Comments on: “North Carolina’s Rare Burger Ban Makes Red Meat Illegal”

By: bfs

bfs — Sat, 21 May 2011 15:12:18 +0000

@capnhal Restaurants will be tasked with buying expensive equipment t0 measure hamburger temperature. Many bureaucrats will be employed in designing the standards for certifying the equipment and standards for how temperature is to be measured, others will be hired to review the required reports to ensure restaurant compliance, lowering the unemployment rate and requiring increases in spending for vital governmental health services.

Remember, Tuesday is Soylent Green day!

By: ps

ps — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:52:43 +0000

soon NC residents will be nipping over the state lines for a few of their favourite rare burgers and then nabbed by the meat police on their way back home. ‘Ma’am, kindly empty your stomach contents into this bag.’

By: Apelika

Apelika — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:27:41 +0000

Got news for people…11 years ago oI was in Charlotte, NC and tried to order a mediuim rare burger and almost was chased out of the place. For a bit I thought that I had two heads.. I just went with the flow and ate the overdone and tough piece of meat that was in the burger when it arrived.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:05:27 +0000

I don’t take E. coli lightly. Last year, I nearly died of an infection that permanently damaged my pancreas. My son, living on the other coast, came down with a case the year before and was hospitalized. It happens and it can kill. Neither of us have a clue about where it came from, but burgers could not have been the source of my son’s. He doesn’t eat them.

Nonetheless, there are risks and there are risks. Some we can choose to confront–like flying or driving or crossing the street. We can, as adults, take some risks with our diet, too. Cheeses made from raw milk; medium-rare, rare, or raw beef; oysters and other shellfish. None of them come with 100%-safe guarantees.

With something on the order of 40K people dying in traffic accidents annually, we don’t ban driving. Far fewer than that die of E. coli or cholera, or salmonella combined. Reducing the free choice is not protecting consumers, it’s just bossing them around. And making them eat crappy, overcooked meat.

By: VMS

VMS — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:30:40 +0000

135-140 degrees (medium rare) is hot enough to kill E.coli. That notwithstanding, an E.coli infection from undercooked meat is a rarity indeed, and it is not that bad to warrant any governmental intrusion. So what if on a blue moon someone gets the runs for a day.

By: Bumper

Bumper — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:38:29 +0000

The secret to consuming a rare hamburger and not getting sick is to float in a high concentration of an antiseptic solution post-mastication. I prefer a nice cold Abita Amber, but you may have an favorite from your local.

By: captnhal

captnhal — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:15:22 +0000

Who will be assigned the task of entering the restaurant’s kitchen with a thermometer and sticking it into the middle of a burger someone is about to be served? How will we know that the top temperature of that burger wasn’t 155+ at a time other than when the thermometer was in use? That’s not very appetizing. It seems enforcement could be a problem.

By: Mannie

Mannie — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:53:23 +0000

steve mansfield 05.19.11 at 12:29 pm

I bet some study will come out stating that cooking meat to well-done causes increased exposure to carcinogens from charbroiling so that will be banned, too.

There was a flab about that back in, what, the 80s? Don’t say it too loudly, or they’ll resurrect it.

“Here’s your burger. Steamed to just the right temperature, enzyme reduced to a healthy syrup, and metered to the correct amount for your social status. Bon appetite. “

By: L Nettles

L Nettles — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:26:38 +0000

gee, if they was only some magic ray that could kind bacteria in meat, eggs, spices and vegetables.

By: Bob Lipton

Bob Lipton — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:26:34 +0000

I had tartar steak for lunch. Yum.

Bob