While eating a quesadilla last night (made specifically with grape tomatoes because those tomatoes are apparently safe from the salmonella outbreak currently plaguing the United States), I hear on the news that it might not be the tomatoes after all that are causing the disease.
Investigators now believe it could be any number of other produce commonly eaten with raw tomatoes.
Like…say…cilantro, onion, jalepeños, avocados? The FDA officials aren’t saying.
Still, as I listen to this news I stare at the quesadilla I’m eating – complete with cilantro, onion and avocado – warmed in a pan so the cheese melts, but by no means “cooked”.
For goodness sake, I live in Texas. Ninety-nine percent of the population eats a combination of this produce on a daily basis. All I can say is: we might be in trouble down here.
What am I supposed to eat when three quarters of the produce department in the grocery store might be off limits?
It is disturbing news.
But not so disturbing that I do not continue eating my quesadillas.
Thought I do offer up fervent prayers for God to protect me from my offensive dinner choice.
When John gets home and wants some dinner I will have to serve it up with a warning: the FDA is expanding their search for the salmonella-causing produce and “they refuse to say what other types of produce they’re probing, except that those items are often served with tomatoes”.
Do with this information what you will.
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3 comments:
Hi Erin! We're still reading down here in Houston. Has anyone come out and said that the reported cases of salmonella are more than the average at this time of year (or that past statistics are even that accurate - how many people that get stomach viruses probably go in to have themselves tested for salmonella)? I'm not convinced that this is even an authentic 'outbreak', and we definitely haven't stopped eating tomatoes :)
--Kaitlin
Yeah, I think it's a lot of media hype. It's suspicious when the FDA doesn't even say what foods to avoid while they investigate!
Kara Durbin here. I got started reading your blog when you were out of the country and sometimes still pop back by. Love this entry! It made me laugh because you expressed very well what just about everyone (who is up on the news) is thinking while eating! I for one (a self-proclaimed germ phobe and on the obsessive compulsive side) will not touch a tomato until this whole thing has blown over. But yes, this is very disturbing since we live in TX MX country! So, currently I'm getting my fix from jarred salsa which I'm guessing was packaged before all of this and was probably cooked also. They must resolve this soon though as I adore all of the other suspected culprits as well. I miss eating my TX MX with relish (the feeling, not the condiment!)on the Durbin tradition of Fajita Friday! Hope to see you soon at some gathering at Kay's!
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