sigdiamond2000: Does that about cover it?

Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

As a person who is currently recovering from food poisoning, I have no problem shutting this guy down for doing a one-day, halfassed food service. His heart is in the right place, he just didn't think it all the way through.

you forgot the part about serving botulism to homeless folks.

decrease the surplusssss population!

Paying off someone's bills: no safety risk.
Cooking food for people: possible safety risk.

So, yeah, totally the comparable, subby.

sigdiamond2000: So a guy basically trying to advertise for his own delivery business by providing meals to shut-ins on Christmas is warned in advance by the Health Department, who give him literature about food safety, going so far as to offer him commercial kitchens in which to store and cook the food, and this guy decides he doesn't want to do that, gives up, tells the donors he doesn't want the food, and then calls the newspaper and claims the health department "shut him down."

Does that about cover it?



As I understood it, they didn't offer him a commercial kitchen, they just identified some in the area that he might be able to use, but likely on far too short of notice to actually get access to. The owners of those kitchens would either have to grant access ahead of Christmas and/or also be there to supervise and make sure nothing happened to their kitchen. If it's a restaurant they will probably be open to xmas eve, so it wouldn't really be available in advance.
I assume that they planned to cook the turkeys probably a day in advance and then reheat it before delivery, since most private kitchens can only handle one turkey at a time.

While I can understand the health departments concerns, people bring their shut in neighbors food all the time - the concern here was probably more about quantity and storage than anything else.

sigdiamond2000: And here's the kicker:

For those who cannot make it to the Rescue Mission, volunteers will deliver meals to those regularly served by Meals on Wheels.

So these people are getting meals anyway.


Only if they are already in the Meals on Wheels program. It's possible many of those who had signed up with him to receive a meal are not served by Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels generally helps those unable to prepare their own food, but he may have also been getting some people who just have no family or friends to join for Christmas.

some dipshiat's lame ass attempt at a PR campaign inadvertently worked and got the anti-government crowd's rocks off at the same time. I'm not sure how to feel about this.

I hate to agree with the Grinch, but one of those ailing shut-ins gets food poisoning all alone and they'll likely die of food poisoning all alone. My neighbor is a tremendous cook, really gifted and while it is exciting to get food gifts from him I've also seen how he keeps his house and kitchen.

*Shudders*

Just letting him know that, in the future, he has to pay to play.

Want a good story? Go see some of the kitchens that health department has OK'ed.

Yeah, I don't know. I was all prepared to be upset about this, but I can kind of see where the public health department is coming from on this one. I think this was effectively done in one.

75 cartons of milk cannot be safely stored safely in private fridges; they must be stored in government-approved commercial fridges by professional food-storage personnel.

A turkey cannot be safely cooked in a private oven; it must be cooked in a government-approved commercial oven by professional cooks.

Cookies cannot be safely baked by your grandmother; they must be baked in government-approved commercial ovens by professional grandmas.

Charity begins at home government-approved facilities.

*sigh* If you feed people this year, you're probably going to have to feed them again next year.

Rising_Zan_Samurai_Gunman: While I can understand the health departments concerns, people bring their shut in neighbors food all the time

The government can't control that anymore than the government can control who has children.

When the government can control something (commercial food preparation, adoption) they can actually hold some sort of standard.

RickN99: 75 cartons of milk cannot be safely stored safely in private fridges; they must be stored in government-approved commercial fridges by professional food-storage personnel.

A turkey cannot be safely cooked in a private oven; it must be cooked in a government-approved commercial oven by professional cooks.

Cookies cannot be safely baked by your grandmother; they must be baked in government-approved commercial ovens by professional grandmas.

Charity begins at home government-approved facilities.

THIS

Good. He was going to poison those people.

Simple question: would you eat a meal prepared in a complete stranger's home sight unseen?

From the article:
To protect the public's safety, health officials provided Walter with information and resources on food safety. In addition, they identified a number of commercial kitchens so the holiday meals could be prepared in a facility equipped to safely store and prepare the food donations he was receiving, Tapia said.

History's worst monsters!

sigdiamond2000: Rising_Zan_Samurai_Gunman: sigdiamond2000: So a guy basically trying to advertise for his own delivery business by providing meals to shut-ins on Christmas is warned in advance by the Health Department, who give him literature about food safety, going so far as to offer him commercial kitchens in which to store and cook the food, and this guy decides he doesn't want to do that, gives up, tells the donors he doesn't want the food, and then calls the newspaper and claims the health department "shut him down."

Does that about cover it?



As I understood it, they didn't offer him a commercial kitchen, they just identified some in the area that he might be able to use, but likely on far too short of notice to actually get access to. The owners of those kitchens would either have to grant access ahead of Christmas and/or also be there to supervise and make sure nothing happened to their kitchen. If it's a restaurant they will probably be open to xmas eve, so it wouldn't really be available in advance.
I assume that they planned to cook the turkeys probably a day in advance and then reheat it before delivery, since most private kitchens can only handle one turkey at a time.

While I can understand the health departments concerns, people bring their shut in neighbors food all the time - the concern here was probably more about quantity and storage than anything else.

sigdiamond2000: And here's the kicker:

For those who cannot make it to the Rescue Mission, volunteers will deliver meals to those regularly served by Meals on Wheels.

So these people are getting meals anyway.


Only if they are already in the Meals on Wheels program. It's possible many of those who had signed up with him to receive a meal are not served by Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels generally helps those unable to prepare their own food, but he may have also been getting some people who just have no family or friends to join for Christmas.

Even assuming all my assumptions are wrong and yours are rig ...

Well, he's got it now, anyway.

farkinfilipino: you forgot the part about serving botulism to homeless folks.

decrease the surplusssss population!



/Agrees

Is subby suggesting that shut-ins should receive less protection from food-borne illness than the general public?

sigdiamond2000: Is that a risk worth taking just so some guy can garner pub for his fledgling delivery business?

Why do you hate Capitalism? If enough people die then this guy will go out of business. Meanwhile, those who aren't killing as many of their customers will see their businesses flourish. The market will work itself out. Possibly to the point where we're all happy to eat from the garbage, but what's the alternative? Soviet Russia? No thanks, Boris.

Porous Horace: *sigh* If you feed people this year, you're probably going to have to feed them again next year.

Not if you remember the strychnine.

The Grasshopper: RickN99: 75 cartons of milk cannot be safely stored safely in private fridges; they must be stored in government-approved commercial fridges by professional food-storage personnel.

A turkey cannot be safely cooked in a private oven; it must be cooked in a government-approved commercial oven by professional cooks.

Cookies cannot be safely baked by your grandmother; they must be baked in government-approved commercial ovens by professional grandmas.

Charity begins at home government-approved facilities.

THIS

You two are both tools.

The REAL concern is the turkey - since poultry is the #1 source of Salmonella poisoning. If the meat is not cooked completely and not stored at a safe temperature there is a very real risk to the consumer. You two are familiar with all of the food handling, sanitation, and health rules for all businesses that serve food to the general public? No, I guess you two are just blissfully ignorant of all of the governmental rules that keep the air we breath clean, the water we drink pure, and the food we consume safe.

sigdiamond2000: So a guy basically trying to advertise for his own delivery business by providing meals to shut-ins on Christmas is warned in advance by the Health Department, who give him literature about food safety, going so far as to offer identify, not provide him commercial kitchens in which to store and cook the food, and this guy decides he doesn't want to do that, gives up, tells the donors he doesn't want the food, and then calls the newspaper and claims the health department "shut him down."

Does that about cover it?

And here's the kicker:

For those who cannot make it to the Rescue Mission, volunteers will deliver meals to those regularly served by Meals on Wheels
.
not necessarily the same people shut out this year

So these people are getting meals anyway.

This is the worst thing to ever happen in the history of America.

RickN99: 75 cartons of milk cannot be safely stored safely in private fridges; they must be stored in government-approved commercial fridges by professional food-storage personnel.

I know you're just being snarky, but a standard consumer fridge would have a very difficult time keeping constant temperature with that much mass added all at once.

Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

OnlyM3: Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

An agency funded by our tax dollars is doing precisely what we pay them to do? Yeah, I think that's rather refreshing to hear.

OnlyM3: Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

based on the responses, it appears most farkers are in love with the nanny state.

sigdiamond2000:
Forgetting for a minute your knee-jerk "everything the government does is bad" idiocy, you know how this guy could've avoided this entire issue entirely?

By not publicizing it.

But then nobody would know what an awesome guy he is and how they should use his delivery service.

And then no one would know about it to request the food.

I don't think "Free Advertising" is the heinous crime you make it out to be.

ArcadianRefugee: Paying off someone's bills: no safety risk.
Cooking food for people: possible safety risk.

So, yeah, totally the comparable, subby.

Pretty much this. And if the government allowed it and somebody got sick, the taxpayers would be responsible. No thank you, I'd rather not assume the risk of some guy trying to drum up business by turning his kitchen into I Love Lucy at the candy factory.

youfoundthekingbaby: OnlyM3: Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

based on the responses, it appears most farkers are in love with the nanny state.

Meh. It's more like an AW getting what he deserves for trying to use a charitable act as a publicity stunt. No one's saying he can't do this, he just has to do it in the same way that any commercial outfit has to. We have public health departments for a reason. To prevent killing old people with improperly handled food is one of those reasons.

It's also not just cooking the food in a sanitary manner, following food safety guidelines but also the transportation. It would be difficult to keep the food hot enough without special equipment. Meals on Wheels -soup kitchen has the equipment to transport and deliver the food safely. If the guy wanted to be really generous who could have donated his food to one of the food pantries instead.

Most home fridges can't cool food like a whole turkey and gallons of gravy down fast enough to prevent bacteria growth. Unless you have a few professional cooks helping with a large scale commercial kitchen out I would expect someone would screw up on food temps or handling and make everyone ill.

OnlyM3: Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

How dare they make sure that food being served to the public is safe! What if I WANT to have to carry around swabs with me to grow cultures from every restaurant before i eat there, huh?

sigdiamond2000: AUAIOMRN: And then no one would know about it to request the food.

That's a fair point.

I'm still doubting this guy's altruism, especially considering he gave up so easily.

Who cares if he has an ulterior motive? He's still helping people, and dollar-value of the advertising was probably not worth the amount of time he put into it.

As for food poisoning, I think people are able to safely cook food without government approval. Let the shut-ins decide for themselves if they want to take the "risk".

AUAIOMRN:
As for food poisoning, I think people are able to safely cook food without government approval.

they certainly can, but if they want to serve that same food to the public then they must conform to standards demanded by the public. if you cannot bear society on those terms, go and live in the wilderness.

"I got the explosive poops for Christmas!"

AUAIOMRN: As for food poisoning, I think people are able to safely cook food without government approval.

The actual cooking of the food isn't really the concern here. It's the handling, storage and transportation of food on that scale that are the big food safety flags. Again, a commercial operation is subject to public health rules, whether it's not-for-profit or not.

AUAIOMRN: Let the shut-ins decide for themselves if they want to take the "risk".

Do they know the risk? Do they know anything of the scale of the operation, or the handling procedures? Who is on the hook to pick up the bill if one of these people "takes the risk" and gets sick and/or dies?

I agree he didn't think this all the way through and plan properly. If he'd just slapped a sign on his van that said something like "Occupy Delivery Vans" he would have been all set. He could have taken the wheels off his van, put it up on jacks in a public park and the local government would have let him do anything he wanted including banging on his skillets (a skillet circle) and pooping all over the place. Our elected officials would have sat around wringing their hands and wondering how to deal with him while publicly supporting his cause. In fact, as a member of "Occupy Delivery Vans", he wouldn't have had to serve any food at all - he could have just sat there in his van and claimed success just for getting people to talk about it. His only true problem would have been figuring out how many needles to bring so everyone got one.

What a crock of CRAP! Regularly inspected kitchens have NEVER been the source of food poisoning have they? In this case, the government isn't so much trying to help anybody as much as they are looking for a way they can get a cut of the inspection money. I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

AUAIOMRN: sigdiamond2000: AUAIOMRN: And then no one would know about it to request the food.

That's a fair point.

I'm still doubting this guy's altruism, especially considering he gave up so easily.

Who cares if he has an ulterior motive? He's still helping people, and dollar-value of the advertising was probably not worth the amount of time he put into it.

As for food poisoning, I think people are able to safely cook food without government approval. Let the shut-ins decide for themselves if they want to take the "risk".

You mean in some free market kind of world? What kind of nutjob are you?

factoryconnection: I hate to agree with the Grinch, but one of those ailing shut-ins gets food poisoning all alone and they'll likely die of food poisoning all alone. My neighbor is a tremendous cook, really gifted and while it is exciting to get food gifts from him I've also seen how he keeps his house and kitchen.

*Shudders*

This.

I'm all about homecooked meals, but even my own family members keep kitchens that terrify me. I have a family member who gets home from work, takes off her high heels, and then sets them on the kitchen counter - WTF? I eat nothing from that house and I'd be paranoid to eat from other people's private kitchens as well.

OnlyM3: Isn't it great that government invades every minutia of our lives.

Without the Health dept you might not be alive to post bullshiat.
/You want arsenic with those fries