Balance of Food

Times Square says goodbye to HoJo's

The most prominent of the remaining Howard Johnson's restaurants is expected to close sometime this year. The Times Square location at the northwest corner of 46th Street and Broadway in Manhattan was the last standing location in the borough. The restaurant and the land were reportedly sold for more than $100 million.

The restaurant started there in 1955. Gene Hackman worked there as a maitre'd and Lily Tomlin was a waitress. Times Square had as many as three Howard Johnson's locations following World War II.

Pierre Franey and Jacques Pépin were hired as consultant chefs in the late 1950's. Pépin has spoken highly of his time there, including a recent homage in the New York Times. "For me, Howard Johnson's reliable, modestly priced food embodies the straightforwardness of the American spirit. It saddens me that New Yorkers looking for this kind of gentleness and simplicity will soon have to find it elsewhere. It won't be easy."

The current tally is 9 remaining restaurants, though that number quickly goes down to 7. Next month, the HoJo's in Springfield, Vt., will be gone, and of course, the one in New York. The remaining locations are oddly scattered in Maine, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and Maryland.

The hotel chain remains with the Howard Johnson's name, though under different management.

Regardless of what you might think about HoJo's, it doesn't deserve to go out in such a bizarre and class-less fashion. It really deserved better.

Top brazen Georgia contender

For brazen sandwiches, it's very difficult to top the Hamdog.

Looking at style and presentation, the classic Hamdog from Mulligan's, a suburban bar in Decatur, Georgia, is one to watch. The Hamdog is a hot dog wrapped in a beef patty that's deep fried, covered with chili, cheese and onions, and served on a hoagie bun topped with a fried egg and two fistfuls of fries.

I give it points for creativity, but it must be a messy sandwich. I'm intrigued by the notion of needing to deep fry the hamburger and hot dog. Normally, some kind of breading is needed when deep-frying, which adds to the calorie count.

For all the news about huge calorie-filled sandwiches, I'm rather surprised this didn't get more publicity.

Cookie Monster cuts back

You may have read the stories about how Cookie Monster is cutting back his addiction to the round morsels of sweetness. The outrage from some media accounts is that the world is collapsing because Cookie Monster isn't obsessed with cookies. And you can find many Internet blogs lamenting this "PC" move. After all, without cookies, he's just a monster.

But he isn't eliminating cookies completely. Cookie Monster is learning, through song of course in "A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food", that there are "anytime" foods and "sometimes" foods. Well, good for the Cookie Monster. If only we had learned that when we were young.

Children face pressures their parents didn't. Video games are more fun, leading to sedentary habits. It's easier to find junk food in the schools. The large doses of high-fructose corn syrup compound the problem. Junk food marketing is sharply heightened.

Clearly, they need help and it's best for them to start at an early age before they acquire bad habits.

The revitalized Cookie Monster is part of the Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life. The multi-year program shows fun ways to help young children try a variety of new, healthy foods, tips for incorporating physical activity, and acknowledgement of the challenges to eating well and staying active in today's society.

It's easy to go overboard. After all, "baby fat" is what it is for a reason. It's difficult to imagine a childhood without sweet things to eat. And yes, children have growth spurts where the fat kid becomes average size just by growing up.

Regardless of their weight, children need to learn what the adults didn't at that age: no matter your weight, eating better and exercising are fundamental tasks to master.

The Workshop works with the Produce for Better Health Foundation to teach children ages 2-6 the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables as part of the 5 A Day for Better Health program. It's okay to say "yes" to cookies; it doesn't change if you also say "yes" to fruits and vegetables.

There is the remorse from adults that childhood is being tainted because Cookie Monster can't eat as many cookies as he likes. After all, they watched Cookie Monster eat cookies without thinking and look what happened. Oops, we have rising obesity rates.

True, Cookie Monster is not responsible for today's obesity levels. But since he is a beloved role model, could it hurt to give him a chance to help the youth? As much television as kids watch, and as much fast food and junk food marketing as they consume, the folks at Sesame Street are strong candidates to get out a good message where it belongs.

The adults of today grew up in a time where junk food was associated with childhood with little ramifications. The current childhood obesity levels say maybe we should try something different. We know so much more about nutrition now than we did 30 years ago. We owe it to our children to try and make their lives better than ours.

Don't worry, Cookie Monster will still eat cookies and books and tables and whatever else he wants. If it's any consolation, Cookie Monster is still blue and still the same size. Hopefully, he will teach children that cookies are good — but only in moderation.

David Shaw inspirational piece

I have my doubts about running the entire column for fear of repercussion by the Los Angeles Times. But here is a tidbit to give you a flavor of what he wrote. (And if you are a concerned attorney or from the Los Angeles Times, please e-mail me.

I think every place that serves hamburgers (or any other food) should closely monitor the quality and care of its meat (and everything else it serves). Maybe every place that serves hamburgers should also have a legal waiver available to customers. You want a rare burger, you get a rare burger. But first you have to sign a form acknowledging that you recognize the potential danger from E. coli and indemnifying the restaurant against any damages should you get sick.

Kids can't sign legally binding waivers, of course, but I'm not a kid. I'm an adult and I want to be treated as an adult, someone capable of evaluating potential risks and making decisions accordingly.

California state law is on my side. Although the Food Safety Act of 1997 requires that ground meat be "thoroughly cooked," which the law defines as a minimum internal temperature of 155 to 157 degrees, it specifically says that requirement may be bypassed if "the consumer specifically orders that the food be individually prepared less than thoroughly cooked."

In other words, it's supposed to be up to the consumer.