Have you ever had food poisoning and not know how you got it? Boy, I sure have, three times within the past few years. Each time I suspected a salad that I had “enjoyed” either at home or in a restaurant. Fortunately Raj, who isn’t big on salads, (his motto: “always order the soup”) was spared. I have decided to follow his recommendation. I now resolutely refuse to order salads in restaurants and I’m very selective about produce I buy. I save most of my salad cravings for summer when I can get greens at the farmers market.
I have no proof of course that fresh produce was the source of the foodborne pathogens that I seem to be especially susceptible to…
but I think I’ve sleuthed out at least one potential cause.
“A search of the trailer filled with produce from Mexico led agents to discover 33 foreign nationals from Mexico and El Salvador hiding inside.”
“The group concealed inside the trailer included 12 juveniles in age from 3 to 17, a pregnant female and a convicted felon.” – NYPost
Dare I say that they don’t have porta potties on those produce trucks? And just to make an unsanitary environment even more so, the driver of the rig had turned the refrigeration unit off so the temperature inside was close to 100 degrees when he was stopped.
I don’t know about you but I will continue to restrict my produce from Mexico to avocados, which I only buy when I can’t find any from California which seems to be most of the time now. Even then I wash them in a Clorox solution before slicing into the skin.
But for now, I think I’ll run to our local farmers market and stock up for the weekend.
Then, since it’s going to be in the 90s today with the kind of humidity that makes you sweat just thinking about it, and I have 2 small tins of imported Italian oil-packed tuna in the pantry, I think I’ll make a classic Salade Niçoise and call it a day.
Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it: CLOSE THE DAMN BORDER!