[politicalwit]

" How is it different?"

Do you prepare picnic foods for a profit? Can't you see a difference between a family outing and a catered event?

[Principium]

"Do you prepare picnic foods for a profit? Can't you see a difference between a family outing and a catered event?"

Sure, I can see a difference between events. I simply don't see how the government license keeps me safer. Why is it that profit seems to be the thing that makes a license necessary? Does a non-profit need a license? (This certainly varies by jurisdiction, but I'm talking philosophically here.) Is it an issue of quantity? Meaning, that a foodservice operation is ongoing? What if I pay a friend to make something for me to take to a picnic? Does the fact that he made a profit, a loss, or a wash matter? If he intended to profit but didn't, is that still a crime? What makes it ok for me to roll the dice on Aunt Matilda's chicken salad, but not on the unlicensed back-alley for-profit deli run by my next-door neighbor? I simply do not see how the license squares with the principle of voluntary exchange.