Is Philly the Next New York?

Philadelphia's trans fats may be next in line for extermination:

Restaurants, food trucks and takeouts would be barred from using products that contain trans fats under legislation introduced in a City Council panel.

The Committee on Public Health and Human Services approved the measure Thursday, and it will go the full Council for the first of two votes on Feb. 1.

Restaurants would have to rid their kitchens of trans fats by Sept. 1 under the bill by Councilman Juan Ramos.

Silver lining: As the good people at Fark.com point out: "Fortunately, Cheez Whiz has no trans fat. No actual cheese, either, but who's quibbling."

More on trans fat fun here, here, here, and here.

Comments

[Thrall]

this is un-be-fuckinlievable. How am I supposed to go down to Philly and get a Philly cheese steak sandwich?

HUH!?!?

Well I'll have to stick to the places here in California that have them.

Seriously, I think this whole obese-fat-trans fat thing is getting crazy. May I remind everyone the BMI is based on a system from the 1800's. My 5' 7'' mother that ways 130 is considered morbidly obese at the local doctors office. I feel like screaming.

[highnumber]

Good for you Philadelphia. You're only a step or two behind NY and ahead of Chicago. Would you like to ban foie gras now?

Philadelphians,

I gotta trust you that Philly cheese sandwiches are best in their hometown, but places where the sandwich has immigrated to make them with swiss or provolone, and I have to tell you, that sounds and looks so much more appetizing than Cheez Whiz.

[Pro Libertate]

Now Philadelphia's sole justification for existence is as a museum of American history.

[van]

I noticed that the Girl Scouts have stopped using trans fats in their cookies. I don't recall a lawsuit or legislation forcing them to do it. Funny how that can happen.

[Not That David]

I'm from Philly, and I still think the "whiz with" thing is some kind of mass insanity. Provolone for me, thanks.

[Stormy Dragon]

Not using whiz is okay, just don't put lettuce or tomato in it. Putting lettuce or tomato in a cheese steak is grounds for justifiable homicide.

[Single Issue Voter]

highnumber,
Considering The State's opposition to cockfighting I am suprised foie gras is still widely available.

"First they came for the gamefowl and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a cockfighter...

Then they came for the swollen livered overfed ducks and geese and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gourmand........"

I'm sure the new liberal-libertarian alliance will get right on the Federal ban on foie gras.

After all it is for the poultry.........

[Karen]

Of course, lard and butter aren't trans-fats, so . . . .

[Ted B.]

There's really no reason that transfat need to be in a Philly cheesesteak...and most probably don't have any in the first place. It's beef, cheese and toppings on a bread-roll; just use non-transfat oil on the grille and you're good. And plenty of places in Philly consider "the Whiz" anathema on a cheesesteak...it shoud be a slice of real-cheese; American, Swiss, Provolone or sliced or shredded Mozzarella.

[Rex Rhino]

So in the year 2038, when they discover that trans-fats help prevent "Mark Wahlberg's Disease", will I be able to sue the city of Philidelphia for destroying my health?

[highnumber]

"Mark Wahlberg's Disease"?
What's that - you make a huge ass of yourself in public for a few years then go on to a successful and respected film career all the while getting all the ladies?
Sign me up.

[Single Issue Voter]

Rex,

No Sovereign Immunity protects them.

I suspect "Science" may eventually come around to the idea that there is a connection between consumption of high fructose corn syrup(instead of cane sugar) and diabetes and obesity. The syrup is practically State mandated as part of the Cuban embargo, agricultural tariffs, price supports, and corn subsidies. Thankfully, sovereign immunity will keep the taxpayers off the hook for that debacle too.

[Yogi]

I suspect "Science" may eventually come around to the idea that there is a connection between consumption of high fructose corn syrup(instead of cane sugar) and diabetes and obesity. The syrup is practically State mandated as part of the Cuban embargo, agricultural tariffs, price supports, and corn subsidies. Thankfully, sovereign immunity will keep the taxpayers off the hook for that debacle too.

What government agency is going to fund that scientific study?

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Stop me if I've said this before. There's a reason it's called Cheese WHIZ.

[ed]

Still looks like shit on a shingle to me.
Is this why no Philly team ever wins anything?

[Syd]

Philadelphia sports just hasn't been the same since Connie Mack retired.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Syd wins the thread

[Iguana]

Please, Ed, your mother and I would rather you called it Chipped Beef on Toast.

[Guy Montag]

syrup is practically State mandated as part of the Cuban embargo, agricultural tariffs, price supports, and corn subsidies.

Ahem, I am in Miami right now and if there is a ban on Cubans it is purly imagined.

Side note: I was found out as not being Cuban when I asked for Tabasco for my lasagna and bloody mary breakfast yesterday afternoon.

[Sam Franklin]

Philly lets down Sammy:

http://www.reason.com/blog/show/117564.html#618533

still a labeller, not a banner. Maybe Baltimore can show us how its done. Or, better yet, Toronto.

I found my first "NO HFCS" label in the supermarket last week. On Sweetened blueberry juice. I bought it. It was expensive, but delicious.

[steveintheknow]

-highnumber

Do they really eat foie gras in Philly? 🙂

Yeah I used to work in a sub shop in Austin that specialized in phillys and we used American cheese (whatever that is really). Anyway, they were le' bomb!

One thing I have to give up to all o' the trans-fat ban folks, they are right about one thing. From a culinary perspective tf's really aren't necessary.

[Shameless plug from a customer]

Royal Pizza

42nd and Baltimore

Best cheese steaks ever

Nice pizzas and hoagies too

[joe]

Mmm...that's one yummy looking steak and cheese grinder.

[Pro Libertate]

Ah, finally, the future is almost here. Soon, all food will come in a government approved--and mandated--pill form. Can space colonies and flying cars be far behind?

Pardon me while I get fitted for my toga and/or silver jumpsuit. Stylish.

[Isaac Bartram]

Of course, lard and butter aren't trans-fats, so . . . .

But they are so much more tasty than margarine or Crisco (the things I associate with transfat).

Mind you, unlike what seems to be about 90% of the population I don't think the fact that I don't like something is a reason to send SWAT teams after people who do. 🙂

[Isaac Bartram]

And if anyone complains about the hyperbole in that post I'll sic my cat on you. She's a proven killer; you'll be lucky to survive.

[Stormy Dragon]

Okay, I'm from the Philly area, and I'd like to make a clarification because this is something that really pisses me off.

Contrary to what the rest of the country thinks, NOT EVERY CHEESESTEAK IS A PHILLY CHEESESTEAK!!!!!!

If you don't know what a Philly cheesesteak is, don't call what you're making one just to be trendy.

Case in point:

>Yeah I used to work in a sub shop in Austin
>that specialized in phillys and we used
>American cheese (whatever that is really).
>Anyway, they were le' bomb!

No, you used to work in a sub shop that specialized in being tools. No matter how great they were, as soon as you put american cheese on it, they ceased to be Philly cheesesteaks.

[steveintheknow]

No, you used to work in a sub shop that specialized in being tools. No matter how great they were, as soon as you put american cheese on it, they ceased to be Philly cheesesteaks.

lol!

...but they sell Tastey Kakes, thats like Philly-ish right? 🙂

[The Wine Commonsewer]

But Isaac, didn't everyone switch to margarine (at the urging of the food nanny's) to avoid the dreaded animal fats in, gasp, butter?

That, on it's face, proves that the government nanny's don't know shit from breakfast.

And boy are you right, TF do nothing but make stuff taste worse. If you just have to eat something awful for you it ought to at least taste good.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Stormy, you are now obligated to provide us plebes with the ingredients and cooking method that produces a true Philly Cheesesteak.

I'm serious too.

[*]

Seriously, I think this whole obese-fat-trans fat thing is getting crazy. May I remind everyone the BMI is based on a system from the 1800's. My 5' 7'' mother that ways 130 is considered morbidly obese at the local doctors office. I feel like screaming.

I have no idea what you are talking about. A height of 5'7" and a weight of 130 gives a BMI of 20.4. According to the NIH, normal weight is in the BMI range of 18.5-24.9. Your mother is at the low end of normal weight. Obesity is defined as a BMI > 30. Morbid obesity is a little more subjective (the NIH does not have a BMI cutoff for "morbidly" obese) but most practitioners would put it at >35. Hope that helps reduce your urge to scream.

BMI is actually a decent gauge of appropriateness of weight for height for most Americans. Granted it can lead to muscular individuals with low %body fat being classified as overweight or obese, but most Americans don't struggle with excess muscle.

As for trans-fats, they really are very bad for you, and it's a good thing that they are on the way out. Granted, it would be better to let the market sort it out than pile on more government regulation, but life will go on. There is certainly much more harmful legislation out there to be opposed.

[Hormone Cow]

To the first poster: a woman who is 5'7" and 130 lbs would have a BMI of 20.4, which is on the low side of normal. She would have to weigh 192 to be considered obese.

To Sam Franklin: Thank you for making me not feel like I'm the only one who tries to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). It's hard to to do...it's in pop (aka "soda"), bread, spaghetti sauce, etc. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who reads the labels on products.

[Stormy Dragon]

Philly Cheesesteak:

Oil the grill and put onions and peppers (as desired) on to cook, once they've sauteed a bit, put think sliced steak cut of meat ontop. While it grills, chop it with the edge of a straight metal spatula and scramble the ingredients together. Shortly before cooking finishes, gather the pile together and put cheezwhiz ontop. Let it cook a bit more, than take a 6-12" italian roll cut down the center, open it up and lay it upside down ontop of the pile, slide the spatula underneath and then use it to pick up sandwhich and then invert it so the roll is now on the bottom and serve.

Some other kinds of cheesesteaks:

Pizzasteak: use mozeralla instead of whiz, get rid of the peppers and onions, add tomato sauce and pepperoni.

California cheesesteak: get rid of pepers and onions, use real cheese instead of the whiz, and serve with mayo, lettuce, and tomato.

I get kinda annoyed when I'm traveling and someone tries to take me to 'this great philly place' they know, and when I order the 'philly cheese steak' I get a California or something made from ground chuck. They may taste great, but it's not what I ordered.

It would be like going to the hardware store and ordering a phillips head screwdriver and when you get home you discover you have pozidriv head instead. It may be the greatest pozidriv screwdriver ever created by God or man, but it still doesn't fit in my screws.

[Devlin]

Multnomah County (Portland, OR) is also considering a ban on trans fats, although in a meeting earlier this week they opted for more study first.
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1169778320291680.xml&coll=7

Did you know that Portland also bans snout houses? Bunch of really nanny-state liberals we got here....

[Edward]

Anybody who would ingest very much of that shit really does need a nanny.

[Devlin]

Edward wrote:\
> Anybody who would ingest very much
> of that shit really does need a nanny.

The point is, it should be up to the individual to decide what they will ingest into their own body, not the government. Jeez.

[steveintheknow]

Anybody who would ingest very much of that shit really does need a nanny.

What does she look like? Is she into the adult baby thing?:)

[highnumber]

Did you know that Portland also bans snout houses?

Not only did I not know that, I have no idea what a "snout house" is.

[Edward]

Devlin wrote:
"The point is, it should be up to the individual to decide what they will ingest into their own body, not the government. Jeez."

I know that's the point, Devlin. But what about people who are so stupid they can't make rational choices? Or do we not admit that such people exist?

[Edward]

steveintheknow

She looks a lot like Alberto Gonzalez but lacks his charm.

[Sparky]

"But what about people who are so stupid they can't make rational choices? Or do we not admit that such people exist?"

No, Captain Strawman, I think everyone would agree that some such people do exist. What we do is try to maintain a little more healthy skepticism toward those in authority who claim to know what's best for those they consider "so stupid they can't make rational choices." Cuz once or twice there have been some unintended consequences to such approaches....

[The Wine Commonsewer]

I thought Edward was kidding about the guy needing a Nanny. Sort of like if I would say anyone who would ingest White Zinfandel needs a Nanny.

We still don't know what a snout house is.

And, yes we also know dumb people exist. That's why we have parents and inlaws. To badger the shit out of the dummies in the family.

Speaking of dumb, I just explained what dumb really means to the House Blond.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

snout house n. a single-family residence in which a garage projects from, obscures, or dominates the street-facing side of the building.

Now, Edward, how do ingest a snout house?

Stormy, thanks for the lesson on Philly Cheesesteak. I always thought that somehow a true Philly Cheesesteak must predate the invention of Cheese WHIZ, which I think dates to the early 1950's. Two decades after the Philly CS was invented.

[Edward]

Sparky, you're right, of course. I would rather let morons suffer the consequences of their bad choices than have the state meddling in everybody's business.

Wine comonsewer, anybody who ingests VERY MUCH of alsmost anything needs a nany. The nnay doesn't have to be the state.

You guys read things into what I say.

Nonetheless, there is a continuum. We might want certainly want somebody to supervise the decisions of the severely retarded. Like Cheney's keeping an eye on Bush.

Did you know, by the way, that African-American men in the military are many times healthier than their civilian counterparts. Why do you suppose that is?

[Rex Rhino]

bread, spaghetti sauce, etc. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who reads the labels on products.

What kind of bread, spaghetti sauce, etc., are you buying? I read all my labels, as I am a vegetarian so I look for animal ingredients... Only the totally tasteless white-bread big-brand crap has HFCS, and if you are buying Wonder Bread or Prego pasta sauce, you could probably care less about HFCS. You can get 100% natural real bread, or buy the cheap pasta sauce from an italian supermarket, both for half the cost of the crappy big name stuff.

Even the days of HFCS for shit corporate brands is numbered. My wife is working on the new marketing campaign for a big evil food conglomerate that I won't mention by name, that is eliminating all HFCS, trans-fats, artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives within the next year or two, and going 100% natural. And they are doing it because all the other big evil tobbaco company owned brands are doing the same thing. In two years, there won't be a trans-fat or drop of HFCS anywhere in most grocery stores except for candy and soda.

[Guy Montag]

On an episode of "Off the Hook" a while back, bernieS tried a 'Philly Cheese Steak' in London (I think at Heathrow, may have een the tube, I don't remember) and became ill in short order.

Also, he said the sandwich was not even a good imitation.

[Isaac Bartram]

TF do nothing but make stuff taste worse. If you just have to eat something awful for you it ought to at least taste good.

Too right.

The only transfats I have deliberately* kept in my house is a can of vegetable shortening to use as a lubricant for my black powder revolver. I'm told it has properties similar to the bear fat that our forefathers used for that purpose and having not killed any bears lately I don't have any of the real thing.

Of course in a few years the nannies won't even allow me this small pleasure.

*I'm sure there are TF in the few prepared foods and seasonings I keep but I do in fact avoid them where possible, even without nanny or my mom telling me so.

[Isaac Bartram]

Philadelphia sports just hasn't been the same since Connie Mack retired.

Nor have Florida politics.

[Evan!]

Rex:

"Only the totally tasteless white-bread big-brand crap has HFCS, and if you are buying Wonder Bread or Prego pasta sauce, you could probably care less about HFCS."

First off, I read the labels plenty...and you'd be surprised by how many breads, even the "whole grain good for you healthfood" kinds, have HFCS in them. Believe me, it's not just Wundabred.

On the other hand, you've got to buy extra-special (=extra-expensive) ketchup if you wanna get away from HFCS. Same goes for most syrups (unless you buy the really expensive maple stuff). And you are very right, if you're eating store-bought marinara sauce from a jar, then I doubt you care much about shit like HFCS. I can't even ingest (honestly) most of that junk. I have to hunt and peck and rifle through all the selection until I find the one with the lowest amount of sugar. Otherwise...it's like eating fucking dessert. But, then again, the actualy quality of most of those spaghetti-sauce-in-a-jar brands is so fucking hideous that the only way to get people to eat it is to pump it full of sugar. Ugh.

"In two years, there won't be a trans-fat or drop of HFCS anywhere in most grocery stores except for candy and soda."

We could make that a reality tomorrow if the government were to simply end its corn subsidies to ADM, et al.

[Isaac Bartram]

Same goes for most syrups (unless you buy the really expensive maple stuff).

Hold it. Is there any one here who would use anything but real maple syrup on their pancakes. Really people, have you no taste at all? 🙂

Seriously my Maine bred Grandfather and my New Hampshire bred Grandmother, not to mention all my other "people" on both sides of the International border would have conniptions over that.

Why, I think it might be worse than cutting pancakes with a knife.

[Evan!]

"Hold it. Is there any one here who would use anything but real maple syrup on their pancakes. Really people, have you no taste at all? :)"

Depends on how much sugar I want. Sometimes, I like to indulge and pour the good pure maple. Other times, I can't deal with all the sugar, so I pour the specialty stuff that's sweetened with Splenda. Doesn't taste as good (obviously), but it also isn't like eating a candy bar for breakfast. No offense to your peoples, but maple syrup has a LOT of sugar in it...which isn't too great for you.

[Stormy Dragon]

>Stormy, thanks for the lesson on Philly
>Cheesesteak. I always thought that somehow a
>true Philly Cheesesteak must predate the
>invention of Cheese WHIZ, which I think dates
>to the early 1950's. Two decades after the
>Philly CS was invented.

The whiz is what made the difference between a philly cheesesteak being just a regular cheesesteak that happened to be made in philly and it being a distinct kind of cheesesteak.

[albo]

Heh. I wrote that Fark headline.

[Isaac Bartram]

Evan!

What you describe might be OK as long as you don"t cut any of the pancakes with a knife.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Is there any one here who would use anything but real maple syrup on their pancakes. Really people, have you no taste at all? 🙂

Isaac, you're not going to believe this.......

.......and then he said, don't you have some Aunt Jemima or Log Cabin? On my made-from-scratch Frog Toast. Since he has good taste in red wine and is a libertarian I let it slide.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Evan, I avoid sugar like the plague but if I'm going to partake of syrup on pancakes, it ain't going to be Caro with a little maple and vanilla flavoring. 🙂

[grumpy realist]

A bravo! to those who think anything aside from maple syrup is anathema. (Wonder how many of us grew up making the stuff?) We usually tapped 6 trees and would end up with 2+ gallons of the stuff.

And yeah, the existence of corn syrup in everything is yetanotherreason to cook from scratch. I was royally irked when I discovered standard tomato paste has corn syrup in it. Damn it, it shouldn't.

Yet another thing I have to go for the "organic, health" version of....

[jeffiek]

"But what about people who are so stupid they can't make rational choices? Or do we not admit that such people exist?"

We elect them.

[Eric the .5b]

My wife is working on the new marketing campaign for a big evil food conglomerate that I won't mention by name, that is eliminating all HFCS, trans-fats, artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives within the next year or two, and going 100% natural. And they are doing it because all the other big evil tobbaco company owned brands are doing the same thing. In two years, there won't be a trans-fat or drop of HFCS anywhere in most grocery stores except for candy and soda.

Don't worry - the crunchy-granola types are already hard at work on new reasons to hate any food product that took more than three people to produce and traveled more than twenty miles to your kitchen. 😉

[dellis]

I have to say, I like these TransFat bans. I like to buy delicious food I see walking down the street, and it comforts me to know that there are no Transfats in the food that I might plausibly buy. Now I know cheesesteaks are inherently bad for you, but there is a significant amount of medical research to suggest that transfats are significantly worse for you than saturated fats.

[highnumber]

dellis,

So you propose that it is more fair that trans fats are banned by law than it is that I retain my right to occasionally eat out at a restaurant that has kept its prices lower by using these shelf stable trans fats?
I have the self control to not buy every yummy food I see as I walk down the street. You want me & the business owners to suffer because you can't pass up a sack of fries. This sounds unfair to me & Joe Restaurant-owner. Would you care to explain to me how it is not?

[rox_publius]

Couple of points from a Philly resident:

a. Provolone is the only way to go. Whiz is some crap we trick outsiders into eating.

b. If you only knew how politics and government work in this town, you'd realize this little move ain't jack. Ask Comcast about their waterless urinals.