Purple People Eaters
July 6, 2008 at 7:33 am
From the New York Times story on costs and delays surrounding the Democrats National Convention:
With the Denver convention less than two months away, problems range from the serious — upwardly spiraling costs on key contracts still being negotiated — to the mundane, like the reluctance of local caterers to participate because of stringent rules on what delegates will be eating, down to the color of the food.
A 28-page contract requested by Denver organizers that caterers provide food in “at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple and white.” Garnishes could not be counted toward the colors. No fried foods would be allowed. Organic and locally grown foods were mandated, and each plate had to be 50 percent fruits and vegetables. As a result, caterers are shying away.
I like the idea of an all-purple-food convention. What’s more American than nothing but eggplant, cabbage, and turnip?
RebeccaH said,
July 6, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
You could add grapes for the purple foods, but I’m being generous, what with the flavenoids and all. Most likely, with that menu, they’ll opt for sucking down the red wine big time. Just to kill the hunger pangs.
swift boater said,
July 6, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
if it wasn’t for the seriousness of running the country, the Dems would be the comedy hit of all time. Only these clowns would make sure that the food has affirmative action for colors (however no black. I hope they cleared that with Sharpton, Jackson and Obama).
WayneD said,
July 6, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
How about mandating that the attendees where hemp clothing, and forego artificial personal hygiene and cosmetic products?
Rob said,
July 6, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
When the Democrat Party denies its own national delegates their choice in foods, what do you suppose its leadership has in mind for the rest of us?
MP said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
Denver is not exactly in the middle of a farm belt. Yes, they grow crops near there, mostly dryland wheat, from what I remember. Eastern Colorado is a high plains desert. You don’t get into the big farming until Kansas or Nebraska. The locally grown organic angle will stress supplies, driving up costs. I doubt you will see many grapes on the plate, if it must be locally grown. Could be some decent beer, though. Do limosine liberals drink beer? What color will they count the beer?
Max said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
Hell is living by the rules you would force on others.
AntiCitizenOne said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
> What’s more American than nothing but eggplant, cabbage, and turnip?
Will they have to purchase offsets the extra methane production?
JL said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Meanwhile everyone else in Denver will be eating whatever the heck they want.
I may go to McDonald’s twice that day just to counter the smug this convention will generate.
bfwebster said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
Obviously, you missed the very real story about the attempt to supply baseball caps and fanny packs that were both organic and union-made (in the USA). As someone living in Denver — and who plans to wander around the outside of the convention with cameras — it’s just one amusing story after another.
And don’t forget “Recreate 68″! ..bruce..
Lifeofthemind said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
Can they get color offsets for carrying Blackberries? Maybe the Licorice League can organize a protest. John Kerry can donate a spare Purple Heart to the cause. This turkey should fold in out of town tryouts.
Bob1 said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:55 pm
I hear tofu can be dyed any color.
Restraunts just outside the main convention venue are gonna make a killing.
Bullwinkle said,
July 6, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
No fried foods? That alone will cost them 226 electoral votes.
Robbins Mitchell said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
Well, maybe one of the delegates from Brooklyn will wear a poiple shoit
Don AZ said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
This is what happens when silly allegiance to appearance trumps reason.
happyfeet said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
Yay! Political conventions finally get a makebetter. Eat your purple thingies and when in doubt, overdress, Democrat people. Yes that means you Hillary people too! This is gonna be fabulous!
happyfeet said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
Well it was purple a few minutes ago. Leave me alone.
Denny, Alaska said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:21 pm
WayneD: “…mandating that the attendees where [sic] hemp clothing, and forego artificial personal hygiene and cosmetic products?”
Wouldn’t that be an unnecessary requirement for attendees, female moonbats in particular?
:)
HeatherRadish said,
July 6, 2008 @ 7:38 pm
>When the Democrat Party denies its own national delegates their choice in foods, what do you suppose its leadership has in mind for the rest of us?
I thought they were admitting their members aren’t smart enough to make decisions without being told what to decide.
anym_avey said,
July 6, 2008 @ 8:41 pm
Colorado still has quite a bit of shallow-root farming along the Platte River valley, predominantly cabage and onions. Perhaps the delegates can eat like a hearty Russian and pray that the ventialtion system is up to par.
There are also a wide range of cottage industry greenhouses/farmer’s market types growing sweet corn, asparagus, lettuce, radishes, carrots, squash, zucchini, melons, string beans, rhubarb, etc. It’s not really the best climate for that kind of farming but the river valley soil will support it if the irrigation is adequate, or if you can get the water, the high-desert sun exposure with limited cloud cover makes for very productive greenhouses. There’s one site in cenral/eastern Colorado that covers most of a sqaure mile and looks like a lake from a distance, although I don’t know what they grow. We also have extensive fruit orchards on the western slope, albeit most of that is peaches, which comes due in the fall, and in any case would make the aforementioned ventilation problem much worse.
(Still worth it, though. As with many fruits, there’s no peach like the peach that was picked from the tree just as it was about to ripen; it’s like eating a juicy candy explosion.)
Chief Keokuk said,
July 6, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
The reluctance of the caterers (and other venders) might have something to do with a documented history of reluctance by the DNC to pay the bills after the event…..
Al Gore’s people descended upon a local town during his campaign — ran up a bunch a bills, inconvenienced a lot of people, and generally took us all for granted. Then, when the invoices were presented, there seemed to be surprised that folks wanted to be paid for their services. So much for the little guy.
R. Adrian Reilly said,
July 7, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
What color are the whores allowed to be?
What, no whores? Man! Democratic conventions are no fun anymore!
Not only is the Drag Queen Party a collection of sissypants asshat clowns, but they’re politicizing the food? I guess people thought the Republicans had gotten so bad that they didn’t care who they tossed in the ring next.
mrsizer said,
July 7, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
I still haven’t decided if I’m going to leave town or buy a six-pack and sit in my office conference room and watch the riots below.
What a disaster. Why does any town want this crap? It’s like hosting the Olympics without all the (horribly expensive) infrastructure left behind.
I look forward to the campers in Civic Center Park being sprayed by the automatic sprinkler system (if they shut it off for the week, all the grass in the park will be dead [it is really hot and dry here in August] - and the teflon mayor will not be blamed).
Pardo said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:06 am
Ya know, any other year this would be an SNL skit. What a joke these clownshoes are turning out to be: no fried foods, color mandates, half-veggie? Its as if every plan of the DFL has been outsourced to a different liberal interest group, in this case the PETA/Militant Vegan crowd.
You want a quick way to earn loads of cash? Get a permit from the city to open a bratwurst and pretzel stand across the street from the convention center…and hire LOTS of extra help.
The DFL has become the party of goofnuts and wierdos, are they really the political offspring of JFK and Scoop Jackson?
DensityDuck said,
July 8, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
Of course, the REAL question is: What happens when BROWN M&Ms are found backstage?
Jim Treacher said,
July 8, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
[RACISM]Does grape soda count?[/RACISM]
John Richardson said,
July 8, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
No fried foods? I always knew the DNC didn’t much care for the South or Southerners!