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Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071201557.htmlBy Karl Vick Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 13, 2008; Page A02 LOS ANGELES, July 12 -- Citing alarming rates of childhood obesity and a poverty of healthful eating choices, a city councilwoman is pushing for a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in South-Central Los Angeles. "Some people will say, 'Well, people just don't have to eat it,' " said Jan Perry, the Democrat who represents the city's overwhelmingly African American and Latino District 9. "But the fact of the matter is, what if you have no other choices?" The proposed ordinance, which takes a page from boutique communities that turn up their noses at franchises, is supported by nutritionists, frustrated residents and community activists who call restrictive zoning an appropriate response to "food apartheid." "There's one set of food for one part of the city, another set of food for another part of the city, and it's very stratified that way," said Marqueece Harris-Dawson, executive director of Community Coalition, based in South-Central. The activist group has focused on land use in the economically depressed neighborhoods south of downtown, working to shutter 200 liquor stores and a dozen motels on the premise that "nuisance businesses" encourage violence and crime while crowding out wholesome alternatives. The fresh, healthful fare that defines "California cuisine" remains almost impossible to find on a gritty landscape of corner carryouts and franchises. "You try to get a salad within 20 minutes of our location; it's virtually impossible," said Harris-Dawson. Perry quoted research showing that although 16 percent of restaurants in prosperous West L.A. serve fast food, they account for 45 percent in South L.A. Experts see an obvious link to a health department study that found that 29 percent of South-Central children are obese, compared with 23 percent county-wide. ad_icon "I was working in one of these places before: It was french fries, french fries and french fries and french fries," said Tony Dubon, 46. "They ought to offer a grape or something." Polishing his minivan at the corner of Slauson and Vermont avenues -- where the dining options were KFC/Hot Wings, Taco Bell/Pizza Hut, McDonald's and, on the fourth corner, Quiznos -- Dubon said he walks home and cooks a plate of eggs rather than eat at any of them. "All the good food is kind of outside of the community," said Shawn Jordan, 38, selling T-shirts and sunglasses on the sidewalk with Omar Malik, who shook his head. "You get tired; you get hungry," said Malik, 31. "The first three bites be good, and then you're like, yech, disgusting." "There's no choice," said Jessica Quintana, 15, leaving McDonald's after a lunch of a fried chicken sandwich, fries and a soda. "It was nasty, but I ate it 'cause I'm hungry." With two fellow council members, Perry also assembled an incentive package aimed at attracting supermarkets and sit-down restaurants. And she backs efforts to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to corner stores. But the proposed move against fast food is what brought attention -- and, from the California Restaurant Association, sharp concern. The trade group last week filed suit against San Francisco for requiring some chain restaurants to list calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium on their menus. Warming to the challenge, city attorney Dennis Herrera issued a statement calling the 59-page complaint "nearly as bloated as Burger King's Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese (1,230 calories, 82 grams of fat)." Further noting that a federal judge upheld a similar regulation in New York after a trade group asserted that it violated the First Amendment, Herrera termed the irony "as rich as an order of Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing (2,900 calories, 182 grams of fat)." In Los Angeles, what alarmed the trade group was Perry's use of the words "moratorium" and "obesity." "You know, that powerful language does a lot of damage to the industry," said lobbyist Andrew Casana. He said the terms might no longer be appropriate after Perry revised the language to permit chains such as Marie Callender's. "You can't play the obesity card and then invite in a place that sells pies," Casana said. Perry said her proposal, which is awaiting a committee hearing, hit a raw nerve outside her constituency. "I've been called a fascist, a nanny-stater," she said. But researchers and activists praised the strategy as a cutting-edge application of government power to promote health. "As far as we're aware, it's fairly precedent-setting," said Mark Vallianatos, director of the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College. "It's an important public statement on how planning intersects with food health. ad_icon "The solution is also grocery stores and improving corner stores, and how do farmers markets survive in low-income areas? And whatever else we can do to make sure this generation isn't the first since the Industrial Revolution to have a lower life expectancy than their parents." If there is really demand for healthy food in South-Central Los Angeles then someone could make a lot of money by opening a place the serves it, but I suspect there isn’t much demand. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jul 15 20:10:15 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. Now what's the average life expectancy in the USA again . . . ? Oh yeah, 78 for the first time ever. That's in spite of fast food. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Chris R16/R2730 on Tue Jul 15 20:41:13 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. If there is really demand for healthy food in South-Central Los Angeles then someone could make a lot of money by opening a place the serves it, but I suspect there isn’t much demand.The fact of the matter is that "healthy" food is generally more expensive. Doritos cost less than fruit. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by BMTLines on Tue Jul 15 20:42:36 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Chris R16/R2730 on Tue Jul 15 20:41:13 2008. Doritos tastes better than fruit though. They really need to make a health food that tastes good! |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Tue Jul 15 21:54:34 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. It's none of there damn business. This country is supposed to be built on free enterprise, and the CHOICE of the PEOPLE. The goverment is constantly little by little taking that away from us. This is become a nanny country, and it's becoming more and more socialist every day. It's sick.And THIS is exactly the reason why I don't like a lot of what the Democrats say. I guarantee this "nanny" councilwoman is a Democrat. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 22:01:29 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Tue Jul 15 21:54:34 2008. WRONG. The Government built McDonald's remember what i said? It will never be shut down, don't worry, however, the government is nannying us into buying FAST FOOD!!!! Believe me, we won't be nannied into eating healthy, only forced to eat McDonalds BS food. SHAME. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Tue Jul 15 22:13:32 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 22:01:29 2008. Oh please. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by SUBWAYMAN on Tue Jul 15 22:21:25 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 22:01:29 2008. Why does this bother you? It isn't even happening here? |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by SUBWAYMAN on Tue Jul 15 22:21:43 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by SUBWAYMAN on Tue Jul 15 22:21:25 2008. Why does this bother you? It isn't even happening here! |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by AMoreira81 on Tue Jul 15 22:43:23 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. Chalk this up to simply loonies whose political affiliation is irrelevant. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jul 15 22:58:33 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Tue Jul 15 22:13:32 2008. Meh, it's just another "aether" buzz he's suffering from. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jul 15 23:06:57 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 22:01:29 2008.  |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 23:54:00 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jul 15 23:06:57 2008. I actually tend to like birds, and my favorite plant i ever had was a beautiful, and exotic desert rose. It reminded me of a bird. I like quite a few animals though, like some fish, and some mamals, though i do not like ALL animals. for one, i do not like bears.I also like plants too. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Forest Glen on Wed Jul 16 02:31:18 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by BMTLines on Tue Jul 15 20:42:36 2008. Whole Foods has nutritious versions of junk food. However, since it's so damn expensive I don't shop there. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Fred G on Wed Jul 16 06:30:17 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. If people want to eat lard, they're gonna eat lard. If they want abortions, they're gonna have abortions. If they wanna see dirty movies with bad language, they're gonna. Let's knock this crap off and focus on important issues.your pal, Fred |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Wed Jul 16 07:35:12 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Fred G on Wed Jul 16 06:30:17 2008. Tell that to the politicians that keep trying to make laws that control us, and "protect us from ourselves". Everyone knows fast food is not the best food to eat. People are free to decide whether they want it or not. It's THEIR choice, not the government's. It's the same as the transfat laws, smoking laws, and stuff like that. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by The Port of Authority on Wed Jul 16 10:40:30 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Jul 15 22:01:29 2008. WRONG. The Government built McDonald's remember what i said? It will never be shut down, don't worry, however, the government is nannying us into buying FAST FOOD!!!! Believe me, we won't be nannied into eating healthy, only forced to eat McDonalds BS food. SHAME.This is why nobody takes you seriously. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by The Port of Authority on Wed Jul 16 10:41:45 2008, in response to Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Dand124 on Tue Jul 15 19:37:19 2008. I heard about this last year. What's scary is that I actually found a significant number of people who were for the idea. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by daDouce Man on Wed Jul 16 11:01:28 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by Forest Glen on Wed Jul 16 02:31:18 2008. Maybe that's their key to having nutritious versions of junk food.It's so expensive you'll think twice about pigging out on a bag of blue corn chips and a six-pack of all natural cola. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Dan Lawrence on Wed Jul 16 11:29:29 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by The Port of Authority on Wed Jul 16 10:40:30 2008. I suspect the McDonald brothers and Ray Krock would disagree with JournalSquare-K-Car's comment.It's also weird that he picked a car type that was scrapped before he was 2 years old for his handle. |
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Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food |
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Posted by Fred G on Thu Jul 17 07:21:14 2008, in response to Re: Food nazis want to ban fast food, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Wed Jul 16 07:35:12 2008. Before fast food joints, we used to go the the diner for our unhealthy food fix. It's always been there. Only back then you could enjoy a nice cigarette after you ate :Dyour pal, Fred |
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