VOA常速英语2008年-Restaurants to Start Counting Calories in New Y

By Paige Kollock
New York City
04 February 2008
 

New York City has passed a regulation that is aimed at helping¹ New Yorkers make more informed and healthier choices when they go out to eat. Starting in March, many of New York's restaurant chains will be required to show calorie information on their menus and menu boards. This is just the latest in a series of health regulations involving New York dining establishments, as Paige Kollock reports.

The new regulation will require any chain restaurant in New York City that has 15 or more outlets² anywhere in the U.S. to post calorie information on its menus and menu boards. This represents about 10 percent of the city's restaurants. City health officials say, when people see calorie content at the point of making a choice, they use it. And officials project the measure will help tens of thousands of New Yorkers prone³ to obesity⁴ and type 2 diabetes⁵.

New York Deputy Health Commissioner⁶ Dr. Mary Bassett explains, "Our position is that people need somebody to help them protect their health."

Bar owner Lee Seinfeld has been in the business for more than 30 years. With three bars in New York, he has seen a lot of people come and go, drink too much, tip too little and, of course, smoke. Until 2003, that is, when the New York Department of Health banned smoking in all bars and restaurants.

Seinfeld is not happy with the ban. He says, "I was very upset about it. I knew it would affect my business. It did affect my business. Business was off for a good three-four months and even to this day it still affects my business because I have customers outside smoking."

Roughly 17 percent of New Yorkers smoke -- not enough to convince the city's health department to let them keep puffing⁷ away. The same department decided⁸ in 2006 to ban the use of trans fats in all New York eating establishments.

Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Bassett believes that the policy is in the best interest of the public. She says, "We took lead out of lead paint, we put fluoride in the water, we passed rules that you have to wear a seat belt. We didn't leave it up to people to choose their risks. It's a risk the people have no way of judging when they sit down and eat food at a restaurant."

New Yorkers are divided. One teenager says, "I think it's good because it shows that they care about us." Another responds, "Me, I don't like it, because I like eating a lot."

Yet another person said, "I love the fact that if I go to a restaurant and my clothes still smell nice. Before [the smoking ban], you would come out smelly and I hated it. So this is a good thing for me." Another man, while smoking his cigarette, says, "I understand that people that don't like the smell and whatnot, but what about us?"

Trans fat is a form of solid fat used in fried foods and baked goods. They came on the market in the early 1900s, and restaurants used them widely because of their long shelf life and easy storage. At the time, the U.S. government endorsed⁹ the use of trans fats for cooking over saturated¹⁰ fats.

Chuck Hunt works for the New York State Restaurant Association. He wonders if the regulation is really helping. "Many people, as a result of that, are going back to products that are higher in saturated fats, which makes you wonder if we're making any progress."

Hunt says that when the government asked for a "voluntary switch," many restaurants complied, but the legally-binding ban angered restaurant owners. "We feel the democratic way to do things like this is through education rather than legislation or regulation. When I grew up, which was many years ago, your mother was the one that was supposed to tell you what you should and shouldn't eat , not the government," he said.

But what happens when a parenting force is absent? One woman says she was taught by her parent, "I know what's healthy for me because my mother is a nutritionist. I'm lucky, and I'm educated in the sense of what's good for you. But a lot of people unfortunately don't know, they're raised on McDonalds."

 

And New York city officials are working to help people understand. The new regulations requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information goes into effect at the end of March.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

4 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

5 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

6 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

7 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液