Have you heard about this? A politician in New York City has proposed a bill to ban the use of salt in all city restaurants. This dude can’t be serious. Felix Ortiz, the author of the motion, says that the ban is designed to save lives. This is possibly the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. Mr. Ortiz just doesn’t get it, and rather than stop and think about what’s being proposed, he’s more concerned about getting his name in the headlines and pushing his bullshit agenda.
Salt, in moderation, is excellent, especially in the hands of a well trained New York City chef. High blood pressure, obesity, diabetes–all huge health problems in our country. But salt is not the singular problem and banning it from restaurants is not the lone solution. Sure, we banned trans fats a few years ago, but I’d hardly compare the two. New York City is the restaurant capital of the world. There’s no way Ortiz can think this bill will be approved. You can’t tell me that he honestly thought through the ramifications of banning salt, and still believed it was a good idea. I’d venture a very unscientific guess that 80% of New Yorkers don’t even get their daily salt intake from restaurants.
The city thrives on every imaginable cuisine and benefits greatly from culinary tourism. Do you think Chinatown is going to stop using soy sauce? Is he going after bars too for putting salt on the rim of a margarita? Rather than trying to make a name for himself with a bogus anti-salt bill, how about we tell Felix to spend his time on something more productive. If he’s such a crusader for health reform, I could think of five things right now that Ortiz could focus on and actually achieve his goals–school lunches, fast food, exercise awareness, community programs, early health screenings. That was easy. Fucking politicians…
