BURLINGTON – An awards banquet hosted by the Burlington City Council was postponed indefinitely after the 12 councilors were unable to come to a decision regarding the entrée. The first two choices passed easily with a vote of 11-1, cementing chicken and a vegan option for the diners. New North End Councilor Dave Hartnett was the lone dissenter, claiming that the vegan meal was not very appetizing and that chicken is “too safe a choice,” for the banquet.

The real problems began when the final menu option came up for a vote. The vote was split 6-6 between the seafood and the beef options. Councilors Richard Deane, Adam Roof, Joan Shannon, Chip Mason, Kurt Wright and Karen Paul voted for the chipotle infused flank steak, while Councilors Jane Knodell, Dave Hartnett, Sara Moore, Max Tracy, Sharon Bushor and Ali Dieng voted for the Maine lobster risotto.

“This is too important to the people of Burlington,” Councilor Ali Dieng said in a Facebook post during a break in negotiations. “The people we represent will be at this dinner, and beef is extraordinarily bad for the environment. The lobster is the responsible choice.”

“Chicken, seafood, or vegetables? I don’t think so,” commented Hartnett on the same post. “How about we create a meal that people actually want to come to?”

After the vote was retaken three times, Dieng suggested some sort of combination of both dishes, such as a chipotle infused lobster, or a steak risotto. The council quickly approved this suggestion, and sent it over to the venue for approval.

“No!” the head chef of the venue could be heard shouting from the kitchen during a closed door meeting where the new proposal was discussed. “Are you kidding me? I can’t infuse a f***ing lobster with chipotle! And I’m sure as hell not going to grind up the flank steaks into a f***ing risotto! Who are these people? Tell them to make up their f***ing minds!”

The venue was given a one week timeline to come up with a proposal that would serve both the steak and the lobster for the same price as just one or the other, but the venue has reportedly rejected the banquet altogether and the celebration has been put on hold until the council can either find a new venue or come to some agreement about dinner.

Image Credits: VT Digger.