h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Being a vegetarian I have to laugh at *For example, a case of mild sauce at Taco Bell costs more than a case of meat.*. I can't believe people would eat meat that has been reduced in value to that point. What lack of (expensive) safeguards are missing in the farmfactory, the shipping, the slaughterhouse, and the processor? No wonder that increasing cases of food poisoning occur every year of ever more virulence. Hamburger costing less than plastic packets of hot sauce is an outrage.

Makes sense when you think of it - meat is realtively unprocessed, made up of one ingredient. Sauce has a high labour overhead, requires packaging, and mulitple ingredients. Each ingredient manufacturer/supplier has to make a profit, so the total cost of producing it is higher.

There is a wide selection of salsas at any Los Angeles supermarket, some of them even have the the name of a certain fast food franchise on them. They come in jars instead of packets, but are not as expensive as pure meat.

Certain fast food restaurants have a large vat of ketchup to squirt out to save on packaging costs, for those customers in-store. The fact that others don't, imply that for them at least, the cost savings not high.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if most taco chains put textured vegetable protein (TVP)in their taco meat. There was much controversy when this practice was first started 20 years ago.

I suspect the reason the sauce can be costly is because this is how the franchise gets its money from the franchisee: this particular restaurant has a unique set of spices that customers expect. It's the standardization that sells.

Meat was a living animal, full of organisms you definitly would not like to have multiply. When it is killed it is in a bacteria and parasite rich environment, including it's own digestive and excretive system. It is constantly handled during slaughter in a warm, moist room before it is butchered and refridgerated. After that refridgeration it is warmed and cooled several times during the processing and often handled again and again. It has to be well cooked according to government regulations to kill the bacteria and organisms that are almost guaranteed to live in it. Could you say that of a tomato and pepper?

Not that this should somehow turn into a picky eater contest, hey, meat's just not for everyone. But for many of us, when we seek meat, simply said, nothing else will do- parasites and all.

I don't mean to judge. I don't want anyone questioning what I eat any more than I have the right to question others' eating habits. I was talking about how devalued meat is considering what an important place it takes in most people's life. If you want to eat meat fine, just make sure it's everything it can be. The whole thing started when it was considered less valuable than packets of sauce by weight which I consider to be outrageous. The rest was just a veggie rant, sorry. But when was the last time you heard of someone being poisoned by contaminated vegetables (other than those contaminated by meat)?

California is a heavily agricultural state, and where and when I grew up (in Silicon Valley) was deeply forested with orchards. I still remember being able to compete with the squirrels for fallen nuts as my home had been built in a subdivision near a walnut orchard. I got myself nice and sick by eating the not-quite-ripe ones once. Perhaps because of these, I have been aware of stories of contamination of vegetables all my life.

Sometimes, this is due to unhealthful working conditions of immigrant labor. Sometimes, it's due to toxic chemical residue, either of a fertilization or insecticidal nature. Sometimes, it's the critters that like to eat the vegetables every bit as much as we do.

In any case, during hard economic times I remember going with my family to the flea market and getting boxfuls of 'off' produce at a discount. You bet we cooked them well!

That's why everyone talks about *fresh* produce. My point is that there is no *fresh* meat available in a fast food restaurant. If you must eat meat fine, just know that it's shelf life is short- but processed hot sauce in plastic packets will probably outlive us all. That and that the monetary value of animals is now considered less than processed tomatoes and peppers. Doesn't anyone else find that bizarre?

Maybe I can put it in perspective. As to the first part, I haven't seen any newsmagazine exposing the shoddy practices of vegetable processors that lead to death and disabilities. As to the second, nobody ever named their carrot or potato *Fluffy* (that I know of anyway..).

Sorry, just going to shove in a shallow rant here but...

I REALLY WISH I WAS AMERICAN!

Why can't you send out some Taco Bell franchises to to Merry Olde England? I want meat and whatever other unsanitary, unhealthy, fat ridden, formerly called fluffy type Mexican fast food.

I'm not even sure that we get PROPER McDonalds.

*sulks*

"I'm not even sure that we get PROPER McDonalds"

Saturated fat laden meat of questionable quality - check
Totally processed flour in the buns - check
Synthetic cheese - check
Sugar laden sauce and relishs - check
Agressive marketing aimed at the pester power of children - check
Workers banned from joining a union and earning minimum wage - check
Masses of litter in our streets - check

Yep, we get the "real" McDonalds over here

Well that's Ok then. But still...no Taco Bell.

You know, I really don't think that you're missing anything there

I think I am. I want some Mexican takeway dammit!

Taco Bell uses GM maize in their shells, so it's unlikely you'd get the authentic plasticky taste in Europe.

I'm told from friends who've moved to the Atlantic seaboard of the US of A, that there isn't any takeaway, or decent Mexican food out there, either.

Christ. I swear food in this country is rubbish.

BRING ON THE GM PRODUCE!