There are few things as special in life as plucking a ripe tomato from the vine, sprinkling its sun-warmed flesh with a little salt, and chomping into the juicy fruit. It sings summertime with each drop of juice, each tiny seed.
Alas, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued dire warnings about eating fresh tomatoes. The warnings come as a result of about 140 people who have become sick with salmonella poisoning since April. Not one of these people have died from eating a tomato, but the FDA is taking no chances.
I read this morning that Burger King, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and other fast food joints have taken tomatoes off of their burgers, out of their tacos, etc. They all indicate they are just trying to protect their customers. How considerate of them.
Too bad that the tomato on a Whopper is probably about the only healthy thing on that sandwich. The same could be said for the other fast food offerings. But I'm really glad that I'm being protected by Burger King, Ronald McDonald, and their friends. I mean, I just never imagined that they were so concerned about my health. Why, this could actually make me feel good about ordering a super deluxe extra value meal. Well, maybe not.
If the King, Ronald, and the FDA were really concerned about my health, they might want to take a look at the ingredients they've left on their sandwiches. Have you ever thought about the health benefits of "secret sauce?" Or corn syrup-sweetened catsup? Or full fat processed American cheese slices? How about the oil used to fry the potatoes and the "chicken" snacks?
In the same time period that 140 people got sick from eating tomatoes that are assumed to be the cause of salmonella poisoning, I wonder how many people developed diabetes, high blood pressure, had a stroke or heart attack, all because of everything except the tomatoes in fast food.
When I walk into a McDonalds at breakfast time (not often, mind you, but Ronald and I are on a first name basis), I see bags overflowing with fat and carbs. The McDonalds near my office sometimes has lines so long at lunchtime I imagine that the customers must have 2-hour lunch hours. From morning until late night (or 24-hours in some cases), person after person is eating variations of the same fat and carbs and the occasional slice of tomato. And now that there are no tomatoes around, well, it's an awful lot of fat and carbs.
If the fast food chains--and the FDA--really care about you and me, you'd think that they'd be concerned about the millions of people around the world who are suffering from fast-food-related obesity. That's an awful lot more than the 140 people who got food poisoning from a few tomatoes.
Alas, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued dire warnings about eating fresh tomatoes. The warnings come as a result of about 140 people who have become sick with salmonella poisoning since April. Not one of these people have died from eating a tomato, but the FDA is taking no chances.
I read this morning that Burger King, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and other fast food joints have taken tomatoes off of their burgers, out of their tacos, etc. They all indicate they are just trying to protect their customers. How considerate of them.
Too bad that the tomato on a Whopper is probably about the only healthy thing on that sandwich. The same could be said for the other fast food offerings. But I'm really glad that I'm being protected by Burger King, Ronald McDonald, and their friends. I mean, I just never imagined that they were so concerned about my health. Why, this could actually make me feel good about ordering a super deluxe extra value meal. Well, maybe not.
If the King, Ronald, and the FDA were really concerned about my health, they might want to take a look at the ingredients they've left on their sandwiches. Have you ever thought about the health benefits of "secret sauce?" Or corn syrup-sweetened catsup? Or full fat processed American cheese slices? How about the oil used to fry the potatoes and the "chicken" snacks?
In the same time period that 140 people got sick from eating tomatoes that are assumed to be the cause of salmonella poisoning, I wonder how many people developed diabetes, high blood pressure, had a stroke or heart attack, all because of everything except the tomatoes in fast food.
When I walk into a McDonalds at breakfast time (not often, mind you, but Ronald and I are on a first name basis), I see bags overflowing with fat and carbs. The McDonalds near my office sometimes has lines so long at lunchtime I imagine that the customers must have 2-hour lunch hours. From morning until late night (or 24-hours in some cases), person after person is eating variations of the same fat and carbs and the occasional slice of tomato. And now that there are no tomatoes around, well, it's an awful lot of fat and carbs.
If the fast food chains--and the FDA--really care about you and me, you'd think that they'd be concerned about the millions of people around the world who are suffering from fast-food-related obesity. That's an awful lot more than the 140 people who got food poisoning from a few tomatoes.
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2 comments:
I didn't realize you had written about, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," until I started reading it.
I remember a conversation we had about tomatoes and how much you enjoyed them. As I started to read the article, the conversation we had came to mind. And then, "Voile!" I saw the author's name!
And all I really was going to say was, "Hmmm . . . That certainly is food for thought . . .
Elaine
This is so funny, I just had this same conversation with my mom. She told me she and her friend had a craving for a hamburger recently so they went to Johnny Rockets, had a massive burger with fries, went home and felt awful. Her first thought was, 'maybe I got salmonella from the tomato!' and then realized 'what the hell am I talking about? I feel awful because of the BURGER and FRIES!' We both actually laughed and thought, 'poor tomato, the only healthy thing in the whole meal!'
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