Cheer in my Head: Firecracker, firecracker, boom, boom, boom (scroll down to the Bush cheerleader action figure)

In Season: Fair and balanced news

Why I Don't Eat Out Often

From Newsday:

Rocco's is the subject of the NBC reality show "The Restaurant," which follows its photogenic chef and staff through the travails of running a New York City restaurant. That hassle became all too real on July 29 when the eatery was cited during an impromptu health department inspection for "evidence of live flies" in the kitchen prep area and for keeping two large metal spoons stored in a "container of greasy stagnant water."

The East 22nd Street eatery, famous for its meatballs, also was cited for having three "moist wiping" cloths "soiled with old food particles and not stored in sanitizing solution." The citation also said an employee toilet facility was not equipped with the required "self-closing door."

Hmmmmm.... I wonder if Rocco has a food handler's card??

This story is enough to make this old health inspector's stomach turn. Flies, greasy spoons, and no self closing door doesnt sound too awful, but NO sanitizer on your wiping cloths!! Pigs. All you need is a tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water to wipe down tables in a hygenic fashion. Since food safety is on of my specialties lets break down the health code violations one by, scummy, one. If anything, maybe someone will learn something.

Flies in restaraunts: Ugh. Barf. Flies are vectors that carry bacteria form food to food. Flies land on shit and then can move indoors and "innoculate" your food with nasty diarhhea causing bugs.

Greasy serving spoons sound innocent enough. Heck, I have a few in my kitchen sink right now. Yet, serving spoons left in water can be a great way to contaminate clean food with spoons laden with bacteria. You see, time, temperature and food are the 3 ingredients bacteria need to grow. Storing serving spoons in greasy water is pure laziness and a great way to make your customer's sick.

No sanitizer in the wiping solution.....Gross. Basically you are wiping tables with colonies of bacteria. Uncalled for and a huge problem in restaraunts. Do you know if the person seated before you had poop on their fingers, Hep A, B, and C, or AIDS? I want my table bleached clean thank you.

Why self closing doors? Have you ever had a bathroom emergency with a 2 or 3 year old and fly into the bathroom so fast you could care less if the main door closes? Have you ever been so intoxicated or seen someone very drunk at a restaraunt that all one can think of is..... you have to pee...right now. I don't see this as a serious health violation; more of an aesthetic one. Same with hair in your food. Not a huge cause of food borne illness or intoxicatuion, yet, enough to make a person lose their appetite, and not want to eat their food.

Sorry if I made anyone unable to eat while reading this. All i know is if you ever had a case of food poisoning, you feel like you want to die, and might.