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And Just Like That, Goth-Friendly Charcoal Foods Were Canceled
It turns out those highly Instagrammable, pitch-black "goth" foods were far edgier than we could have ever imagined. According to a new report in Eater, the Department of Health says that activated charcoal is currently banned from all food- and drink-serving establishments in NYC. A spokesperson for DOH told Eater that the rule isn't new, but enforcement has increased.
Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, that NYC ice cream shop that caused a mini frenzy in 2016 over their popular jet-black ice cream, reportedly had to dump "$3,000 worth of product during a routine inspection," per owner Nick Morgenstern. The ice cream shop posted a cryptic Instagram in late May that hinted something was afoot. The ice cream, which they've been making since 2015, uses coconut ash—a form of activated charcoal. "I don't see any evidence that this is actually a question of public health safety," Morganstern told Eater. "I would challenge someone to identify the public health safety risk of that ingredient."
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday June 11 2018, @06:06AM (25 children)
constipation, dehydration.
And the list goes on.
Sounds like fun! Like everything, if you eat too much of it, you get sick (even carrots)
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/activated-charcoal-uses-risks [webmd.com]
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthyeating/11721347/Is-charcoal-doing-us-more-harm-than-good.html [telegraph.co.uk]
Then there are other benficial uses: https://www.quora.com/Why-we-put-salt-and-charcoal-while-earthing [quora.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Informative) by tftp on Monday June 11 2018, @06:13AM (4 children)
(Score: 4, Interesting) by MostCynical on Monday June 11 2018, @06:18AM (2 children)
https://www.eater.com/2017/6/7/15750526/activated-charcoal-black-food-trend-nyc-ban [eater.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @08:24AM (1 child)
"How dare you!"
"No, how dare you! I can't believe you'd suggest doing such a disgusting thing!"
Two men could be heard arguing in the park. Each of them were furious enough to scare away most onlookers, and so no one had stopped their heated argument quite yet. This continued for a few more minutes, but just when the argument was about to escalate into violence, a third man - who had been observing the situation all along - approached them and calmly said, "Now, now. Settle down, gentleman. I believe I have the perfect compromise that will satisfy everyone involved." Then, the man elucidated his idea; after that, it did not take long for the plan to be put into motion...
Later, two men could be seen standing in the park near a large tree; both of them appeared to be in a state of ecstasy. One of the men had been directly involved in the previous argument, and the other man was the one who suggested the compromise. These two men were overlooking a magnificent scene with expressions full of delight. What caused them to be in such a state? Justice.
It was true justice. A man - who had also been involved in the previous argument - could be seen hanging from the tree, lynched; his body was in tatters, suggesting that he had been tortured beforehand. Surrounding the tree were countless naked children; not a single one of them moved even so much as an inch. This was a scene that would undoubtedly bring joy to anyone's heart, and it was all thanks to the art of compromise.
And what a fair, just, and wondrous compromise it was.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by Subsentient on Monday June 11 2018, @10:14AM
Ahh, the art of true, skillful trolling. How I've missed it.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Monday June 11 2018, @03:13PM
Activated charcoal does have a major medical usage: first response to poison ingestion. So if you consider your medication poison, grab some activated charcoal!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_charcoal_(medication) [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Monday June 11 2018, @06:15AM (11 children)
It actually is healthy in the right circumstances. For example if you're a raw water fan you can pack the length of your throat with activated charcoal and reproduce the effect of drinking tap water by running your raw water through it. Healthy plus healthy must mean extra healthy, right?
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday June 11 2018, @08:02AM (10 children)
As a bonus, you don't get any of that pesky fluoride you find in tap water. Also, would it distill the water, effectively turning it into something that will suck the salt out of your body? Or are salts and other minerals too small (?) to be removed by activated charcoal?
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @10:09AM (3 children)
I was in the Emergency Room a while back for what turned out to be Hyponatremia that was caused by my Psychogenic Polydipsia.
Hyponatremia is a potentially deadly deficiency of sodium ion in one's blood. It can be cause by drinking too much water in a very short time. A fraternity pledge died of a heart attack when his fraternity brothers had the idea that they could initialize him by requiring him to drink vast quantities of milk.
A radio station once held a contest to see who could drink the most water. The Sacramento, California police investigated to determine whether a crime occured when one of their contestants dropped dead.
More commonly known as Water Toxicity, Psychogenic Polydipsia is a raging, unquenchable thirst that is poorly understood but is speculated to be caused by antipsychotic medications such as the perphenazine I take for my Schizoaffective Disorder. "Speculated" because such a thirst occurs more commonly among those who experience hallucinations or delusions but to the best of my knowledge the link hasn't been proven yet.
Raging, unquenchable thirst is also a symptom of the worst kind of diabetes in which one's urine smells pleasantly fruity because one's kidneys are secreting blood sugar.
That far-more common condition had the result that I required twenty years to get my Psychogenic Polydipsia diagnosed. Every time I'd ask a doctor to explain my uncommon thirst they would order a fasting blood sugar test. "But doctor! It can't be diabetes! My blood sugar is always normal. Were it to be diabetic polydipsia I would have been dead twenty years ago."
My blood sugar always turned up normal, leading all but just one uncommonly diligent doctor to lose all interest in diagnosing me.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Monday June 11 2018, @12:02PM (2 children)
Someone I know is somewhat hyponatremic. A pair of motivated nephrologists prescribed Ure-Na. Perhaps you've heard of it, tried it?
How did you find an "uncommonly diligent" doctor?
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @01:22PM (1 child)
A member of what used to be kuro5hin.org. Her nick was mariahkillschickens.
At the time she was an Emergency Room resident in Buffalo New York. She treated a Schizophrenic patient who kept demanding to be permitted to urinate.
He clearly wasn't diabetic so she investigated further.
Had he been diabetic that would have shown up in both his blood and urine.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by RS3 on Monday June 11 2018, @02:08PM
Part of me hates to say (type) it, but you're making the strong case for AI replacing doctors. IBM Watson, are you listening? Of course you are.
(Score: 3, Informative) by driverless on Monday June 11 2018, @10:47AM (5 children)
I don't know if it'll do that, but if you could separate out the electrolytes you could make a good business selling them to gardeners. It's what plants crave.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Monday June 11 2018, @02:28PM (4 children)
That's actually a myth. I watched a documentary where they said that the electrolytes were salt and stuff and the plants died, but if you put water, like from the toilet, on the plants, they grow again.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @02:31PM
Go away, 'baitin!
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday June 11 2018, @10:26PM (2 children)
Seriously, water? Like, from the toilet? I'd think the electrolytes would have what plants crave.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Mykl on Tuesday June 12 2018, @01:54AM (1 child)
Much as I would love for this to remain an 'in' joke for some of us, the opportunity to recommend the movie [imdb.com] is too great.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Tuesday June 12 2018, @02:52AM
Truth. It's like Nostradamus wrote a sci-fi.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @07:32AM
I've had it as a "diy" remedy from crushed aquarium filter bricks after eating something with veggies that had been sprayed by a nasty herbicide. It worked.
This is just like chewing gum and laxative properties or any acidic food and ulcer risks. All the risks are tied to a big consumption.
(Score: 2) by choose another one on Monday June 11 2018, @08:53AM (1 child)
If you want black poo, just drink plenty of Guinness, preferably in Ireland. No charcoal required, and it's good for you (tried and tested for generations).
I remember an Irish colleague from years ago, who wouldn't drink Guinness in England because it's not the proper stuff, saying "I hate this **** English beer, makes your shit brown".
[ And what's with the "goth" food? Goths do just fine fed on Guinness, for the pretentious ones Bloody Mary will do, and there's always Snakebite and Black. ]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday June 11 2018, @10:51AM
You can get beer, at least in Yorkshire, that makes your poo black. That's why we have Black Pooding.
(Score: 0, Troll) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @10:00AM
A modest current is applied beneath buried pipes and some distance away, with that current flowing through the ground. It's polarity is such that it prevents galvanic corrosion.
So just reverse that current.
Have A Nice Day! :)
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @10:12AM (2 children)
Digested blood is black.
It makes sense to ban the sale of charcoal in restaurants because eating it would lead a cancer victim to think he was just fine and so didn't need to see a doctor.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday June 11 2018, @10:26AM (1 child)
Talk to your doctor if you eat coal. Every. Single. Day.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by Rivenaleem on Monday June 11 2018, @12:54PM
I only eat the tinned version, sir. Always best when you get your coal in can, sir.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday June 11 2018, @12:42PM
Charcoal is the closest thing in real-life to Harry Potter's bezoar [wikia.com]. The same qualities that make charred oak casks [vinepair.com] effective at "smoothing" the taste of whiskey and activated charcoal fish tank filters help to keep the imprisoned fish healthy. It's physical structure acts as a chemical trap, effectively removing many organic chemicals from solution and preventing them from reacting. If you've been poisoned, it's a very good thing to eat.
On the other hand, if you consume it on a regular basis, it can also absorb significant quantities of beneficial chemicals / nutrients.
As for this regulatory action, surely it's mostly based in political tension between the group(s) that identify with the black color and the group(s) driving the enforcement, and actual health or safety issues are merely props for the cause.
🌻🌻 [google.com]