Now The Gov’t Wants to Regulate . . . Dinner Parties?

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Bloombergians of the world decided to extend their regulatory impulses to . . . dinner parties.  The local CBS affiliate in New York reports on the crackdown on “illegal” dinner parties (with my commentary interpolated):

NEW YORK (CBS 2) — As you sit down to dinner, this story illustrates eating out like you have never experienced before. We are talking about super-secret, illegal dining experiences hosted in homes.

CBS 2 investigative reporter Tamara Leitner went undercover to see firsthand how this underground world works.

It may look like a dinner party, but it’s really an underground supper club.

Never knew having a bunch of private citizens over for a nice meal was considered an “underground” activity.

The diners are a mix of New Yorkers and tourists. CBS 2’s undercover cameras captured one experience — eight people who didn’t know each other eating a meal in a stranger’s home.

That hostess, Naama Shafi, writes about food but is not a chef. Leitner found her through a website, which connects amateur foodies and professional chefs in 20 different countries with people who want unique dining experiences.

Clandestine dinner parties like the one Leitner attended have become more common in New York City. And insiders told Leitner they are completely unregulated.

“Unregulated”?  That’s the dead giveaway right there.  For a liberal, the worst thing in the world today is any activity that is unregulated.

But some critics have concerns about these unregulated dinner parties.

“It definitely falls into a gray area,” said Leon Lubarsky, owner of Letter Grade Consulting.

Lubarsky’s staff of retired New York City health inspectors advises restaurants on health regulations.

When asked if the underground restaurants should be regulated, Lubarsky told Leitner, “Yes, they should be regulated by the same system that regulates every restaurant in New York City.”

Another great example of how the government and the nanny-state cheerleaders can’t stand it when a new spontaneous order arises that might actually provide a new social connection–and business opportunity–in the world.

As Glenn Reynolds likes to say: Tar. Feathers.

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