KATHY POSNER SLAMMING FOOD VENDORS

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KATHY POSNER BRINGS
BACK LUCY AND RICKY
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New York City Food Cart

In a 1952 episode of “I Love Lucy,” the Ricardos are invited to be guests on the “Mr. And Mrs. Quiz" radio show, hosted by Freddie Fillmore. Husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz) does not want to appear on the show because he feels that he and Lucy (Lucille Ball) will make complete fools of themselves by not knowing the answers. Through a series of madcap events (what else does one expect from the show?) Ricky answers the final $500 bonus question, “What did George Washington say while crossing the Delaware?" correctly when he blurts out, "Please let me sit down. This is making me sick." That is how I feel when I read about or see people eating food from street vendors. I have the same exact reaction when I see women getting make-applied at department stores and someone getting a pedicure. Once again, this is making me sick! According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day around the world. In New York City food street vendors are at every corner (estimates put the number at 10,000) and vendor Lance Orton in Manhattan was the person who spotted the car bomb in Times Square last weekend and reported it to the police. So as eyes and ears street vendors serve a purpose; but not, in my estimation, as a reason for serving food. Chicago has 1,589 licensed street vendors, according to Efrat Stein, spokeswoman Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection with three different categories of two-year vendor licenses. In a story in the Chicago Tribune, Stein said some business owners don't want peddlers and push carts outside their establishments. They complain about noise, public urination and trash generated by an overabundance of street vendors. The garbage they produce can attract rodents. ‘Other complaints are that they are unlicensed, not paying taxes and this particularly upsets licensed restaurants who are following the rules and paying rent and taxes,’ Stein added.” Throwing aside the unfairness of street vendors not paying taxes, rent, and other overhead associated with running a business, the issue of cleanliness is what bothers me most. An episode on the show, “Food Detectives” on the Food Channel exposed the amount of filth in the water of hot dog vendors in New York City. The experience of just watching them reveal the amount of germs and filth made me gag. Eating the food would have made me vomit! Don’t people realize the unsanitary conditions in food carts? There rarely is refrigeration, the vendor’s bare hands are touching the food, taking money and then touching the food they serve to the next person. It is right in front of one’s eyes. How can someone possibly stomach consuming food served in those contaminated circumstances? Members of the Asociacion de Vendedores Ambulantes, (AVA) or the Street Vendors Association, want to change the law in Chicago to allow for prepared foods to be sold from carts. The Tribune reported that the group has been talking to aldermen and faith-based organizations trying to garner support. They hope to work out an agreement to prepare food at a commercial kitchen — such as in a church or one they build themselves. AVA Vice President, Jose Tofoya said the current economy and the lack of factory jobs have forced many Latinos into this occupation. Changing the law is critical for the survival of many families. "Street vendors make no money when they get tickets from the police. If we get to change the law and have permission to sell, then everyone will be happy and working," Of all of the Chicago street vendor licenses, 477 of them are food vendor licenses. In order to obtain a license, one must be at least 16 years old, show identification, such as a driver's license or photo ID, have an Illinois business tax number and must not owe any outstanding debt to the City of Chicago. Each license is good for two years and costs $165. "This license allows fruit or vegetables to be sold that are not cut or prepared," Stein said. Many street vendors obtain the license, but still prepare and sell warm food illegally. "They may be licensed but operating outside of the requirements," Stein said. As the weather warms up, more and more food vendors will be on the streets. I am not trying to deny anyone the right to earn a living, but the law in Chicago about selling street food is quite clear. It is illegal to sell prepared food from food carts; and it is a health hazard if one eats the fare. Arthur Charles Simons wrote,” Sickness is the vengeance of nature for the violation of her laws. “It is prohibited to sell the food and one has their own stupidity to answer to if they eat it. In either case, a law is being broken.


Editors Note: I believe Lance Orton was a tee shirt vendor, not a food vendor. Here are some points. I spoke with some friends that were non-food vendors in Times Square. They say they are arrested and ticketed all the time, but the police in Times Square have all these rules. They can't be selling at certain times, they have to be in certain spots and they complain of being harassed all the time by the cops. There are two many vendors in Times Square, plain and simple. But as many as there are, these guys are trying to make a honest living. They are the eyes of the streets while the cops are busy on their cell phones chatting away. They know everyone that lives in the neighborhood, they watch the traffic, the people and just about everything else. I am not talking about the food vendors here. I'm talking about the tee shirt guys, the photographers who sell beautiful shots of the visitors in our famed square and the artists. When I walk through Times Square, they all know me. If I walk by a dozen cops, they have no idea who I am. They never notice me. The vendors notice me and everything else. They see me on a daily basis and remember me. The cops who see me on a daily basis, never remember seeing me. They are too busy talking on their cell phones or harassing some poor homeless kid who asked for some food. I am sorry, but they are not doing their job. The vendors did the cops job and most likely saved a few lives. I agree with Planet Posner on her take on the food vendors. I have seen hot dog sellers go behind their cart and pee, never washing their hands. There are no prices on most of the carts, and the food vendors attitude is charge what you can get. When they see me with a camera, they assume I am a tourist, so instead of charging me a buck for a hot dog, they always try for two. I always end up in a argument, and take out my camera and threaten them with a story on them ripping off customers. Most of the time they will say, OK my friend, I'll give it to you for a buck. But these things have stopped me from buying food off the street. Maybe once a year, when I am starving and in a hurry I will grab something from them. Food Vendors in New York City and I guess Chicago too need to be more regulated by the health departments. Food Vendors need to be required to have prices in clear view to prevent them from ripping off the public. I remember one television investigation a few years ago. Most of the food carts in Central Park have prices posted. I don't know why. But a investigation showed them charging more than posted and giving less change than they were supposed to. The vendors claimed it was a mistake, but dozens of television producer purchases showed that they continued to cheat the customer. We have mixed feeling about vendors as a whole. The guys that spotted the bomb car are great guys and they work very hard and they are very good to the tourists. They give directions, they make the guests smile and laugh and give information about New York City. The food vendors on the other hand, are rude, mean and try to cheat anyone they can. I think the city should lay off the vendors selling tee shirts and other things. I think the city should crack down on the food vendors. They should be required to have prices posted at all times, and they should have inspectors watching over them to make sure they are abiding by health department rules. But hey, next time I'm in Chicago, I'm taking Kathy Posner to dinner at a hot dog cart!

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