From the category archives:

Writing

I’m in the Washington Examiner today arguing against taking calorie labeling laws national:

Among the many proposals under heated debate between the House and Senate health care bills is one provision both sides will likely support: a national law mandating calorie labels on chain restaurant menus and in vending machines.

Advocates have described the measure as a symbolically important step against obesity and have spun recent research in their favor, but a closer look reveals a weak case for labeling.

Read the whole thing here.

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Let them smoke

by Jacob Grier on December 30, 2009

I have an op/ed in today’s Oregonian arguing for amendments to the state smoking ban. The law is supposed to exempt cigar bars, but as written the requirements are so pointlessly strict that very few places qualify.

Previously: Semi-coincidentally, I had another anti-ban op/ed in the Oregonian exactly one year ago. Here’s a piece from a month later describing the last night of legal smoking at the Horse Brass. And if you think Oregon’s smoking ban is preventing thousands of heart attacks, read this.

(Also, why the hell does the O insist on cropping columnist photos so close? I intentionally sent in a correctly proportioned photo so they wouldn’t have to mess with it, but mess with it they do.)

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I’ve been borscht’ed!

by Jacob Grier on December 2, 2009

Today I’m helping kick off guest blogger month at one of Portland’s best and most esoteric blogs, the one and only Iced Borscht. When I was first invited to contribute I said I’d only do it for my usual honorarium of $700, a case of Fernet, and a Scotch egg, but then he named me “one of the top political minds in town” and I lowered my fee to just the egg.

Click over to Iced Borscht for my post about one of Carlyle’s favorite seasonal cocktails, the Erica’s Impulse, a tasty fall drink featuring brandy and allspice dram.

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Belgian beer cocktails

by Jacob Grier on June 20, 2009

If you like big Belgian beers but wish they had more alcohol on in them, then 1) you’ve got a problem and 2) will enjoy this guest post from me today on Rob Kasper’s Baltimore Sun beer blog.

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The wages of sin taxes

by Jacob Grier on March 9, 2009

I contributed a short article about new sin taxes and the recession to this week’s Lars Larson newsletter [pdf]. Jan from Cascade Cigar has a piece in there too. Since the newsletter is in pdf format, I’ve copied my submission below the break.

[click to continue…]

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Ode to the Horse Brass

by Jacob Grier on January 19, 2009

horsebrass 021

I have an article at Doublethink today about the last days of smoking at the legendary Horse Brass Pub, one of the first places I felt at home when moving to Portland a few months ago. Debates over smoking bans tend to focus on the impacts on business, public health, and property rights. The culture that’s wiped out when smoking is banned gets much less attention. In this piece I try to convey what that culture means to those of us who love it.

Incidentally, I finally got to meet Don Younger, the pub’s owner, a few days after I submitted this. He’s not at all worried that his bar won’t survive the ban. The beer, the atmosphere, and the food are all too good for that to happen (and the Scotch eggs, incidentally, are probably far more dangerous to people’s hearts than all the cigarette smoke in Oregon — but totally worth it). When we ban opponents talk about the rights of business owners, we’re not just talking about them making money; as Don says, he didn’t get into the tavern business to get rich. We’re talking about not having a community that they’ve nurtured for more than 30 years wiped out at the whim of some busybodies in the state legislature.

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I’m in the Oregonian today, calling BS on the idea that our upcoming statewide smoking ban is motivated by an interest in saving workers’ lives. If the response is anything like that to my previous anti-ban column, there’s a lot of hate mail and nasty comments headed this way and to the Oregonian website. That’s fine, I’m happy to receive criticism. But before you hit send, make sure you’re not saying what we’ve all heard many times before:

Secondhand tobacco smoke is dangerous! — I agree. Chronic, extended exposure to environmental tobacco smoke has been shown to correlate with moderately greater health risks. But if you think the guy smoking next to you in a restaurant is shaving years off your life, you’re going way beyond what’s scientifically plausible.

Smoking shouldn’t be allowed in public buildings! — I agree. Courthouses, public hospitals, police stations, and similar places could all justifiably ban smoking. You could even make a case for banning smoking on common carriers like railroads and buses. But a privately owned bar? That’s a competitive business, not a public building. If you don’t like the atmosphere you don’t have to go.

Smoking bans are just like any other workplace safety regulation! — Most safety regulations don’t ban jobs entirely, as we’re now banning working in a smoke-friendly bar. Nor do we need to protect bar workers from hidden risks; if anything, the dangers of secondhand smoke are exaggerated. Given the high rates of turnover in the hospitality industry, there’s no reason employees can’t decide for themselves whether to keep working in smoke-filled rooms.

Smokers can just step outside — In the Oregon winter? Cigarette smokers, maybe. Pipe and cigar smokers? Not my idea of high fun. For many of us, bartenders included, the ban will kill a bar culture we know and love. Besides, you’re just going to ban it outside next (see Boston, San Luis Obispo, Calabasas, Belmont, etc.).

I shouldn’t have to suffer smokers when I go out! — Then go to places that don’t allow smoking. Or, as I mentioned in the column, pass legislation that’s less restrictive than the ban but that would still encourage businesses to go smokefree. Shouldn’t smokers have places to go too?

But the one place I really want to go allows smoking! — Yeah, that sucks. Try complaining to the management. If enough people say something they might change their policy. Or maybe they won’t. Remember, the world doesn’t revolve around you. (Unless you’re William Shatner, in which case the world does revolve around you, and can I have your autograph?)

Smoking has made you bald! — Uh, no. That’s just some unfortunate photo cropping on the Oregonian website. My mane’s still doing pretty well, thank you.

Got something to add that’s not on the list? Now you can hit send.

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The last word in mixology

by Jacob Grier on December 20, 2008

Last Word cocktail

When you see green in a mixed drink, that’s often a sign that the bartender is getting carried away with sour apple pucker and it’s time for you to find another bar. Not so if the color comes from Chartreuse liqueur. My post today at Crispy on the Outside takes a look at the delightful Last Word cocktail.

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Happy Repeal Day!

by Jacob Grier on December 5, 2008

Hey everybody, I hope you’ve got some fun things planned for tonight. A long flight, a time change, and Reason magazine’s 40th anniversary party kept me far too busy yesterday to catch up on internet at happenings. I’m at Murky now, checking in briefly before heading over to Cato for what looks to be one of the most popular events ever held there. Jeff and I are going to have our hands full getting drinks to the thirsty libertarian masses.

There’s a lot of Repeal Day writing coming out today, including one op/ed from me in the American Spectator discussing the spiritual heirs of the Temperance movement (which, as Radley learned, is still active!).

I plan to post a more complete roundup soon, but in the meantime here are two excellent pieces from historian Maureen Ogle (author of Ambitious Brew, a book on the history of American beer that I’m currently enjoying). In the first she examines Prohibition’s legacy of regulations that hamper today’s boutique producers of spirits, beer, and wine. In the second she hopes we toast not alcohol itself, but rather our right to enjoy it. Read them both, and be sure to check out her weblog too.

More to come… Cheers!

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I had an article in the Fall issue of Doublethink about the competition between Starbucks and independent coffee shops. This was my first time published in a magazine and seeing everything laid out with original photography was pretty neat. It’s published online today here.

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Ballin’

by Jacob Grier on October 1, 2008

As of today I’m a contributing writer at Crispy on the Outside, the wonderfully irreverent food blog started by my friend Baylen Linnekin. My first post delves back into the mystery of the five-inch bull balls.

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More than you want to know

by Jacob Grier on August 22, 2008

For those of you who aren’t completely bored by the calorie count issue yet, I have a new post on the subject up over at Radley’s site.

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Guest agitating

by Jacob Grier on August 13, 2008

I’ve been invited to guest write for a couple of weeks on Radley Balko’s excellent site, The Agitator, while he’s on vacation in Alaska. Radley’s a good friend and writes one of the best blogs around, so of course I accepted. I’ll post here too, but most of my updates will probably be over there. My intro post is here and I posted an entry about tobacco control just a few minutes ago. And if you don’t like me, head over anyway for the rest of the talented guest blogging crew.

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Final dust-up

by Jacob Grier on June 20, 2008

In our final installment, Paul advocates the death penalty for cooks who serve trans fats, while I … no, just kidding, we both favor education over regulation. Check it out here, and thanks to Paul and the L.A. Times for bringing this discussion together.

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Those of you who’ve been wanting more of a smackdown between Paul Roberts and I won’t find it in today’s exchange, where we agree that there are plenty of reasons to enjoy eating natural, locally grown food — as long as you’re not kidding yourself about the health and environmental benefits. Read it here.

Tomorrow’s topic is foods that need to be banned, so things could get a little more heated then.

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Tear down these walls

by Jacob Grier on June 18, 2008

In today’s edition of Dust-Up, Paul Roberts predicts the end of food and I call for tearing down export restrictions. Read it here.

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Today in Dust-Up

by Jacob Grier on June 17, 2008

Today in Dust-Up, Paul Roberts and I discuss whether or not the FDA has enough regulatory power. You can guess where I come down, but Paul doubts the agency’s efforts too.

On a related note, Peter Van Doren lays down some skepticism about food safety regulation in this Cato Daily Podcast.

Update: Also, whoever writes the headlines at LATimes.com deserves a raise.

Previously:
Back in The Jungle
Don’t blame Milton!

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