meals prepared for invalids recovering from triple-bypass surgery. It would be the death knell for all fast food operations (not the worst thing in the world), but also the end of Manhattan as one of the dining capitals of the world. The tourist economy would collapse. The restaurants would close. Eric Ripert would be reduced to selling his seared langoustine with mache, wild mushroom salad, shaved foie gras and white balsamic vinaigrette out of a van on 51st Street and running for it every time the cops came around the corner.

All for a little bit of salt.

**layoutshooter** · 03-13-2010, 09:03 AM

The "Food Police" will gain strength and authority under ObamaCare. Freedom is the big loser. There will be all kinds of "new police" in the up coming years. Someone will have to enforce this bill. How many will they kill in the process?

**mjolnir131** · 03-13-2010, 09:34 AM

I think Chicago repealed the foie gras law i think i remember that happening. It's not really a high demand item.It was an odd law proposed by an odd alderman

**greg334** · 03-13-2010, 11:24 AM

Chicago's law had more to do with the cruel way the livers were enlarged in the geese for the dish than it had to do with anything else. I would think that it was ok because we don't all follow the cuisine of France unless it is trendy - no horse meat here.

As for NYC, who really cares?

This is NYC where over half the population is on government aid and the other half have incomes larger than most third world nations.

**OntarioVanMan** · 03-13-2010, 11:39 AM

Actually we are killing ourselves with salt IF you don't cook all your meals from FRESH unprepared items....

Just look at some frozen meals for instance...50-60% of allowable salt in one small portion.
and how bout them 6 little chicken wings at Wendys the Asian Chicken....320% over the recommended limit and that don't include the fries!

Ever since my heart problem over the Christmas holidays I've been watching my salt intake. It is incredible the salt we take in...the silent killer.

**OntarioVanMan** · 03-13-2010, 11:40 AM

BUT I think the consumer should regulate the makers with their buying power...not government rules.

**copdsux** · 03-13-2010, 11:58 AM

Ken, did you leave the hospital with a "new" menu in hand, or are you figuring it out on your own?

Mike

**OntarioVanMan** · 03-13-2010, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by freightchaser

Ken, did you leave the hospital with a "new" menu in hand, or are you figuring it out on your own?

Mike

Actually I was cutting back on salt before my incident...lost a lot of water that was being retained because of the salt..

learning to cook with salt free spices and salt reduced products...some are nasty and need tinkered with..

My leg swelling got reduced and my BP a few notches as well...enough to cut back on my script drugs a little bit to help reduce my health care costs..

Mike, I know your pet peeve is smoking...mine is salt...both are killers.

**layoutshooter** · 03-13-2010, 01:18 PM

Salt is not a killer. Salt can kill in people who have an intolerance to salt and in those who eat too much. We all need a "little" salt. Mankind has survived for thousands of years eating and cooking with salt. The problems associated with salt are part of the entire modern lifestyle. Over eating, "butt sitting" smoking etc. Put it all together, over eat on the salt and then you get the problem. Salt alone is not the problem.

**OntarioVanMan** · 03-13-2010, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by layoutshooter

Salt is not a killer. Salt can kill in people who have an intolerance to salt and in those who eat too much. We all need a "little" salt. Mankind has survived for thousands of years eating and cooking with salt. The problems associated with salt are part of the entire modern lifestyle. Over eating, "butt sitting" smoking etc. Put it all together, over eat on the salt and then you get the problem. Salt alone is not the problem.

It is the lifestyle accompanied with salt...Salt is the whole bases of life...thats a fact...everything has salt...

**layoutshooter** · 03-13-2010, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by OntarioVanMan

It is the lifestyle accompanied with salt...Salt is the whole bases of life...thats a fact...everything has salt...

That is correct, we all need salt to survive. It is like everything else, the amounts. Salt is so important that is has even been used as money in the past and not so distant past either.