Two months ago, North Side Chicago Alderman broke away from his anti-Wal-Mart jihad to push through a ban on the liver delicacy foie gras. Until the ban, a whopping dozen or so Chicago restaurants served the goose liver appetizer, clearly we had a crisis at hand in the nation's third largest city.
From the other side of town, South Side Chicago Alderman Ed Burke wants to ban artificial trans fatty acids, better known as trans fat, from Chicago eateries.
Trans fat consumption contributes to obesity and heart disease. Since I'm a runner, I don't eat a lot of the stuff. Not to sound preach-ey, but keeping trans fat intake to a minimum is a good idea for any member of the human race.
Mayor Richard M. Daley opposes the proposed ban. From CBS 2 Chicago:
In April, the City Council approved a measure banning foie gras -- pronounced fwah-GRAH and French for "fat liver" -- on the grounds that it is inhumane to force-feed geese to produce the rich, buttery delicacy.
The mayor felt the issue was a waste of time for the City Council and this is no different.
"Is the City Council going to plan our menus?" he said Wednesday.
Rather than have a government body dictate to restaurants what they should serve, I believe, just as I do with foie gras, that the marketplace should decide what is placed on the plates of restaurant patrons. It's the common sense solution.
Of course, common sense is not an abundant commodity among Chicago City Council members.
Related posts: Chicago's foie gras faux crisis
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