Yes, but I have to say one feeds the other (no pun intended). The law of economics tells us that the demand for fast food is what has caused all of the supply. While I feel we would have been better off if McDonalds had never come onto the scene, I can't deny that it is us who has made that corporation (and all of the others like it) so profitable.

I was going to say garlic, but then I realized that garlic is present in most cuisine, so I will say Parmesan - I just don't feel right without a block in the fridge.

The perfect bite: turkey, stuffing (non-meat variety), cranberry sauce, and gravy. I love the veggies and taters, too, but nothing beats that perfect bite.

The weirdest thing about this is, most frozen dinners are packaged with cooked ingredients that are then flash frozen to be microwaved to the temperature one enjoys. I have not had a frozen meal in a while, but I used to eat them as a kid, and don't ever remember worrying about meat not being cooked yet. This is like having a raw hot dog - very strange. So, if the meat was pre-cooked, as I am assuming it was, how the hell did salmonella get in there? Obviously, there is more going on here than ConAgra is letting on. Somehow, bacteria-laden raw meat slipped through the cracks, and they are now blaming the consumer for not killing that bacteria.

The terrible thing is, I am not surprised at all. And, I wouldn't assume that vegetarian meals are free of this problem. To me, the issue is that the FDA basically allows the most disgusting crap to be packaged as long as it will be "zapped" somewhere along the line - pasteurization or some other form of cooking. So, if something goes wrong in the "zapping" process, the contaminated food will be passed on to the consumer. I think we should expect food that is free of bacteria and other contaminates that doesn't need to be zapped to be safe. I know it would be more expensive, but isn't it worth it? I am sure it would be less expensive that infant diarrhea for 6 weeks.

I never knew this either! And, I am a cucumber lover. Another great way to serve them is to marinate them in soy sauce and hot chili. I learned this in China, where it was served as an appetizer almost everywhere. Just make sure to use hot house cucumbers for this.

No please don't do it! People who don't know anything about farming will only make local farmers look bad. This will be the same as raw milk - when people started producing milk in breweries in cities, and the milk was terrible and contaminated, everyone got sick. Many died. Now raw milk is illegal. The only think rooftop chicken breeders will accomplish will be to prove how bad local chicken is, because they will make tons of errors. Raising animals for food isn't a hobby. You will probably get salmonella from raising them in poor conditions, and the next thing you know the FDA will insist all of our eggs must come from huge factories that pasteurize them before they hit the stores.

I am sure this was just a joke, but I wanted to make sure my point was stated.

The best points I got out of the article were that (1) most big food critics have always been known by the restaurant industry, (2) it's more important to not announce who you are during the reservation process or to the maitre'd, and (3) never ever accept comped meals (duh!). Personally, I have chosen to go the anonymous route. But, I can see how it wasn't my only option.

I love "The Onion" - so hilarious!

I am happy to hear about the eggs - Finally people are starting to take an interest in where their food comes from. It only took about 100 years....

I live in CA, and it's wonderful to live in one of few states that allows unpasteurized milk to not be treated like heroin. The reason most milk has to be pasteurized today is the treatment of our poor cows in this country. They eat food they are not meant to eat and take hormones they are not meant to take, and therefore a constantly sick and pumped full of antibiotics, which as we all know, kill the good bacteria and leave more room for the bad to grow. Raw milk in CA does not come from cows who are pumped full of antibiotics, regardless of what Liberate says. They come from cows who eat grass and hay (not corn and soy), who are able to roam freely, and who naturally produce a substance called milk that is tested batch by batch for human pathogens.

Because it is legal, the two companies that produce Raw milk have had no reported illnesses in all of their years of production. I would much rather drink raw milk, which most likely never had any bad bacteria in it, as opposed to cooked milk, which has been ultra pasteurized to the point where all of the horrible bacteria that was rampant in the poor cows lives had to be killed.

However, I would not participate in crazy illegal bars - we all know how making a substance illegal greatly increases it's dangers. Shame on the US government for making natural milk something that has to be traded on the black market. But, regardless of whose fault it is, I am not planning on drinking anything that comes off the black market.

I just started reading about the history of milk in this country (all milk was unpasteurized until the 1920s, when cows who were fed brewers waste began producing unfit but cheap milk that was given to the poor). If you think that suddenly, in the 1920s milk became a problem, but for the past 10,000 years of milk consumption it was not a problem, well, maybe this had something to do with the industrial revolution. Just maybe.

I bought my first raw milk just the other week after speaking to a nutritionist to make sure I hadn't just jumped on a band wagon - I have now tried both brands that are legal in CA. Both are delicious, and I haven't had so much as a cough. I do have a chronic disease - IBD. I am not saying that raw milk will cure me, but I do know that i react much better to it than I do to cooked milk, to which I am intolerant. I love the taste, and I think the good bacteria it contains is very beneficial for my digestive tract, which needs all the help it can get. I also love knowing that the cows who gave me this milk were raised on a small family farm with workers who care about their well being. I try to have respect for the animals that give me food - whether through slaughter or not. I prefer they live happy, healthy lives. If they are unhealthy, living in miserable conditions (the way the majority of our cattle live), I find it hard to believe they can give any milk that doesn't need to be heat treated before I can drink it.

I think the answer is, make sure you know where your raw milk is coming from. And, if all cows were treated properly, milk wouldn't need to be pasteurized.

Oooh the combo of two of my favorite things: beets and Gnocchi...nice work!

That looks so delish! I think I know what I am buying at the grocery store tonight :)