The Tomato-knockers

Dateline: York Beach, Maine. Even the license plates say 'Vacationland'.

In this New England version of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the waves are big from the remnants of Hurricane Bertha a thousand miles off, the seagulls divebomb looking for prey, the sun is hot, and at first glance one would think all is well.

Ah, surely you jest. You see, I have been chosen to find the one grey cloud in the blue sky. Simmering beneath the surface, the seeds of discontent continue to stir. Yes, the tomato business is coming back, ever so slowly, but in my opinion it's due to the general public, the tail that wags the dog, saying this to the FDA & CDC:

You Have Become Tiresome.

And Congress is starting to act, finally. You've had a chance to read yesterday's pointed letter from Senator Harkin (D-Iowa) to the Secretary of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in a recent Tom Karst blog. In this political version of the corporate bizarro world, that's called 'running it up the ladder'. But what happens when it gets to the top rung?

So get ready for an onerous, club-footed Congressional investigation. My clairvoyant mind tells me that Dr's. von Eschenbach of the FDA and Gerberding of the CDC, in the hot seat, will testify that the reason that the handling of the outbreak was 'woefully inadequate' was because of funding cuts. Blame will be spread evenly across all government branches, and probably to the 'backwoods' tomato industry as well for not having a fail-safe traceback process in place beforehand. I'm waiting for that.

But in the tony restaurants of Ogunquit, Maine, the former home of horror novelist Stephen King, the caprese salad is back on the menu. That perfect mix of sliced, ripe tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and capers, dressed down with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil leaves and cracked black pepper is the final piece of the puzzle, the puzzle that tricks everybody into thinking we're back to normal.

Later,

Jay