FoodGate

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July 8, 11:28 PM

by Donna Feldman, Denver Health Examiner

 

 

• Half of the meal (or 50%) of the plate is made up of fruits and/or vegetables
• A colorful meal - include at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white (Garnishes not included)
• No items are to be fried
• 70% or more of ingredients by pre-cooked weight are certified organic and/or grown or raised in Colorado
• 70% or more of ingredients by pre-cooked weight are fresh and (not pre-processed)

The New York Times reports that local caterers are balking at the restrictions and dropping out of the process:
Peggy Beck, co-owner of Three Tomatoes Catering said “We’ve jumped through hoops and hoops to bid on their stuff, and we had to have certain color food so the plates would be colorful.” In the end, the parties that she had been bidding on were canceled to save money. “This was some of the silliest stuff ever,” she added.
Nick Agro, head of Whirled Peas Catering, questioned whether the requirement for local organic food could meet cost constraints. “These were fantastic ideas, but I question who is willing to pay for these extra costs,” Mr. Agro said.

Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown, interviewed on Channel 7, seemingly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about the bungled attempt to enforce the heavy-handed rules.  He noted that pineapples were forbidden because they must be shipped a long way, creating a politically incorrect carbon footprint.

I got a look at a menu for one event, and wondered how it ever got by the DNC Food Police.  This menu included mangoes and papayas, wild salmon scallops, passion fruit, and prickly pear cactus.  I don’t recall any of that growing in Colorado.  And oops, the color palette is overwhelmingly orange and white.

The “no fried foods” rule got everyone’s attention, but actually the “green” rule on using organic and local food is probably causing more problems.  There are plenty of foods with bigger carbon footprints than pineapple.  In landlocked Colorado, the DNC really can’t allow any fish at all, except fresh water trout caught in Colorado.  But given fishing restrictions, there can’t be enough trout available to serve 50,000 people.  Anyone who has gardened here knows that lettuce and spinach are long bolted and dead by the end of August, so green salads are also out.  A moot point, since olive oil for salad dressing should also be forbidden.  Cheese?  Only Haystack Dairy goat cheese, but again, can that small operation make enough cheese for 50,000 people?  All European cheeses are out, including parmesan.  Wine?  Beer?  Only Colorado-made, so no champagne and no drinks made with rum, vodka, tequila or gin.  Another moot point, because we don’t grow limes or oranges or coconuts in Colorado for the drink mixes.

What’s left in late August?  Zucchini!  Lots of it.  Corn on the cob, if enough was planted.  Tomatoes, unless the weather turns bad.  Peppers.  And peaches from the Western Slope and Rocky Ford cantaloupes.  Throw in some local beef and you have a healthy, green menu.  Something like a Rocky Mountain South Beach Diet.  Just forget the salt - we don’t make that here either.

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