Comments on: Food Signaling

By: jim

jim — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:15:05 +0000

I am an Toronto Firefighter,we get free food all the time.

By: Lynne

Lynne — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:23:30 +0000

I think you may be missing an important angle here. It strikes me- and I have no proof- that a beat cop would want to eat in cheaper, more highly-trafficked cafes because keeping an eye on the community is his job. Hanging out in cheaper places could put him in closer proximity to a broader spectrum of the community. Everybody opts for cheap fast food now and then. It puts him in touch with the types of small business owners who are most often threatened and robbed, as well.

By: Mule

Mule — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:18:37 +0000

Triumph, you stole my words when addressing the restaurants that serve cops under the "friends and family" program. My informal analysis concludes the same thing here in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Boyd, that is probably the same reason I drink a lot of Shiner and Rahr beer (Fort Worth brewery) - because they're part of the home team. Trust me, I don't root for the Texas Rangers because of their winning tradition.

By: Triumph

Triumph — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:12:00 +0000

resumably, cops eat in places that are 1) relatively inexpensive and 2) where they can get served quickly. Beat cops tend to make less money and have less schedule flexibility during their working hours than economics professors.

Many joints also give cops free food to build up a rapport.

One other factor a cop buddy once told me: he liked to eat at places where he could see the food being made to insure he knew what he was ingesting. He assumed that people working in food service seemed to be overrepresented by ex-cons and troublemakers who may bear animosity towards the cops.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:58:08 +0000

It's also worth noting that Miller's major market competitor is Anheuser-Busch, which is based in St. Louis.

Sports fans realize that there is a reason that the Chicago Bears and White Sox are one of the very few teams that don't serve Anheuser-Busch beer. Call it persistence of rivalry.

By: The Glittering Eye » Blog Archive » Police Officer Stereotypes

The Glittering Eye » Blog Archive » Police Officer Stereotypes — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:35:33 +0000

[...] reading this post at OTB I realized that it might be prudent for some people to revise their thinking about police officers. [...]

By: Boyd

Boyd — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:17:40 +0000

This reminds me: I "grew up" drinking a lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon, as well as Lone Star. I didn't like them then, and I don't like them now.

Oh, and Pearl. Yech.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:02:13 +0000

Old Style is the beer of Chicago; at least it was until the LaCross, WI based brewer sold out to Pabst.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:57:43 +0000

You can frequently still tell how good a restaurant is by how many calendars it has hanging on its walls.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:56:33 +0000

If Tyler wants to see cops eat near his office on the George Mason campus, he should head over to the Chipotle on Lee Hwy near the intersection of Rt 50. I always see cops or firemen eat there with their cars and rigs parked outside.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:56:23 +0000

There's something a Chinese poet once said: “Patriotism consists in large part of the good things to eat one had as a child.” I think that tastes are formed fairly early, what's familiar is often what's considered good, and distribution of local products tends to be stronger.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:54:45 +0000

Chicago??? Last I heard, Milwaukee was the home of the Miller brewing company.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:54:37 +0000

Isn't Miller a Milwaukee beer? I don't think there's been a major Chicago brewery for decades. The Goose Island microbrewery is the biggest.