It was reported last week that two cafeterias and five snack bars in the Pennsylvania State Capitol complex would be closed until sometime in January because of…wait for it…a rat infestation.  OK, so they actually said they were mice.  Tomayto, tomahto.

I Smell a Rat in the PA State Capitol! It's in the food!

The State Department of Agriculture found the violations during a routine inspection.  Justin Fleming, the department spokesperson, said, “There were mouse droppings around the facility too numerous to mention.”  Ick.

OK—so we all get the irony, if you take the appropriate view of politicians.

But the bigger issue here is food safety.  And if you’ve been in a government building (aside from the sanitation department), isn’t one of the first words that comes to mind: sterile?  It doesn’t matter whether the décor is reminiscent of the 1960s or if newer digs feel like a businessman’s hotel conference room.  It usually feels pretty clean because the janitor has been there for years, happy to have a steady, stable job to get to that government pension.  Often, cafes in courthouses or municipal buildings have all the creativity of a ham sandwich on white with mayo.  And it rarely differs between local, state, or federal branches.  My point—they’re pretty sterile too.  So we thought.

Believe it or not, food safety is on the docket for the federal government.  I’d say it’s like molasses in January.  But that’s even too fast for our government most of the time. The House of Representatives passed a law in July, giving the Food & Drug Administration authority to issue a food recall.  But, as is typical, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee (HELP) passed its own “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009,” S.510 in November.  Next stop: floor debate in the Senate.  When they get to it in 2010.  But the issue considers very important measures on imports, inspection, recalls, and increasing FDA’s resources.

An important distinction is that food we make at home isn’t the issue.  It’s when we pay other people to play with our food that we have to step back.

Getting the Grade in Los Angeles

For all of California’s problems these days, one thing that’s right has been right since 1998.  That’s more than a decade ago if you’re keeping score.  In Los Angeles County, retail food facilities receive a letter grade according to their inspection score.  That grade is prominently displayed for all to see.  An “A,” you’re good.  A “C,” you eat at your own risk.  “B’s” don’t fare well either.

In 2004, Stanford University Economist Phillip Leslie looked to measure the effect those grades would have on consumers and the market in general.  By obtaining inspection data and revenue data (compiled from sales tax returns), he found that inspection grades greatly increased. Leslie reported that before the law went into effect, 25% of restaurants would have earned an “A;” after more than 50%.  And most importantly, he found that food-related hospitalizations in Los Angeles County decreased 20%.

In January 2009, New York City announced a letter-grading plan, due to appear in restaurant windows in July 2010.  The city will hire 50 more inspectors—there’s a job opportunity!  Washington DC is interested in a similar policy as well.  However their motivation was a Center for Science in the Public Interest report saying it was too hard for DC consumers to get restaurant inspection reports.

Let’s be honest—we don’t really want to know that our favorite pizza joint had a mouse last month.  But even the best restaurants sometimes rest on their laurels a little too much.  You want great food but you want a clean kitchen too.  I have a foodie friend who wouldn’t even see the animated feature “Ratatouille” because it was all about rats in restaurant kitchens.

Grades motivated many of us as 6th graders.  (Even if you weren’t a ridiculous over-achiever like me.)   No one wants to fail.  And goodness, our politicians are among the most competitive ilk there is.  More cities and states need grading systems.  And restaurants will stay on their toes.  Consumers will be safer.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the average household spends $2,276 on food out of the home.  Of course in cities like New York where ovens double as shoe storage, it’s likely higher.

Back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  OK, after a 101-day budget impasse, a few things fell by the wayside.  The National Governors Association says that state budgets are unlikely to recover until “late in the next decade.”  That’s a long time to bring your lunch.  There’s always Sammy’s Italian across the street where the Pasta Fagioli is $5 or Mangia Qui where filet mignon on a roll with fries is $10.   Skip the café and leave it to the rats, er, politicians, to figure it out.

NYC Flagship Store

I don’t wait on line for things not worth the wait.  Those two hour lines at the Cheesecake Factory? No thanks–even with the fun buzzers.  Velvet rope night spots?  They’re not so special that I should wait an hour and pay a $25 cover charge for the privilege of a $15 excuse for a Cosmo. When the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store opened on Fifth Avenue in 2005, with lines around the corner, I applauded the retailer for having that effect on people.  But I continued on to Bergdorf Goodman where I get impeccable service and great sale prices a few times a year.  I popped into H&M to get cheap trends and seek out their occasionally stocked black T-shirts with 9% spandex that keep their shape forever. I saw the A&F ads.  Hot, young models with “just went sailing” hair in frayed t-shirts and plaid.  Like Ralph Lauren with an edge.  Or in need of an iron.

But a recent trip to Italy piqued my curiosity about this American original.  To Italians, Benetton is their Gap.  It’s their source for sweaters and jeans.  But I didn’t see the “Gap” emblazoned on the chests of Romans or Florentines.  Plenty of well-heeled young, trendy Italians had the letters “AF” appliqued on sweats and tees.  Abercrombie?  “Had they all been to NYC?” I wondered.  Online?  What about this 100+ year-old US brand appealed to Europeans more than, say, Levis?  I would soon find out.

One recent autumn day, it looked like rain.  I was strolling Fifth Avenue, impressed by the persistent tourists in pursuit of fashion no matter what elements fell from the sky.  As I approached 720 Fifth Avenue, I saw the crowd. I heard a bevy of languages: Japanese, German, and some squeals that only come from girls under 18 in the sight lines of a shirtless stud.  (Said shirtless stud greeted shoppers as they entered).  The 3-D shirtless stud was worth a look for sure.  But the 2-D shirtless stud in the foyer was even bigger, with a six pack 4 feet tall!

Huge 6-packs greet you

Much to my amazement, and likely due to the economy, there was no line.

Someone put a Meatpacking District-style club on Fifth Avenue, it seemed.  Buff guys in tight black t-shirts with sharp eyes scanning the crowd. (Bouncers? Jeans and t-shirts for sale require bouncers?)  The beat of the techno music that you feel in your chest came from every nook.   It was very dark except for the lighted stairways and pin-spots providing dramatic highlights.  But no bar or cocktail servers. Where there would have been liquor, there were hundreds of impeccably folded $34 long sleeved cotton t-shirts.  Not bad.  Soft too.  Instead of the fashion forward, typical nightclub attire with stilettos, these social butterflies wore jeans and sneakers. Some had entourages. (A.K.A. mom and dad)  They were weighed down with shopping bags instead of over-sized handbags.

Perfectly folded t-shirts

Lots of chit chat, meat-market type interactions (when mom wasn’t looking).  All the employees are young, cute, hot, striking–pick one of those adjectives.  They don’t hover–they hang out.  No sales pressure.  When they say, “How’s it going?” you really think they want to know or might be trying to pick you up.

No t-shirt goes unfolded for more than a minute, yet shoppers are not made to feel like they can’t be hands-on shoppers.  Go ahead–unfold that shirt.  You won’t get sneered at by the sales staff, despite the fact you almost expect to get the evil eye.  But you don’t need to bring it across the store to see if it matches the jeans you want because there are duplicates everywhere.  They fill five floors with clothing, but I think there are really just 10 different tees, 10 pairs of jeans, 5 plaid shirts and a sweat shirt or two.

Decor aside from the music and industrial metal felt like Ralph Lauren stereotype passed through the filter of a Playboy/Playgirl editor.  The murals feature art of men (mostly) in athletic pursuits. They have perfect bodies–not too muscular.  One demurely lifts his shirt to reveal a six-pack.

Poster sized photos around the store are of gorgeous men and women superimposed with quotations from great Americans.  It’s a way to sneak in a little of the A&F that dates back to the store’s 1892 founding.  With walls of dark wood, stacks of antique canoes, a showcase full of old skis, A&F wants you to feel tradition.  Especially if you’re not the club type–the other easy comparison is to a keg-less fraternity party. All that wood, trophies for who-knows-what and pseudo-preppyness was like any of the Greek-lettered fraternity houses I frequented in college.  But the plaid would fit as well on a BMOC as it would on a hipster from Brooklyn.

Casually preppy

But feeling clothes, experience, and spending is all you get to do, because I was scolded for taking photos.  Perhaps they’re worried I’m going to try and stack my t-shirts like that at home.

It’s all part of a very successful plan. Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) has more than 1100 stores in the US, UK and Canada.  In the past year, their stock has risen more than 44%.  And while their back to school sales for 2009 were down 10%, comparable stores were down 18%.

I’m 37 and this experience did NOT make me feel old. (Happily)  Probably because most shoppers were too old to be my children.  Thank goodness for that.  Their target market ebbs a bit younger at 18-22.  But if I was in the market for a long-sleeved t-shirt, I might try one out.  But even though I live in Philadelphia, I’m a NYer at heart.  I wear black and white tees and you can find pretty good ones anywhere for $30.