A Denver city health inspector’s bleach-soaked tyranny recently sparked outrage online after a video captured the local bureaucrat destroying a taco stand’s valuable ingredients.
The incident occurred Nov. 15, when officials from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) conducted an inspection at the bustling and popular Taco Tacolorado food stand, according to a local outlet, Westword. Video captured a public health inspector dousing bleach onto containers of limes, pickled onions, guacamole, and other items at the food stand, which quickly triggered widespread outrage within Denver’s culinary community. (Subscribe to MR. RIGHT, a free weekly newsletter about modern masculinity)
By Monday morning, the footage had gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, drawing accusations from the public that the city was unjustly targeting the cherished local street taco vendors by destroying food.
DENVER, CO – JULY 14: Turbulent weather produced a spectacular sunset over the skyline of the Denver downtown as seen from the stadium as the Milwaukee Brewers face the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 14, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
However, DDPHE has tried to clarify and contextualize the incident, noting that the one video clip does not capture its efforts to ensure Taco Tacolorado’s food safety standards.
Emily Williams, the department’s spokesperson, and Danica Lee, the director of Public Health Investigations, said that despite numerous attempts across various jurisdictions, including Colorado Springs and Lakewood, Colorado, the vendor continued to operate without the necessary licensing.
According to Lee, the vendor had been contacted multiple times by Denver investigators before the video incident. Throughout the inspections, officials made clear the requirements for the stand to operate, including a hand-washing sink with hot and cold water, equipment to maintain safe meat temperatures, and a licensed commercial kitchen for food preparation, Westword reported.
Inspectors allegedly witnessed employees rinsing their hands in a “garbage bucket of water” and meat stored at unsafe temperatures conducive to bacterial growth. Officials also discovered that food preparation was being conducted in a home kitchen, which is permissible only for low-risk “cottage foods,” not for products like marinated meats and fresh salsas.
The use of bleach, according to the city’s health department, is necessary and standard protocol in order to immediately sanitize any potentially contaminated products.
Though the city does have the right to enforce the rules (some of which might be a little too draconian), bleaching a bunch of ingredients strikes me as a great example of petty tyranny. And the locals and patrons who live in Denver seem to be quite upset over the ordeal, which leads me to believe that, although the taco stand didn’t have all the licenses and paperwork filled out, their food was probably safe. As far as I can see, no one has gotten sick from their tacos.
And, as someone who has worked in kitchens and restaurants before, I can assure you that most of them are absolutely gross. They might have gotten an “A” grade from the local inspector, but if you ever catch a glimpse of how the proverbial and literal sausage is made, you would be horrified. All kitchens, even in the nicest of restaurants, are pretty gnarly.
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