By Randall Beach

Many people know him as "the dancing man," a ubiquitous jolly figure who shows up on the New Haven Green during the summer concerts to do his happy free-form dance.





But for lots of kids, he is "carrot man," the guy who dresses up in a carrot outfit and hands out free carrots on the West Haven Green.

And yet when I finally tracked down this latter-day hippie who, I assumed, could not possibly be holding down a responsible day job, I learned he is the director of health for the City of West Haven.





"I'm multifaceted," Eric Triffin cheerfully told me when I called him. "I've got many things on the stove."





In addition to being a tireless advocate for public health, Triffin finds time to appear with "Floatin' Fred" (see my column of Sept. 16) on Fred's CTV public access show Thursday and Saturday nights. There's "the dancing man," cavorting with the others in the cast, always a joyful smile on his face.



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"I also dance at Humphrey's (on East Street) every Monday night," Triffin said. "Like a bee to honey."





He handed me a business card for Transcendance, an "energetic, ergonomic, free-form dance-for-all." Triffin invites people to join him for this at Humphrey's, Mondays at 10 p.m. He has a Web site (www.TranscenDance.TV) and hopes to soon have his own CTV show.





What he's doing is reaching out. He said when he hears kids shout "It's 'carrot man!'" it "makes my heart sing." He added, "People clapping for you on the Green, you get a connection."





Yes, he's big on connecting. Triffin harkens back to the 1970s, when he helped start the New Haven Food Co-op and another collectively run gathering spot, the Howe Street restaurant Down to Earth. He also helped start Dance Haven.





But here we are in the 21st century, with the food co-op gone and Down to Earth closed, and Triffin, now 56, has made some adjustments. He went to Yale University and got a master's degree in public health. He has his own office in West Haven City Hall and authority to push for his goals to improve our health habits.



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That office is a happy mess. "Welcome to my busy surroundings!" he said, offering me some goodies from his bowl of nuts. "It's a health educator's lot, accumulating paper. This is the mulch and compost I draw from."





I looked around, beholding dozens of bumper stickers for progressive causes ("Be a force for change" and other slogans), a gigantic pea with the slogan "Visualize whirled peas" and, across a chair, his "carrot man" costume.





Triffin was wearing a button advocating "Health care for all." A toy carrot was sticking out of his breast pocket. He wore a tie covered with colorful fruits and vegetables.





"I'm a pacifist and a vegan," he said, defining this as eating "plant-based foods, not animal-based foods." He added, "I've always been a vegetarian. I don't clog my arteries with fat."





But then he said, "I will still eat a pizza. I'm a flexitarian."



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When I asked about the state of the public's health, he replied, "I think we've allowed ourselves to be snookered. We're assaulting the public and our children with advertising that builds brand allegiance to Coca-Cola and McDonald's."





Triffin described our culture as "obese-ogenic." He noted, "We're up against age-old instincts. See it, eat it. It's ingrained in us from the cave man days."





His approach: "You win hearts one bite at a time, one dance at a time." He also writes letters to the editor. One of his letters made it into the Register last Wednesday. He began: "How, in good conscience, can President Bush veto health care for children?" And he pointed out: "The $35 billion, five-year expansion of children's health care Bush just vetoed is spent in Iraq every three months!"





It's ironic that a man so preoccupied with good health and exercise could come down with cancer, but that's what happened this year to Triffin.





He pulled up his pants on one leg to show me the big scar. "I was off my feet for a couple of months last summer, at the height of my (dancing) season. I wasn't on the New Haven Green stage as much as I would've liked.





"It's when I'm dancing that I feel most alive. Teaching is a close second. I teach a wellness class at Southern (Connecticut State University)."





Triffin said being a grandfather also makes his spirits soar.





For some people these days, being called a "hippie" is not a compliment. But Triffin embraces this facet of himself. "The hippie part of me saves the day."





"We hippies emphasize the right thing: good food, good friends, good music, connections and love. Love is the answer."








Randall Beach can be reached at rbeach@nhregister.com or 789-5766.

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