Airlines are raising prices of on-board snacks. Passengers already can’t bring their own liquids from home and tighter enforcement of carry-on rules may make bringing food on the plane more difficult. (So far, airlines don’t generally count a bag of food you buy at the airport as a carryon, but as bins fill up because of new checked baggage charges, that may change.)
Now the city of Rome is beginning to restrict what you eat on the ground. A new ordinance bars anyone from eating or drinking in Rome’s historical center with fines up to $80. The ordinance specifies “all areas of historic, cultural or artistic value, and in particular in the historic centre”, Police are starting food patrols in the area around the Spanish Steps.
Does this mean we can’t have a gelato walking up the Spanish Steps? While it may be fine to throw coins into the Trevi Fountain, can tourists munch on a slice of pizza margherita. At this point, it really depends on what the police decide to enforce. Luckily, the Italian police seem to be adapt at using common sense. I expect that only the most egregious offenders will be tagged.
Last year Venice banned picnics on St. Mark’s Square, but the $10 coffees are still available. Posters splayed on historic villa walls in the historic town also ban bare torsos. After all there should some sort of regulated decorum in the presence of such opulent history.
Some US cities restrict eating and drinking on public transit, notably the Washington DC Metro, the New York area PATH trains, and the San Francisco area BART. So far, however, while outdoors, tourists and locals are generally free to snack at will.
But with the current budget crisis in this country, who knows? If the experimental Rome ordinance saves the city clean up costs and the fines add up significantly, the US rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness may soon not include walking around with an ice cream cone or a cup of coffee.
