"Say what you will about the MSM, but they still have their uses," says Kevin Drum pointing to LA Times coverage of vanishing tomatoes. I actually got the scoop on this from a woman working the cash register at a Wendy's in Logan Airport (she was explaining why my spicy chicken sandwich would have no tomato slice) yesterday. But being a lowly internet pundit rather than an awesome Real Journalist, I didn't think to write up my reporting -- I figured if they Wendy's people knew all about it, then everyone must know.
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Advantage, MSM
09 Jun 2008 03:25 pm
Comments (18)
Heh - I just found out yesterday, at Chipotle, in a notice stating why I wouldn't be getting my tomato salsa.
And good riddance! I hate tomatoes unless they've been pulverized into spaghetti sauce or ketchup.
I had to find out from Taco Bell yesterday. No tomatoes, no Fresco supreme beef chalupa. At least there was a sign about the salmonella outbreak on the front door - if I had known they were out of tomatoes AND Dr. Pepper I'd have gone somewhere else.
And in the meantime, I found out from.... Kevin Drum!
I got it from the Quizno's lady this afternoon. They even had a handy little sheet taped to the counter with information on the recall.
Meanwhile, my MSM can't even get the story straight when candidates for president lie to my face.
You guys are all missing the point here.
Matt eats at Wendy's, for god's sakes!
Can't find a "Der Weinerschnitzel", Matt?
At least I have the class to eat at Burger King! Flame broiled!
Hmmm...I've been enjoying unusually good and cheap tomatoes from the local Safeway all week.
I agree with Adam up there. My life would be in no way diminished if Tomatoes disappeared for good, as they have no taste other than a leaving slightly annoying acidic sensation in my mouth, and have that icky larval-stage look inside when sliced. Their only use is when mashed with sugar and poured into a Heinz bottle or as aesthetic contrast in a otherwise all-green salad.
I went to a Taco Bell on Sunday and they didn't have tomatoes, but I figured they just ran out until I saw it on CNN.
Tom, Adam, it matters what kind of tomato you eat. The good ones are expensive, but they really can't be described as having "no taste other than leaving a slightly annoying acidic sensation in my mouth." Rosso Brunos, Uglyripes, some heirlooms. Try'em.
Tom, Adam, it matters what kind of tomato you eat.
Nope. I've heard this argument before with other types of food. "Oh, you don't like olives? You just haven't had these super-strong kalamatas." "Oh you don't like beer? Here, try a real beer- Guinness." Look, if I don't like beer, why would I like a very, very, strong beer? As is turns out, I discovered at the age of 34 that I actually like brown ales, precisely because their bitterness is so low. Stouts and porters (and lagers, etc.) are still anathema to me.
The point is, why is it so difficult for some people to accept that there are some foods some people just don't like? I don't care how meticulously handcrafted your tomato is... if it tastes (and feels in my mouth) anything like a tomato, I don't want it.
The Subway people had no clue what so ever when I asked them.
For the record (like anybody cares), I like tomatoes, both as tomatoes and as KETCHUP!
Hah! "Boy, bring me some ketchup!"
Remember that thread?
Thank you for this very nice post
In this case, Adam, the things you're complaining about -- mealyness, lack of flavor -- are the things that mass-produced tomatoes have that heirloom tomatoes lack.
Nothing saying you have to like them, but the difference between, e.g., a green zebra and your standard mealy-ass beefsteak tomato is so great the might as well not be the same fruit.
A coda to this story of MSM (ahem) efficacy:
The FDA press release of this issue was published two days before the LA Times story. I think that there is some value, hypothetically at least, in the big-market press. But keeping an eye on press releases from a number of government entities is a task better suited to the crowd-sourced world of the web. Somewhere out there, there's a blogger that studiously monitors FDA press releases, wondering what took the LAT so long to get there.
In this case, Adam, the things you're complaining about -- mealyness, lack of flavor -- are the things that mass-produced tomatoes have that heirloom tomatoes lack.
Whoa, I think you misread me. I've never complained about the lack of flavor in a tomato; it's the flavor itself I object to. And not the mealiness, the squishiness. Ditto the bitterness of beer, the sourness of pickled olives, the fetidness of feta cheese, etc.
If someone objected to the blandness of, say, peas, then I could see there being an argument for them being more favorably inclined toward, say, a fresh snap pea. But it's the opposite case for the foods I dislike. I like spice and rich, meaty flavors, but I tend to object to sourness, especially in dairy products, and bitterness (I don't like coffee, either, but I do like tea).
Comments closed June 23, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
The MSM were talking about the tomato salmonella outbreak since Monday. If you didn't know why the tomatoes disappeared, it's because you haven't been following the news.
Posted by blah | June 9, 2008 3:40 PM