So the courts have ruled, at least until appeal: New York City’s push to force some fast-food and family-dining chain restaurants to post calorie counts of their foods is happening. Before even taking sides on this issue, New Yorkers and the people who love or hate them will recognize the calorie-posting mandate as another finger-wag in the paternalistic tradition of this city.
It’s a funny place, New York—proud of the wild, hedonistic strain in its DNA, yet prone to believe in the healing power of social legislation as cooked up by the mayor’s office. I mean, the high-end chefs in this town have been wallowing in pork fat for years now (this has got to be a special time of horror if you’re a local pig, no matter how humanely raised), but the Olive Garden is now required to tell us how many calories there are in a plate of Pork Filettino, whatever that is? It seems a bit unfair, given that the 10-course chef’s tasting menus at the fancy joints—no matter how weensy the servings may be—probably deliver as much “harm,” and at a hefty Wall Street multiple of the price.
Which is to say that I reach for my metaphorical handgun at the
thought of legislated calorality—the subtle blend of calorie counting
and nutrition morality. And yet…I think it’s a good idea. And the
reason I think it’s a good idea is that portion sizes continue to be
unhinged in so many restaurants, both in NYC and around the country.
This has been much remarked upon, certainly, but it bears repeating.
I just got back from Georgia, where a shrimp-and-grits entree served up in a pretty tony restaurant, perfectly divided for a pair of hearty eaters, was more than enough food for both of us (i.e., it was twice as big as it needed to be). I hate splitting entrees; I feel like a penny-pinching geezer when I do it. But when a serving is as big as your head, something has to give.
Will it work? Will people shy from the 900-calorie burrito in favor
of the 500-calorie version? Some probably will. For most, the calorie
postings will become invisible, like the mandatory choking-first-aid
posters all NYC restaurants are also required to display. But hell, if
they’re going to post the price of the fuel we’re buying, they might as
well post the octane rating as well.
Comments (3)
Re: “Calority”: Love the coinage, Scott. I think posting calories is a good and disturbing idea. The problem is that it’ll only be useful to the folks who are already paying attention. And it really is shocking how enormous restaurant portions are these days. Combine that with our Puritanical directive to clean our plates and it’s no wonder Americans are HUGE. I laughed at the splitting an entrée line, because my French girlfriend used to call me cheap for suggesting we share one meal. In France, you wouldn’t dare, and god help you if you ask for a doggie bag in Paris. But after living here for four years, she’s learned. When we eat out, she knows she’ll have lunch the next day.
I think it’s a great idea restaurants are being asked to post info. It’s amazing how hard restaurant chains are fighting to hide their nutrition information. It’s hard to eat well when eating out, especially when you have dietary needs or want to watch your calorie intake. Often food items that seem healthy and are marketed that way are not. For this reason, my company just launched a new service called Wellternatives that lets people find nutrition info for thousands of chain restaurants — right from their cell phone or on the web. It also makes recommendations for a healthier alternative to your favorite restaurant meals, hence the name… Wellternatives. Would love to hear what you think of it! Sara
i think i makes for extra work, figuring out the calorie content of a meal. what about specials, that takes more time, and raises internal costs for the establishment. maybe people should just be more aware of what they are eating in general, and excercise a lot more.