Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Pathogens and Bonuses

I’m preparing enchiladas verde today and this poblano chile is going into the sauce, although I’m feeling a little bit apprehensive about cooking it. When I went to the grocery store yesterday there was a large sign in the chile section of the produce department warning consumers that eating chiles might result in a hospital visit. Chiles, along with tomatoes and cilantro, have been added to the Food and Drug Administration’s list of suspected sources of the salmonella outbreak, which has sickened more than 1,000 people across the U.S.

I checked the chiles carefully for breaks in the skin and washed them in hot soapy water. They will be charred under the broiler for a few minutes and also baked in the oven. I think that will take care of any pathogens. (But maybe I’ll double-check that on the internet.) It’s so creepy having to worry about the safety of our food.

It’s been a difficult year for the FDA – tainted pharmaceuticals, e.coli outbreaks, and now salmonella. Despite this, I heard on the news a few days ago that FDA managers are receiving bonuses this year, ranging from $20,000 to $50,000! Oh, shrug. After 8 years of Bush, I suffer from outrage fatigue.

President Bush may be the least respected and most disliked American president ever, but there is one area where this administration shines. Rewarding incompetency.

(Gotta say, that shadow color just does not work. Maybe I'll re-do it...)

RECIPE ALERT: I just experienced the best chile verde enchiladas I have ever eaten, wonderfully fresh and piquant. If you like Mexican food, I encourage you to pick up a copy of the August 2008 Cook's Illustrated magazine and give the recipe a try.

10 comments:

laura said...

Outrage fatigue, disappointment fatigue, fear-for-the-future fatigue. This guy's just plain fatiguing! Among the many outrages, letting the runaway quest for ever-growing profits endanger our food supply (sadly it began before Bush so I can't entirely blame him!!), really seems one of the most insane. I really thought there'd be people in the streets when baby bibs from China were recalled because they had lead in them; I thought, now they've gone too far, endangering babies ... What is (or will be) too far? Remains to be seen!

Sharon said...

Laura, I didn’t see an e-mail address at your blog, so I’m responding here. What IS it about people in the U.S. that makes them so passively accept corruption, lies and abuse of power among our elected officials? I’ve wondered about it often. Are Americans less educated, less informed, stupider than citizens of other western countries? Convinced they cannot effect change? Just don’t care? It’s a mystery to me. I watched hundreds of thousands of Koreans take to the street to protest the lifting of the ban which barred American beef from entering the S. Korean food supply. Apparently they didn’t trust US assurances that the beef is free of mad cow disease. Can you imagine Americans doing that? And how about the French people? They take to the street frequently when they disagree with government policies. And they stay there until their demands have been met. It puzzles me.

laura said...

It is a puzzle, Sharon. Sometimes I think the bulk of us Americans are so busy, keeping our heads down, trying to pay the credit card bills? Maybe Americans are fearful of losing whatever it is they do have ...? If I'm right, today's inflation numbers don't bode well for dissidence!
(I'll email you my email address!)

Sandy said...

Well You may not like the shadow but the Deep Greens make me drool I have so much trouble with deep greens - what is THAT recips please, and I will look for the magazine!! and my safe food theory is DEEP FRY EVERYTHING FOR SAFETY REASONS :-)

Anonymous said...

Sadly, this torpidity seems to have drifted across the Pacific.
I suppose, if they can engineer a gene to reject pathogens, we'll be able to eat any garbage with impunity!

juj said...

Exactly 6 more months as of tomorrow. Yippeeeeeee!

Great pepper - I like the dark color.

A Brush with Color said...

I hear you on the outrage fatigue. It's truly depressing, isn't it? This chili pepper is wonderful! And thanks for the recipe idea--it sounds yummy!

Robyn Sinclair said...

I'd like to come and eat at your house! You cook my kind of food.

You may be disappointed with your shadow, but I didn't notice because of the wonderful job you did with that chilli! It's gorgeous, Sharon.

When we had a problem with the big pooh- bah politician running Australia we left the country. Have you considered Italy? ;)

Sharon said...

Robyn, I wish.

mARTa said...

all I can say is "Provecho!" I'm glad you enjoyed and I'm with you on your bandwagon! Let's go live next door to Robyn!