Is Butter A Carb? (Today's Fun Fact)

Today's fun fact is another law, as they tend to be. Anyone who lives in or has visited New York may have noticed that most large chain restaurants have calorie counts visible.

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This is due to a New York City (not state!) law that requires food service establishments with 15 or more locations that operate under a single ownership to post calorie counts for menu items that are standardized in portion size and content. This includes franchises, food stands, and local or national chains. Menus, food tags, and any advertisement for an item must contain the calorie information for foods and beverages. Seasonal or specialty items (on the menu for less than 30 days a year) are exempt.

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So. Why here? Why now? The government has been trying to crack down on the rising obesity and diabetes incidence rates in NYC for a while now; their latest campaign features gross depictions of bubbling fat coming out of sugary beverages in an attempt to deter New Yorkers from drinking their calories (I'll spare you from those images). City-dwellers, perhaps more than residents of other states of the union, eat a large percentage of their calories outside their home - the average New Yorker eats a full third of their calories in restaurants, from street vendors, and probably at Starbucks.

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It's truly mind-boggling. The things that we take for granted as grab-and-go - a bran muffin at Dunkin Donuts, a burrito at Chipotle, a flavored latte at Starbucks - turn out to be pretty horrible for us. You'd be hard-pressed to find any snack at your favorite place for under 200 calories. Unless, of course, you choose soy crisps or a miniature granola bar. Was ignorance bliss? Were we better off not knowing just how many calories were on our tray? Some New Yorkers say yes - claiming that having a 1,650 calorie meal at Wendy's is okay because they have an "active lifestyle". Some New Yorkers are making better choices, swearing off their morning muffins and street pretzels. Some are just ignoring it altogether; I've had friends say they didn't even notice the numbers.

Recently, there's been a push for national calorie count laws. While not as strict as the New York law, this portion of Obama's health care reform would require national chains to post calorie counts in a similar fashion. Honestly, I'm for it. For me personally, even before I started keeping track of my food intake, published calorie counts make me more conscious of my decisions. At least I know that I'm making a bad choice when I buy that brownie and exactly HOW bad of a choice it is. Most of this information was readily available anyway, and to make it this public just gives us fewer excuses to be a nation of ignorant fat people (sorry, but you know it's true!).

What do you think?

Prohibition's Here & Alcohol is Dead (Today's Fun Fact)

I have WONDERFUL news! Someone marvelous has moved into the Upper West Side!

OMG!

(Source - DNA Info)

Yes, NYC now has three Trader Joe's stores: one in Union Square, one in Chelsea and one 50 blocks down from me in the UWS. I have yet to make a trip down to visit my dear friend Joe, but it's on the agenda for the weekend. Unfortunately, also on the agenda is a separate trip elsewhere to buy wine, since this TJ's is not allowed to sell it.

Essuse Me?

(Unrelated puppy brought to you by Photobucket)

Today's Fun Fact comes to you from the prohibition-era (y'all know how I love my jazz age stories). I've been thinking a lot this week about silly, antiquated laws that have never been overturned... but it turns out some of them aren't so outdated after all. For example, the city of Kennesaw, Georgia, requires its citizens to own a gun. WHAT?! That law must be a million years old. False. Created in 1982 to protect the general welfare of the city.

But I digress. New York state has a law, supposedly dating back to prohibition, that forbids grocery stores from selling wine and liquor. Grocery stores can, however sell beer... but wine stores cannot. Big grocery chains, such as Trader Joe's, can own one wine outpost in the state - TJ's has selected the Trader Joe's Wine Shop near their Union Square location, which is very sad for us Upper West Siders.

TJ's UWS does have a beer section. If only I cared.

(Source - Racked)

In true New York fashion, this law has turned into a culture of boutique wine shops and local brands on every block, and most people who live here just accept it as a fact of life. Recently there has been a push to repeal the law, citing that wine sales in grocery stores would boost the economy. Supporters of the law say that not only does it help curb underage drinking (?), but overturning it would put a lot of local wine shops out of business and destroy NY's wine culture. Ultimately, the proposal was shot down, but there are still plenty of people (and grocery stores!) that would like the law changed.

Before this was called to my attention in Racked's article about the TJ's grand opening, I had noticed that wine wasn't available in the three grocery stores I've been to, but I didn't think anything of it. "I don't know my way around yet, I guess I just can't find it. Maybe there are no alcohol sales at all in NYC grocery stores. Ignore that beer over there, you are imagining it. Where the heck can I find some Pink Truck around here?" Now that I'm informed about the many silly NY wine-related laws (apparently you're also not allowed to ship it, wine stores can't sell wine paraphernalia, it's pretty ridiculous), I'm a little confused.

What gives, New York state? WINE promotes underage drinking? Have you ever met a 16-year-old who is just dying to get his hands on the fruity undertones of a Pinot Grigio? NO!

Honey, I need to talk to you. Your principal called, and he's very upset about the wine tasting club you started on the playground.

(Source - Citysearch)

First of all, let's not even go into how keeping kids from drinking does the exact opposite of getting them not to drink. Maybe it's just the crowd I've seen, but underage drinkers drink to get drunk, and most of the time, they're not drinking wine. Hell, nowadays they're not even drinking beer.

Hello, my name is Four Loko, and I'm here to ruin your life.

(Source - DJ Wiky)

And also to turn you into this guy.

(Source - Recent Trends)

One concession to the supporters of this law: I have not bought wine since I came to town. I have been to the grocery store lots of times. If the grocery store sold wine, I probably would have bought wine. So congratulations, your law has reduced the consumption of wine... by a perfectly legal, 21-year-old graduate student who drinks moderately and socially, and enjoys wine with her dinner from time to time.

The British Are Coming (Today's Fun Fact)

Tonight's Fun Fact about NYC comes courtesy of one of the lovely people in my program. Lady M's friend is a tour guide for Columbia's main campus and shared this little nugget of information with her earlier this week:

All Columbia University undergraduate students are required to take a physical education course, but they are also required to pass a swimming test. There are several theories about how this started (and why it still exists), but my favorite has something to do with the possibility of a British invasion.

No not THAT British Invasion!
(Source: BlogCritics.com)

I mean an ACTUAL British attack on the United States, as in the revolutionary war. You see, Columbia administrators way back in the day needed an escape plan for their students in the event that the Red Coats took over the city.

I know, crazy hacked road sign in Texas, it's a scary thought
(Source - KCBD and Arbroath)

They wanted to ensure that should the British intrude on their hollowed halls, all of their Ivy League men could swim across the Hudson. That's right. Swim. Across. The Hudson. To New Jersey. One major was (and still is) exempt, however: engineers. Why? Because they could build a boat.

Pretty solid, as long as the Others don't destroy it before you reach Joisey.
(Source - Lost Hatch)

So is it true? Who cares. It's great fun.