Large Soda Ban in NYC Restaurants

[sodascouts]

No, I'm not talking about myself. I'm still allowed to go to restaurants in NYC, lol. However, something dear to my heart is being attacked there!

NYC major Bloomberg is proposing a ban on large sodas at restaurants in New York City (see more here and here).

Say WHAT???

Don't try to limit my soda intake or someone may get hurt!

Seriously though, how stupid does he think the public is?

Let's let him explain it to us.

You tend to eat all of the food in the container. If it's bigger, you eat more. If somebody put a smaller glass or plate or bowl in front of you, you would eat less.

You mean, if I order a large drink, I'll have more to drink than if I had ordered a medium or small? WOW! Thanks, Mr. Mayor - until you enlightened us, I had no idea what the word "large" meant when I made my order.

People would still be free to order more than one drink [so] I don’t think you can make the case that we’re taking things away.

And so this measure accomplishes what exactly? Making soda drinkers improve their balance and coordination as they carry two sodas into the movie theater instead of one (Heaven forbid you've ordered popcorn too, especially with butter - maybe Bloomberg should ban those too)?

[This won't hurt the economy because] restaurants could simply charge more for smaller drinks if their sales were to drop.

Oh, lovely. Well, the ban definitely would accomplish punishing people who are already drinking less soda by making them pay more, then. Brilliant!

We’re not taking away anybody’s right to do things, we’re simply forcing you to understand that you have to make the conscious decision to go from one cup to another cup.

"Forcing" people to understand they have to make a decision.... I don't even know what to say to that. Obviously we can't understand such things without being "forced" to! WTH? Question answered about how stupid he thinks his public is.

Take this, Mr. Bloomberg!



But hey, this doesn't effect alcohol. So skip the rum and coke, please. Just give me the rum straight up!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

The good news is this doesn't effect alcohol. So skip the rum and coke, please. Just drink the rum straight up!

You know I endorse this statement!! Haha! I don't ever drink soda (or pop as we call it back home) unless it's holding up alcohol, and even then I try and limit the amount! Which explains all the After Hours Morning After Headaches in May...

Seriously, though, there are several ways to approach this 'awareness program' and he totally picked the way that makes the least sense.

[sodascouts]

That's the thing. I know soda's not a healthy drink. I remember in grade school the demonstration of the tooth in the jar of Coke. I remember how my mother refused to keep soda in the house until my younger sister and I were in high school in order to discourage us from drinking it; even then she only backed down because when we were living alone while she and dad were in Saudi Arabia, we guzzled soda without restraint and there was no going back when they returned a couple years later. Most recently, my younger sister actually gave me a print out of a webpage on the harmful effects of drinking soda.... and she smokes. Go figure.

What I am trying to say is that I am making an informed choice, and it's not one I have to be "forced" to understand. I think it tastes good and so I drink it. Simple as that. I'm not hurting anyone else, so there's no reason for anyone to try and stop me. (Don't give me that "this will descrease obesity and therefore lower insurance" BS - you can make that argument for anything high in calories. What's next, banning restaurants from serving foods that contain over 2000 calories per serving? I'm not even kidding. The same logic would apply, and the precedent would be set.)

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I've heard of some state and local municipalities doing exactly that! Banning or restricting high calorie foods. Some have forced restaurants to list calorie and nutrition info. I don't think this is a bad idea since everything else comes with a label. With soda, everyone knows what they're getting (unless it's watered down and they're getting less than they think).

For me, I don't drink soda for the same reason I don't like beer. I'm not a carbonated beverage kind of person. Really has nothing to do with health, obviously, since I drown it with Captain Morgan or Jack Daniels.

[WalshFan88]

That sucks!!!

As a huge soda drinker (and I'm talking huge!!!!) I would go nuts.

Until this recent ulcer, I was up to drinking almost a case (12pk) of Dr. Pepper a day. Because of my stomach, I had to cut way back and now it's more like 4 cans a day.

I know it's not healthy, but I'm not a big water fan, and I'm not a flavored water fan either. I like grape juice but not a fan of other fruit juices and am not a big milk drinker. I do like lemonade but not all the time. I also really like fruit punch once in awhile.

[Topkat]

I've heard of some state and local municipalities doing exactly that! Banning or restricting high calorie foods. Some have forced restaurants to list calorie and nutrition info. I don't think this is a bad idea since everything else comes with a label. With soda, everyone knows what they're getting (unless it's watered down and they're getting less than they think).

For me, I don't drink soda for the same reason I don't like beer. I'm not a carbonated beverage kind of person. Really has nothing to do with health, obviously, since I drown it with Captain Morgan or Jack Daniels.

In NY restaurants, any chain restaurant is required to list the calories of the meal. Believe me , it makes a big difference. When I look at the menu & it says the meal is 2300 calories, I think twice & will not order it. That is OVER the amount of calories one should eat the entire day. When it's in your face, it suddenly doesn't look so good.

I have mixed feelings about this thing about the sodas. There is so much sugar in soda & in a large one it's a huge amount. You would be able to get a large size of a DIET soda, so I think the idea is to maybe have people switch over to diet soda. I just think the reasoning behind it is that when you buy the large size, you drink the whole thing, even if you are no longer thirsty & take in more sugar than you really would otherwise. I only drink Diet soda, & I never drink a large size anyway, so to me it's no big deal.
You can still buy a 2 liter in the supermarket, so I don't see how it solves the problem, but people say they lose a lot of weight when they cut down on soda. But really the point is...the mayor is just going too far with this kind of thing. He's a control freak!

[sodascouts]

I actually like the idea of making restaurants post calories. That gives me info that I can use to help me make my own decisions. But there's a difference between that and telling the restaurant they CAN'T serve me a high calorie food if I make the decision that I want it in spite of the calories.

[Brooke]

I actually like the idea of making restaurants post calories. That gives me info that I can use to help me make my own decisions. But there's a difference between that and telling the restaurant they CAN'T serve me a high calorie food if I make the decision that I want it in spite of the calories.

And there is the problem! This is supposed to be a free country. I don't think government should try to tell anyone what they can or can not drink. Surely most people are smart enough to know what they should or should not drink? Or they have a guardian that can.

[Topkat]

I actually like the idea of making restaurants post calories. That gives me info that I can use to help me make my own decisions. But there's a difference between that and telling the restaurant they CAN'T serve me a high calorie food if I make the decision that I want it in spite of the calories.

There is no issue to ban high calorie foods, only to post the calorie count. I think people have no idea how many calories they are consuming in a meal. When I was in Friday's (where they now post calories) I was shocked to see how many calories were in some of those salads. People think by choosing a salad, they are picking a healthy meal, but a salad with over 2,000 calories is not so healthy. It was a real eye opener for me. In this country over 30% of the population is OBESE & they expect that number to rise to over 40% within the next 10 years. People need to be more aware of what they are eating, and the soda issue is part of that.
I find that when you eat out, the portions are huge. My solution is to eat half the meal & take the rest home & eat it the next day. I know people sometimes think that's tacky, but I am not going to eat 2,000 calories at one meal. No way!

[EagleLady]

That sucks. I love my Soda, Of course I try to drink Water in between.