Now Playing on Reason.tv: Food Fight: Battle of the Bacon Dogs

April 24, 2008

Amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles, there exists another world, an underground world of illicit trade in-not drugs or sex-but bacon-wrapped hot dogs. Street vendors may sell you an illegal bacon dog, but hardly anyone will talk about it, for fear of being hassled, shut down or worse. Our camera caught it on tape. One minute bacon dogs are sold in plain view, the next minute cops have confiscated carts, and ordered the dogs dumped into the trash.

Elizabeth Palacios is one of the few vendors willing to speak publicly. "Doing bacon is illegal," she explains. Problem is customers love bacon, and Palacios says she loses business if she doesn't give them the bacon they demand. "Bacon is a potentially hazardous food," says Terrence Powell of the LA County Health Department. Continue selling bacon dogs without county-approved equipment and you risk fines and jail time.

Palacios knows all about that. She spent 45 days in the slammer for selling bacon dogs, and with the lost time from work, fines, and attorney's fees, she fears she might lose the house that bacon dogs helped buy. She must provide for her family, but remains trapped between government regulations and consumer demand. Customers don't care about safety codes, says Palacios. "They just want the bacon."

In "Food Fight: Battle of the Bacon Dogs," reason.tv host Drew Carey takes a long look at the human cost of trying to prohibit trade in oh-so-tasty treats.

Comments

icl|4.24.08 @ 10:02PM|#

Give me bacon or give me death!

|4.24.08 @ 10:03PM|#

wow, this goes in the "most ridiculous government shenanigans this hour" file.

|4.24.08 @ 10:16PM|#

Mmmmm, bacon!

Had to be said.

|4.24.08 @ 10:42PM|#

WOW, it's time to move back to SoCal!

There is SO LITTLE CRIME there that they've gotten down to arresting BACONLEGGERS!

|4.24.08 @ 10:51PM|#

Bacon is more hazardous than hotdogs?

Bingo|4.24.08 @ 10:55PM|#

Ahhh, listening to the do-gooder regulator explain how it was for people's own good... now thats inspiration for drinking!

|4.24.08 @ 10:57PM|#

Ayn_Randian | April 24, 2008, 10:03pm | #
wow, this goes in the "most ridiculous government shenanigans this hour" file.

I'd like to enter THIS: banning of sandwiches as a contestant in the most ridiculous government shenanigans please.

GRAVEL / BLUE-SKINNED GUY 2008|4.24.08 @ 11:10PM|#

Carey's imdb profile is looking a little thin, perhaps he should try to get something happening on that score.

As for the current push for liberty, if a street vendor makes you sick, how exactly would one seek redress? Aren't those vendors basically free riders?

|4.24.08 @ 11:14PM|#

The LA guy and the Vancouver Health (link to story above 10:57) say pretty much the same things about protecting health. I wonder if there is an international training camp somewhere that health officials jerk-offs attend?

Metal Messiah|4.24.08 @ 11:34PM|#

On one hand, I can see how there should be some kinds of requirements for safely handling food. It's not made clear, but are the legal requirements for bacon storage/preparation particularly onerous?

On the other hand, I would imagine that buying meat from someone pushing a little cart around is a potential case of food poisoning, anyway.

I'm from the rural midwest, and we don't have people selling hot dogs from carts around here. I'll see taco vans from time to time, but I haven't worked up the nerve to eat anything from one of them yet.

Rhywun|4.24.08 @ 11:35PM|#

Customers don't care about safety codes, says Palacios.

Speak for yourself. I've been burnt a couple times by street food--enough to never touch it again. I haven't WTFV, but does it mention what the "county-approved" equipment is, and why the vendors aren't using it?

Nephilium|4.24.08 @ 11:43PM|#

I say this. Long live bacon wrapped %object%.

However... I will say I have no faith in street vended food...

I still remember seeing the lovely splash patterns from the people who thought a 2:30 AM gyro was a good idea...

And I still remember the conversation that went:

"I don't like corned beef."

"Where have you had it?"

"Well, I guess corned beef from a street vendor on St. Pat's day doesn't really count, does it?"

"No. No it does not."

Nephilium

|4.24.08 @ 11:49PM|#

but does it mention what the "county-approved" equipment is, and why the vendors aren't using it?

It's this elaborate setup that costs WAY more than the rigs everyone else is using -- all for a few pieces of bacon.

Basically, if you buy the damn county-approved cart, you can't compete on price, because the consumers don't think it's worth the extra cost, just the bureaucrats.

Kolohe|4.25.08 @ 12:13AM|#

As for the current push for liberty, if a street vendor makes you sick, how exactly would one seek redress? Aren't those vendors basically free riders?

"Hey, that dude made me sick last time, let's go to a different one for lunch, guys."

What you would observe, if you ever deigned to leave your MexicanProof Compound, is that street vendors in non-trendy and/or non-touristy neighborhoods make their living off of the repeat business from the locals. Heck, most businesses in touristy areas do, too, just the repetition is less frequent.

|4.25.08 @ 12:51AM|#

"Give me bacon or give me death!"

I've never just repeated somebody else's post and said, Hell yeah. But it's bacon. Is L.A. aware how delicious bacon is? I will risk death for two foods: Oysters and bacon. And I will double that risk for bacon-wrapped oysters.

Seriously, can't they just post a health warning?

TallDave|4.25.08 @ 1:00AM|#

If you think this is bad now, wait until Uncle Sam is footing the bill for health care. Then they'll have justification for all sorts of restrictions on your life.

javier|4.25.08 @ 1:14AM|#

As for the current push for liberty, if a street vendor makes you sick, how exactly would one seek redress?

There is a certain degree of risk one shoulders when living in a free society. I believe TJ said it best.

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.-Thomas Jefferson

|4.25.08 @ 1:26AM|#

I am a little dubious that bacon presents a special health hazard if not handled properly.

After all, bacon by definition is a cured meat, soaked with antimicrobial amounts of salt and sugar and then smoked. In the past people used bacon and ham because they didn't have refrigeration. They just hung up the meat in a cool dry place and sawed off what they needed. You can almost eat it raw and after you cook it, no microbes can possibly survive. (That is why bacon is cooked in thin strips, so that the heat can penetrate and sterilize all the meat.) If I was going to eat meat from a dodgy source I would choose bacon every-time.

This LA weekly story seems to imply that real story is a conflict between licensed and unlicensed street vendors and between licensed street vendors and brick and mortar restaurants.

I think the whole bacon shtick is just a ploy to destroy their most popular product.

Sam Grove|4.25.08 @ 1:27AM|#

BLT-wich

Naga Sadow|4.25.08 @ 1:42AM|#

Ah yes . . . the great and pervasive licensed street vendor conspiracy. There taking over, one street at a time.

|4.25.08 @ 1:49AM|#

That bacon dog looks good! That whole jalapeño must be real tasty.

|4.25.08 @ 2:30AM|#

GRAVEL / BLUE-SKINNED GUY 2008!!! | April 24, 2008, 11:10pm | #
Carey's imdb profile is looking a little thin, perhaps he should try to get something happening on that score.

He's been doing game shows as of late I think, but maybe he's just at a point in his career where he can afford to do smaller 'labor of love' type productions, but shut up and sing, right?

BTW, did you know Carey is a marine? I was surprised when I learned that.

|4.25.08 @ 3:13AM|#

Carey's a stand up comedian by trade (and a pretty well respected one too), not an actor. So any time he feels like making a little money, he can do a quick tour of comedy clubs. Obviously he can't command Seinfeld level money doing that, but he's sort of a Seinfeld-lite in that he also had a long running hit TV sitcom (and a minor hit improv show) and can draw well based on that alone.

I'm guessing does what he does right now to:

a) allow him to do what he likes
b) keep him from having to travel all over the damned place doing stand-up.

Corey|4.25.08 @ 7:09AM|#

Hey, bacon dogs are looking pretty good after this. Do I have to go downtown to get one, or do the vendors ply the streets of mid-wilshire? I'm near the farmer's market at 3rd & Fairfax.

Belisarius|4.25.08 @ 7:12AM|#

Carey's imdb profile is looking a little thin, perhaps he should try to get something happening on that score.

Uhh, didn't he have heart surgery a few years back? A coronary bypass makes for one hell of a diet plan.

Taktix&#174|4.25.08 @ 7:12AM|#

That was me above.

Don't ask.

|4.25.08 @ 7:37AM|#

""Hey, that dude made me sick last time, let's go to a different one for lunch, guys.""

Unless of course it makes you sick enough to die. Which happened quite a bit before things like the FDA and those onerous health codes (and yes, it happened after those too, but less). That was the "human cost" that made people want such codes btw. Even if it just made you sick I'm not sure that something isnt warranted being done about it. When someone sells you a hot dog I think there is at least an implicit warranty that the food is ok for its normal intended use (that is, to be eaten). The guy has frauded you if he sells you tainted meat intentionally or recklessly. And I thought fraud was one of the things that libertos can get made about...

This story smells like there must be more to it. As noted above, bacon is a cured meat and should not, normally, pose that difficult of a problem. And yes, a hot dog wrapped in bacon is quite yummy. Anything wrapped in bacon becomes yummier...

|4.25.08 @ 7:38AM|#

Carey's imdb profile is looking a little thin, perhaps he should try to get something happening on that score.

Dude, he does Price is Right. That's a pretty big gig...

VM|4.25.08 @ 7:39AM|#

BACON FOREVERYONE!!! CRISPY CRISPY DELICIOUS BACON!

how they didn't burnt by the grease, tho, is amazing.

DADIODADDY|4.25.08 @ 8:37AM|#

just think... underground bacon factories...eliot ness types busting down the doors of a bacon speakeasy...some al capone wannabe taken down by the health code instead of the tax code...bathtub sausage...I hope there'll be flappers

|4.25.08 @ 8:52AM|#

Hmmm... bacon-flappers.

I am a proud member of The Bacon Of The Month Club. (My wife is an awesome birthday presenteer.)

Episiarch|4.25.08 @ 9:02AM|#

As stated above, bacon is specifically designed to be safe without refrigeration. As I cannot WTFV, I can't be positive what the officials are touting as the reason for restricting this, but if you're going to have regulations for food, bacon is one of the last foods that need it. It's like worrying about salt cod or salt pork--nothing can survive that shit, man.

It is assuredly just like the taco truck bullshit: the brick and mortar stores want the government to kneecap their competition.

|4.25.08 @ 9:02AM|#

They can have my bacon when they pull it from my cold, dead, gullet.

jj|4.25.08 @ 9:07AM|#

Good one PM770

|4.25.08 @ 9:09AM|#

Bacon is harmful to everyone's health because it is loaded with saturated fats and salt. It took us a long time to get governments to ban trans fat, a move with has benefitted the public greatly.
It's time that city governments moved to ban all bacon, not just bacon served by street vendors! It will send a message to our children that we, as a society, take our health seriously.

|4.25.08 @ 9:33AM|#

bacon is specifically designed to be safe without refrigeration

I believe that modern bacon isn't salted and dried enough for this to be true. In the old days, when bacon was safe without refrigeration, you had to soak bacon in water for hours to soften it up enough to eat.

That said, fuck this stupid law. I want my damn bacon.

|4.25.08 @ 9:34AM|#

They make take our lives, but they will never take our BACON!!!!

Metal Messiah|4.25.08 @ 9:34AM|#

Cured bacon should be safe enough -- you can buy cured bacon unrefrigerated in stores -- but raw bacon does need a more care.

I'm not really sure what a bacon dog is. If it's just wrapped in cured bacon strips then it shouldn't be a problem. If they wrap it with raw bacon and then cook it, I can see how it could be problematic.

Looking at wikipedia, there is something called a "danger dog" (so named because of its Mexican origins, presumed low quality, and that it's sold by unlicensed street vendors) that is a hot dog wrapped with bacon, deep fried, and served with grilled onions and chili sauce. Presumably, it would be made with raw bacon if it's deep fried. Is this the same thing we're talking about here?

|4.25.08 @ 9:36AM|#

hot dog wrapped with bacon, deep fried, and served with grilled onions and chili sauce

*drools all over keyboard*
Aw, man...

|4.25.08 @ 9:44AM|#

The Price is Right is a small labor of love gig? I guess Bob Barker had to work that long to even afford to retire. I hope he isn't eating dog food.

For awhile there Carey was doing The Price is Right during the day and The Power of Ten for prime time.

Somehow I think a guy doing those things isn't too worried about his IMDB profile. Especially considering he was making $600,000 an episode during the final seasons of the Drew Carey Show, which was a summer replacement show at the end.

|4.25.08 @ 9:46AM|#

I wonder if Wayne Brady is starving these days also. Penn Gilette as well- his game show couldnt even outdo Bob Saget and he was forced to do Dancing with the Stars for the low six figure fee.

|4.25.08 @ 10:22AM|#

Bacon is harmful to everyone's health because it is loaded with saturated fats and salt.

I agree. Bacon is not a health food. Laws are meant to protect us, it is imoral to disobey any law. The govenment has a right and in fact an obligation to make sure we are all healthy. Anything that helps the cops to keep us all eating healthy is inherintly a good thing, I'm all for it.

If you think this is bad now, wait until Uncle Sam is footing the bill for health care. Then they'll have justification for all sorts of restrictions on your life.

When I'm paying for your health care, I have a right to make sure you live healthy.

J

|4.25.08 @ 10:23AM|#

Another thing, we have to be politally correct. Bacon is forbidden by many religions and we have no right to ofend anyone.

Rhywun|4.25.08 @ 10:34AM|#

I wonder if they cook the bacon enough. I like my bacon crispy so it's hard to imagine it wrapped around a hot dog (a food I won't touch regardless--why the most vile, anus-tasting of the sausages became so popular in America is a mystery to me).

|4.25.08 @ 10:38AM|#

Caveat up front: I would probably find this law to be stupid.

That said, this is a little disingenuous in two ways.

First, the written intro gives the distinct impression that LA has made it illegal for anyone to sell a hot dog wrapped in bacon. I had to watch the video to find out that was not the case.

Second, it's never made clear in the video exactly what the health issue involved might be. Thus all the discussion in this thread about whether the bacon in question needs to be refrigerated.

I strongly suspect that Carey's point about this law just pushing customers to unlicensed vendors is correct (wait--are we in favor of vendor licensing now?).

However, I also strongly suspect that there is some legit reason to think that the carts' handling of the bacon is not perfectly sanitary.

Unfortunately I can't really evaluate that, because Carey didn't bother to address that question.

|4.25.08 @ 10:40AM|#

Rhywun,

Answer: because it's cheap. But seriously, not all hot dogs are the same. Get yourself a nice Hebrew National all-beef dog, or maybe Boar's Head, and I defy you to tell me that ain't good.

Of course, it's got to be grilled. None of this boiling or microwaving crap.

Jennifer|4.25.08 @ 10:47AM|#

Unless of course it makes you sick enough to die.... The guy has frauded you if he sells you tainted meat intentionally or recklessly. And I thought fraud was one of the things that libertos can get made about...

Ah, yes, and using official county-approved super-expensive bacon-handling tongs will prevent that, right? Furthermore, our only option to deal with the threat of trichinosis is to ban the bacon, because the United States otherwise has no form of legal system offering redress against the sellers of tainted meat. No, our only two options are either give the city bacon-regulating authority, or helplessly do nothing as the vendors of tainted meat poison the city and everybody dies and humanity goes extinct, the way we did before we evolved enough to invent government health codes.

BakedPenguin|4.25.08 @ 12:17PM|#

Bacon up that sausage, boy!

|4.25.08 @ 12:17PM|#

"Furthermore, our only option to deal with the threat of trichinosis is to ban the bacon, because the United States otherwise has no form of legal system offering redress against the sellers of tainted meat. No, our only two options are either give the city bacon-regulating authority, or helplessly do nothing as the vendors of tainted meat poison the city and everybody dies and humanity goes extinct, the way we did before we evolved enough to invent government health codes."

Jen, as I mentioned having the legal system offer redress AFTER the fact of being sold tainted meat is going to less than effective in many cases, and it results in someone having to be harmed or die BEFORE anything gets done. BTW-companies STILL engage in behavior that kills people but yeilds them a quick buck, even with the before and after the fact legal systems in place to combat that.

And of course the alternatives are not "give the city bacon supervising authority or everyone dies." But there was a time when it was thought improper for government to have supervision of meat selling and many people did indeed die. So the people living in that time, you know, experiencing that, heard libertarian abstract arguments about how no rational company would ever do such a thing, saw reality was different, and voted to give the government authority to supervise meat selling and such...

NoStar|4.25.08 @ 12:20PM|#

It's the cheapo hotdogs that make you sick.
I wonder if anyone is wrapping Hebrew National Dogs in bacon?

The Bearded Hobbit|4.25.08 @ 12:28PM|#

.. Hi, Juanita, welcome back ..

The govenment has a right and in fact an obligation to make sure we are all healthy

.. what are you gonna do if I don't, shoot me??

.. Hobbit

Guy Montag|4.25.08 @ 1:11PM|#

NoStar,

I wonder if anyone is wrapping Hebrew National Dogs in bacon?

Great idea! I will add that to my Passover Pork Chops, Hanukkah Ham, Rahamadan Ribs, Rashashana Ribs, etc.

What are good Islamic or Jewish holidays that go with "bacondogs"?

Peter|4.25.08 @ 1:11PM|#

Don't tell no one, but they sell these outside Grauman's on busy weekend nights as well. 'Not sure if they're the original, but they're nice greasy hot dogs wrapped in bacon with onions, cooked on a makeshift grill, so, I'm pretty sure that's them.

When you're in LA you know where to find 'em.

Nash|4.25.08 @ 1:49PM|#

Whenever I see this stuff I: a) understand why people think there should be laws for this kind of stuff, b) think that enforcement of said laws is always heavy handed (45 days in jail for serving bacon? really?), c) enforcement is ineffective anyway without devolving into draconian sweeps and d) realize we probably shouldn't bother because it's not worth the effort to administer justice fairly.

Jennifer|4.25.08 @ 2:08PM|#

Jen, as I mentioned having the legal system offer redress AFTER the fact of being sold tainted meat is going to less than effective in many cases, and it results in someone having to be harmed or die BEFORE anything gets done.

Ah, so the superior alternative in your eyes is to have the government regulate anything which might cause problems, then?

By the way: these guys who get these government jobs are very rarely intelligent experts who know all (or even most) there is to know about their respective fields; they're usually office drones who took a government job because the private sector wouldn't hire them, or because they knew someone, or because they like the job security and bennies.

That's the status quo you're defending: a system where guys who know jack shit about medicine are given legal authority over what doctors can prescribe, where guys who think the Internet is a series of tubes are allowed to regulate said Internet, and where a city plagued by gang warfare thinks bacon sellers need to be arrested and put in the clink.

drawn asunder|4.25.08 @ 3:45PM|#

The dreadlocks on the health inspector are ironic.

A culturally significant African hairstyle which within recent, living memory was widely considered unclean and which was completely "outsider", now completely mainstream and worn by a petty bureaucrat trying to quash and "sanitize" the business practices of an overwhelmingly minority-run industry.

|4.25.08 @ 3:54PM|#

Looking at wikipedia, there is something called a "danger dog" (so named because of its Mexican origins, presumed low quality, and that it's sold by unlicensed street vendors) that is a hot dog wrapped with bacon, deep fried, and served with grilled onions and chili sauce. Presumably, it would be made with raw bacon if it's deep fried. Is this the same thing we're talking about here?

Wouldn't the deep frying process kill all the nasty germs the inspector was crowing about? What I don't get is why the inspector said it was ok to sell bacon if you have that fancy $25k cart with a washbasin. What does that have to do with bacon, per se? If a washbasin is important for hygiene, as he says, shouldn't that be important for all foods? By his own logic all street vendors should get one, not just those selling bacon. Can't you prepare all your food in a washbasin at home or some other place prior to sale on the cart, obviating the need for one on the cart itself? I smell a rat here.

|4.25.08 @ 3:59PM|#

Jen
You're being obtuse here.
It's not that tainted meat MIGHT cause problems. It actually HAS, and historically it was once very, very bad. At that time they had your vaunted legal system alternatives, and the problem was very bad. So the people demanded regulatory agencies. They would rather have the incovenience of having their food sellers jump through some hoops than being sold tainted meat which would make them and their kids sick and perhaps die.

In the case of any regulation we'd be wise to weigh the cost and benefits. Here we the cost is not that high, you could still serve bacon, just under certain guidelines. The costs of having bad bacon served would be sick or dead people. I'd say you don't need a calculator to do the math on that cost-benefit analysis.

"these guys who get these government jobs are very rarely intelligent experts who know all (or even most) there is to know about their respective fields; they're usually office drones who took a government job because the private sector wouldn't hire them, or because they knew someone, or because they like the job security and bennies." Do you have some empirical data to back up such a broad claim? Somehow I doubt it...

|4.25.08 @ 4:04PM|#

Jen
You also did not address my point that an after-the-fact legal system alternative is simply not going to help the person sold the tainted meat in the first place. Would it make you feel better to know that your food was prepared by whatever standard the establishment could think of, but that if you died your family could bring a wrongful death suit? I bet it would not help ya much...Of course, the majority of Americans worked this out long ago...Which is why we have regulation of food selling.

robc|4.25.08 @ 4:17PM|#

MNG,

Have you considered a UL for bacon?

Non-government - consumers could make the very rational choice to not buy from any street vendors without a UL label.

|4.25.08 @ 4:57PM|#

"As for the current push for liberty, if a street vendor makes you sick, how exactly would one seek redress?"

Barf on his cart.

I'm a believer in a liberal return policy.

First Little Pig|4.25.08 @ 5:35PM|#

I am late to the party, but while I understand the publics' desire for safe food I have never understood why we can't have parallel markets in things like this: carts with government stamps of approval and carts without. You choose to eat from a cart without you know the risks... but then you get to eat whatever you and the vendor agree on in the transaction.

I think this model is especially useful for pharmaceuticals: You can have your phen-phen just don't expect a government stamp of approval

[Taken a step further, a private company could be employed to certify some vendors and sissypants can choose to eat from them rather than from the non-certified ones.]

NB: Peking Duck was never as good in DC after the government banned the practice of hanging the birds in the window and otherwise aging them in moderate heat (as opposed to essentially pasteurizing them.

Peter|4.25.08 @ 5:40PM|#

The Danger-Dog ...

So fucking good, it might just kill you.

Coming to a street corner near you.

Metal Messiah|4.25.08 @ 10:20PM|#

"Wouldn't the deep frying process kill all the nasty germs the inspector was crowing about? What I don't get is why the inspector said it was ok to sell bacon if you have that fancy $25k cart with a washbasin. What does that have to do with bacon, per se? If a washbasin is important for hygiene, as he says, shouldn't that be important for all foods? By his own logic all street vendors should get one, not just those selling bacon."

If this about a wash basin, then I suspect the problem isn't with the bacon dogs themselves, rather a concern about cross-contamination involving the handling of raw bacon. It is unsanitary to handle raw meat (especially bacon and chicken) without proper precautions.

The concern here seems to be not the cooked bacon dogs, but rather that someone is handling bacon without being able to properly clean up. You don't want to touch raw bacon and then touch something like a bun or vegetable that doesn't get cooked (and thus sterlized). It means someone could get sick by eating a regular hot dog from a contaminated food prep area.

I don't really have to enough information here, about how bacon dogs are prepared and how the carts operate, to judge whether they're just being petty or if there really is some valid concern.

|4.26.08 @ 12:32AM|#

Sounds like she is the one that got porked!

|4.26.08 @ 1:19AM|#

Metal Messiah has probably hit the nail on the head. The problem is the potential for cross-contamination.

Although I wonder why the problem cannot be handled with a $10 box of vinyl food handling gloves. As long as you change the gloves after touching raw meat before you touch food that is cooked and ready-to-eat, I would think the risk would be a tolerable minimum. In fact they should be wearing gloves period if they are handling food that is ready-to-eat.

|4.26.08 @ 1:23AM|#

Government BS like this reminds me of how much I hate these nanny-state piles of shyt. Each one of them ought to brought out into the street, tarred and featheres. It's time to revolt against these liberal scum-sucking a-holes...

|4.26.08 @ 2:26AM|#

Thats our government for you. Always looking out for us. We are too stupid a bunch to think for ourselves.

|4.26.08 @ 3:01AM|#

Sharia law forbids bacon. Tell me with a straight face that health department jerkoff doesn't look like an ex-con muslim convert.

|4.26.08 @ 4:05AM|#

This is is about government justifying and growing itself. Soon, there won't be enough people outside of government to supply its needs. Enter full-blown communism. Like Ron Paul says, 90% of the government should be shut down. It is a cancer.

Lace Front Wigs|4.26.08 @ 5:37AM|#

I remember being in LA and eating one of those delicious bacon dogs. They are the best. I didn't know it was illegal till I read this page, never thought about it, but man, the are tasty!!

Ken Henderson|4.26.08 @ 5:40AM|#

Bacon dogs rock, Why can't the market drive what people sell... Thats the best way to do it. But if its health and safety issues, then there needs to be an easy way to clear it up and make bacon dogs legal!

|4.26.08 @ 6:19AM|#

It must be a muslim enforcing this stupid rule

Bob|4.26.08 @ 8:11AM|#

45 Days!!!! I could punch some in the face and not get that kind of time.

|4.26.08 @ 8:18AM|#

I lived in Venezuela for 5 years and ate many a lunch from street vendors. No there were no health inspectors. I just made sure my fried cooked snack was hot, usually I watched them fry them up. Never got sick. I did however get very sick by eating at a SubWay in Pakistan. The manager told me he follow all health guidelines. I was sick for a week.

|4.26.08 @ 8:52AM|#

sounds more anti pork than bacon to me

|4.26.08 @ 8:55AM|#

Well now I've never heard of the like of what is going on in the land of the fruits and nuts with this bacon thing. of course I don't have all the details not being from the area. Here is what I suggest, everyone in the above comments that think the gummint is too onerous band together and make this a political movement: like, get a petition and have a lot of people sign it and get the ridiculous law thrown out. Make it so hot for the "leaders?", your wonderful elected officials that they will back down on this thing. Like the one person said near the top of this list:"give me bacon or give me death".

|4.26.08 @ 9:25AM|#

THIS COULD ONLY HAPPEN IN THE GRANOLA STATE!
(Take away the nuts and fruits and all that's left is the flakes!)

|4.26.08 @ 9:30AM|#

I owned a hot dog stand for several years and they are the cleanest source of food you can buy. They prepare everything in front of you. In Texas we had to carry a 1 million dollar liability insurance policy, so there is recourse if someone gets sick. We quit because we got tired of fighting with the health dept. They would try to "invent" health regulations, which is illegal, like no condiment table or ice chest. No, it wasn't that we couldn't have condiments, we just couldn't have a table for customers convenience. We would always win our battles, but you get tired of going to war. They actually told us they didn't want any more street vendors because it was inconvenient for them. We were the last ones left in our town. Then when we tried to sell the business, the health dept. director said he would not allow anyone else to get a permit. Off to war again, it turned out his boss (Medical Examiner) was put through Medical School by his dad selling hot dogs! The M.E. made him apologize to us for the years of harassments.

|4.26.08 @ 9:53AM|#

Strange. As I see bacon in the store lanes and never no longer in need of refer area's. I use it all the time, and man it's great! Especially with a doggie and trimmings. Where did that doggie wagon go?

|4.26.08 @ 11:22AM|#

If they would just close the border and round-up all the illegals and ship them back to whatever 3rd world toilet they come from, we would not have this problem.

Until we can enforce immigration so that it is slow, selective and cautious, we will have to fear this "bacon underground." *Shudder* ...oh, and all those hispanic gangs like MS13, Latin Kings, etc.

Police officers can taser a wheelchair bound person or an old lady (see YOUTUBE) and get away with it but an average person sells bacon and gets jail. See the Orwellian slant here? Fill a man with lead by accident, that's OK. Sell bacon..You're going down boy!

George Orwell, we need you now. Dang and I was getting all set to head down to the ghetto and buy a bacon dog from some illegal alien..shoot.

BillH|4.26.08 @ 11:23AM|#

Why not sell the ready cooked bacon which may not need the govt. equipment?

|4.26.08 @ 11:29AM|#

silly libertarians. The restriction is not on bacon dogs, but on improperly prepared bacon dogs. Not all improperly prepared bacon dogs will kill you, but a few will. So, the regulation evens the playing field. Taking short cuts gives some vendors an advantage that also shortcuts the free market system. Remember, free markets depend upon informed buyers and sellers. I doubt these bacon dog vendors advertise that there bacon is not properly stored, or cooked.

|4.26.08 @ 11:54AM|#

Only in Kalifornia do hot dog venders go to jail and murderes go free. How stupid can that state be???

|4.26.08 @ 11:57AM|#

Well you liberal (communists) want to live in Cal. You get what you so richly deserve.You think socialisim is so great.....Well now you have it. ENJOY!

|4.26.08 @ 12:05PM|#

Sounds like another LA County Gestapo (oops! Government) Official stuck on stupid. Sounds like a County Quack (oops!) Doctor butt trumpeting (oops! sorry, again)talking again. 45 days in the slammer for bacon outrageous. Big Brother again.

|4.26.08 @ 12:54PM|#

All you ever hear is garbage like the government of the people, for the people, and by the people. But the truth is that government is run amok, spiraling out of control. It represents NO ONE that I know. You take this case as an example ... if "government" was about oversight and caring about the public's will and wishes, all they had to do was

1. Approve certain equipment for cooking the bacon (whatever THAT'S about?) and

2. Require a sign that states we sell bacon cooked in government approved or NON-government approved equipment

But they know that EVERYONE would still by the damned bacon, even if it wasn't cooked with their supposedly "safe" equipment. So, a reasaonable person might ask, "What's the point of the law then?" There is no point to it! Which makes the broader point that politicians don't care one bit about the will and wishes of the people.

I read a quote just recently that says it all: "Politicians pretend to be the people's slaves in order to become their masters." So true. And it's easy to blame them and to hate them. But WE are the ones letting them do it! Shame on US!

Earl|4.26.08 @ 1:21PM|#

This is a good example of what happens when Liberals gain control. If the Democrats gain control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress they will make this country into a living hell. There will be no area of lile they will not want to regulate. Vote to reject Hussein Obama and Hilliary while we have a chance.

|4.26.08 @ 1:33PM|#

The late great United States. Please mr. government protect me, I'm so helpless and in need of your guidance and loving care.

Maybe the bacon wrapped tube steaks could be dropped on afghanistan...."weaponized hot dogs" now that's a concept you can really sink your teeth into...

|4.26.08 @ 1:37PM|#

If you knew the lack of hygiene and potential disease you would realize why these horrible laws have come about. These people have only recently left Tijuana or San Salvador. Some have TB, hepatitus, or other diseases that were until recently extinct in America. Add the e. coli from the lack of hygiene and that's quite an appetizing recipe for turning your stomach. Forget about the big deep pocket lawsuit. They will have fled to Mexico. This why the city has had to crack down.

|4.26.08 @ 1:39PM|#

Oh, Parting shot:

"It Takes a Village" to destroy a nations freedom and liberty.

|4.26.08 @ 1:44PM|#

The solution is to limit these carts to Olvera Street in Oldtown. That way the only people who get sick will be the tourists and the Mexicans themselves. Elsewhere some standard of wholesomeness and cleanliness must be upheld. I expect people who handle my food to wash their hands without needing to be told in their native language, no less. If I see the sign, "Lavos los Manos" than I know I'm in the wrong place anyway.

|4.26.08 @ 2:26PM|#

These nasty puercos (cops) doing that to a poor illegal trying to live the better life. un perro caliente con tocino is very tasty.Remember LA is now over fifty percent mexican,soon we will have cockfights on lincoln Blvd and street dancing on Figueroa.

|4.26.08 @ 3:27PM|#

What you people fail to understand that She Broke the Law. First it is illegal selling of Bacon, then other Pork products start being sold, first thing you know everyone in munching on Pigs Snout and Pigs feet. The Pork addiction is just the gateway to more serious crimes. It stops with the pork or they'll be selling drugs, alcohol and sex from their little street carts. California is right to enforce Sharia Law like they do.

|4.26.08 @ 4:53PM|#

Speaking as a New Yorker...ARE YOU GUYS NUTS???
No self respecting Sabrett Hot dog Vendor would ever allow bacon to touch a dog...SACRELIGE!

You Californians sure are weird - Bacon Hot Dogs!

You Bacon dog eaters should all be arrested for violating the laws of aesthetics!

|4.26.08 @ 7:04PM|#

Hello! You can buy bacon in the middle isles of any supermarket in America. Thats right: not refrigerated fully cooked just like Velvea cheese! Dangerous?
Only in the minds of a busy body Liberal.

|4.26.08 @ 8:20PM|#

Bacon? Got to try that!!!

|4.26.08 @ 9:11PM|#

bacon huh? You know perfectly well it was a terrorist called Muslim that complained! Find a muslims and wrap them in bacon!

|4.26.08 @ 9:47PM|#

Find a moslem and smear bacon on him...then call the police and let them know he is not in compliance with all applicable bacon ordinances.

Chris Tomlin|4.26.08 @ 11:04PM|#

I figured out the problem about 30 seconds into this story when Drew brings up one TERRENCE POWELL!
I dealt with him two years ago. Check it out http://route2damascus.blogspot.com/2008/01/shroom-scare.html
This guy doesn't think anyone but the government is fit to make any judgments about safety or health. Free market self regulation? Never! Individual discretion and accountability? No way!
He should be a national poster child for the nanny state! Anyone concerned about individual freedom and responsibility should lock the doors and pass the ammo when Powell comes 'round the corner.
And there's a zillion like him in government offices everywhere.

|4.26.08 @ 11:47PM|#

So,,,, Islamic terrorists don't sell bacon. Maybe more bacons stands will keep them out of our large cities. Probably more effectively than Home Land Security. Leave the little old lady alone. She could be saving the city.

|4.27.08 @ 12:08AM|#

You folks that are sympathizing with this lady and her problems are unaware of a few things...
She is not a licensed restaurant, has no business license and is not a citizen but rather.....here it comes....illegal! Yep, an illegal alien. She has no right to be here let alone any right to potentially poison someone with tainted food. Remember, this city is a sanctuary city so nothing can be expected of law enforcement in the way of turning her over to I.C.E. She is fortunate to have been released from jail the first time around. Now, LaRaza and the rest of the racist Mexican mafia type immigration groups are helping her with her battle to continue to break the laws of the country she wishes to become a part of. My suggestion is to obey the law first and foremost, then perhaps you can have your say legally in court. Go back home to Mexico in the meantime.

|4.27.08 @ 2:38AM|#

Bacon Hotdogs...What next? IllegaL Alien drivers are slaughtering people on our highways with no apparent discourse or objections, but this one sells Hotdogs with Bacon and they put her in jail. CaliPHONIA has lost all concept of basic priorities. I'm Sooo glad I don't live there.

Jim|4.27.08 @ 11:31AM|#

Friggin' commies!
Why has this gone on?!

Are you kiddin' me? I'm having one today and sellling some to my neighbor.

RightWingStuff.com

|4.27.08 @ 12:56PM|#

Take it from your Cousin Dupree. Thick sliced pepper bacon adds to any dish. I gar-on-tee.

|4.27.08 @ 3:32PM|#

So the government throws people in jail for selling bacon, but ignores the millions of invaders from Mexico who are conquering the USA? How typical of our worthless cowardly treasonous government and the bizarre time we live in!

|4.27.08 @ 4:32PM|#

I am assuming that this is a delayed April fool's joke. Unless some religious people complained, and then I would certainly understand.

|4.27.08 @ 6:51PM|#

Time and energy should be spent corralling and prosecuting the gangs that are terrorizing our neighborhoods rather than having law enforcement serve as the strong-arm branch of a government that wants to play Mary Poppins and dictate what the public should or should not eat. "Bacon is a potentially hazardous food," says Terrence Powell of the LA County Health Department. Well, Terry, it's not nearly as "potentially hazardous" to our health and well-being as the Dem idiots and the sycophants who currently hold sway in both L.A. city and county government. In any event, frankly, it's none of your damn business what I consume.

|4.27.08 @ 7:55PM|#

Apparently when the Soviet Union fell, all the commies packed up and moved to the USA to infest local governments like San Francisco and LA. I bet they found the complacency and cowardice of the American people to be beyond their wildest dreams.

Voting doesn't work any more. Most candidates are jackbooted "progressive" liberal thugs. Even so-called conservatives grovel before the altar of liberalism. None of them have the stones to stop the invasion of the USA by Mexico. The government no longer represents or cares about straight White Americans. There must be a better solution to this tyranny. Think 1776.

|4.27.08 @ 9:14PM|#

Stone wrote:
"You Bacon dog eaters should all be arrested for violating the laws of aesthetics!"

Yea, how DARE they put actual MEAT next to a tube full of ground-up pig guts, butts and lips!

|4.27.08 @ 9:28PM|#

Everybody knows that bureaucrats know what's best for us. Yeah, right!!!!!

|4.27.08 @ 10:38PM|#

Not to sound like a Boars Head, but could Hebrew National lose their kosher rating over this?