First they came for the communists….
…then they came for the… errr… salt?
From the Guardian:
Over the past few years New York has gained a reputation for taking the health of its citizens seriously – or nannying them, depending on your point of view. Now a member of the city’s legislative assembly has gone a step further by introducing a bill that would ban the use of salt in restaurant kitchens. Bill A10129 would forbid the city’s chefs from using salt in any of their recipes. The ban’s proposer, Felix Ortiz, a Democratic member from Brooklyn, says it would give consumers the choice about whether to add salt to their meal. Restaurants trying to sneak a bit of sodium chloride on to the plate would be fined $1,000 (£600) every time they were caught.
The idea of an outright ban, except for salt cellars on diners’ tables, has led to raised eyebrows across the city, which prides itself on its cuisine. “If state assemblyman Felix Ortiz has his way,” quipped the Daily News, “the only salt added to your meal will come from the chef’s tears.” Tom Colicchio, who owns the restaurant Craft, told the paper: “If they banned salt, nobody would come here anymore.” Ortiz’s bill comes on the back of a high-profile attempt by the city’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to encourage New Yorkers to consume less sodium. The city estimates about 1.5 million residents already suffer from high blood pressure, which can be exacerbated by overconsumption of salt. In America as a whole, the average daily intake of 3.4mg is well above the recommended maximum of 2.3mg. Bloomberg’s campaign aims to cut the amount of salt in pre-packaged and restaurant food by a quarter, in five years. Unlike Bill A10129, however, it is purely voluntary.
You know that when the likes of Michael Bloomberg, who has a slightly chequered past when it comes to civil liberties, think you’ve gone too far, something is really amiss. I would like to propose the following possible explanations for Felix Ortiz’s actions:
1. He currently receives large donations from a company that provides salt-free food ingredients
2. His family have been kidnapped and are being held to ransom by representatives of a company that provides salt-free food ingredients
3. He is a prick
4. He is too scared to tell the American public that they should eat fresh fruit and vegetables instead of Big Macs, and has therefore chosen to channel his efforts at a pointless target instead
Feel free to add your own theories or tell Mr Ortiz what you think about his plan in the Comments section, as ever.
How will that work? I mean, if you cook a salty food, say a lump of pork or bacon, will that be illegal? If so then one must wonder if it’s a religious thing.
I did like the suggestion from the top US chef that if he wanted to see what non-salted food tasted like, he should try hospital food.
I can’t help thinking Gordon Ramsey would have offered the same choice, albeit a little more directly!
Also, you just can’t add salt after cooking. Everyone knows it doesn’t taste the same, and you end up consuming even more salt that way!
He’s a bit of a cretin, isn’t he?
Number 3, definitely.
I agree with tBoB
He has received an email claiming that a grain of highly radioactive cesium-132 has been placed in a salt shaker.
He is actually trying to save the people of New York. He is a hero!
It’s his revenge upon all those New Yorkers who have protested against Beach Ohama’s Healthcare Bill.
My sister Dolly went into a chip shop the other night
to get fish ,chips and mushy peas for herself ,me and our
sister Daisy.The salt pot had masking tape over most of the holes due to a local council health warning.
By the time Dolly (who is a bit slow) had sprinkles sufficient salt on the 3 meals,the chips were stone cold. Our Daisy is
now ill with extreme flatulence.
All for now,
Corporal Jones is picking me up in his van
Godfrey
Maybe he just doesn’t like salt and is a spoilsport?
Mark, your wisdom and insight is always appreciated.
@Mark W. He’s got a lot in common with ASH, TT Fascists, Global Cooling Deniers and the HSE then.
He’s a Progressive, and his overwhelming ego demands that he saves everyone from themselves. He also has no understanding of the “Law of unintended consequences”.