Tomato Lovers Unite

The news now is that a smoking gun has finally been found in the salmonella case. A farm in Mexico has been shown to have tainted serrano peppers. Isn't it wonderful that the Food and Drug Administration has finally gotten its act together to track down the culprit. I am impressed to discover what can be done when there is enough public pressure to make something happen.

It would have been nice if they had exercised due diligence when this problem occured back in May. Their intense efforts that have now paid off, if utilized in May, could have saved the tomato industry more than 300 million dollars. Until now, there is still an unwillingness to admit that tomatoes were never at fault. No surprise there. Admission would indicate responsibility for the huge losses to farms in Florida and elsewhere.

Just as important as addressing the problems of farmers is the fact that I could have been having tomatoes on my salads. There are few things more important in a true Italian's diet than tomatoes. Growing up, lunch was often cut up tomatoes with a little olive oil and salt - delicious. A salad without tomatoes is not a salad. There is no food, no matter how good it is, that cannot be enhanced by the inclusion of tomatoes in some form. That food could be steak, porkchops, vegetables, pasta of course, etc. etc. I have been having a problem with gout recently, but fortunately one of the things that was still part of my diet was tomatoes. At least it was until the FDA fumbled the ball. I could better live without meat than tomatoes. I even tried growing my own tomatioes, but the FDA actually managed to fix the problem before my first harvest arrived.

What we have here is another example of the failure of government. Government failure is not a new concept, but I believe most would agree that this administration has achieved new heights of incompetence. Many of us have grown used to accepting such incompetence as a matter of course. I think, however, there comes a time when the public has reached its limit and can only respond with outrage. Taking away my tomatoes is certainly an example warranting such outrage. I think the time has come, and I can only sound the clarion call: 'Tomato Lovers, Unite!'(I don't know what to tell you if you are a lover of serrano peppers???)