The Workin' Man's Party, Part 2

Nancy Pelosi is the latest Democrat to fall victim to the latest outbreak of Pink Sapphire's disease, a terrible malady that causes the super-rich to bray about class warfare and claim to represent the common man--even as they live like Roman emperors:

Newly ascendant Democrats may have hit roadblocks on Iraq and fiscal issues, but they have revamped congressional menus, replacing fatty, pre-made foods with healthier, gourmet alternatives. The once dreary congressional cafeterias now abound with haute cuisine.

The menu transformation is part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol” plan to make the House campus more environmentally friendly and socially progressive.

But there can be a downside to delicious. Not everyone is happy with the enhanced offerings. Many congressional employees have complained that as the food quality has increased, so have the prices.

“It’s a big jump from high school cafeteria to fancy-pants gourmet. I just wish my pay improved,” said Caryn Schenewerk, a staffer for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

How fancy?

There is pan-roasted Chesapeake rockfish with sweet potato fennel hash and yellow pepper relish. Pears with Stilton cheese and watercress. Cumin-scented leg of lamb with almond couscous. There are vegetables with funny names, like bok choy, arugula and jicama. There are baked goods with Italian names, like biscotti, focaccia and frittati.

Arugula, you say? That seals the diagnosis. A previous outbreak was documented here, although fortunately (?) the symptoms were not so dire as I anticipated. JYB tailwag to Blue Crab Boulevard for spotting this one.

P.S. Get a load of this:

Coffee cups have been replaced by “ecotainers” and drink cups by “greenware” made from corn starch. The napkins emerge from their dispenser one at a time, making it impossible to grab a whole stack. Nearly everything is biodegradable.

And the recycling stations, oh, the recycling stations! They are veritable shrines to a renewable Earth, with four differently shaped slots to sort garbage and lengthy directions on proper sorting. Soup containers go into the square-shaped “compostable” slot, but soup lids end up in the rounded “landfill waste” slot.

There's more to laugh at at the link, including Republican staffers' reactions to this.