But then, the visions of hot chestnuts are long gone, too. Pandora's box or not, street vending has evolved into something different than originally envisioned. But that doesn't mean the city should jump so quickly to punish it.

Within six months of that jam-packed meeting to hand out locations back in 1991, most of the hopefuls were gone. Market forces took care of that. But the vendors didn't disappear entirely, because a market did exist. With some exceptions, the thriving ones today are not in the city's core but in an area south of downtown. They tend not only to be run by minorities but to cater to them.

But does that mean they're bad? Some questions are in order. Is the city sure people really are buying food and then relieving themselves nearby, or is that a problem caused by others in a deteriorating area? Where is the proof? Is it fair to require parking when many brick-and-mortar restaurants downtown don't offer the same? And isn't the requirement to receive permission from business owners just a quiet way of driving away vendors without really outlawing them?

Surely by now, 16 years later, it ought to be clear that street vendors haven't harmed downtown's restaurants. It's also clear they haven't turned the city into Manhattan. Things don't always go according to plan.

Cleanliness is important. By all means, require vendors to clean up after themselves. But don't punish struggling entrepreneurs needlessly just because they don't fit some long-ago politician's idyllic vision.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com