In response to a story we ran about how hamburgers were better when people ground their own meat, reader Dennis St. Delore send the following letter to the editor, which I think is fantastic. Readers, please send more awesome emails like this, because they brighten my day.
Describe me as grateful for pathogens, as they make it unlikely that i
will ever have to endure, with any grace at all, the insult that is
uncooked beef tissue. The great flaw of so much food writing is the
frequent assumption that everyone enjoys food the same way as the
writer. Those fellows were hobos, beaten down, with low expectations.To me, and at least a significant minority, meat that is not cooked to
a chewy state is underwhelming at best and frequently repellant. I'd
rather eat chocolate covered name-your-insects than rare steak, much
less ground meat.Contrary to most food writing, most foods are too frequently
undercooked. Except for most greens, foods are best with a crust and
a thoroughly done interior. That is the best texture.I don't expect you to agree, but do you appreciate how it feels to
read something subjective stated as fact, when you disagree with the
assertion? Do you think of the restaurants that thrive without ever
cooking anything rare?Some people think that everyone likes mayonnaise on a sandwich and
others believe that ketchup belongs on most anything, starting with
breakfast, and that any sensible person agrees. BOTH WRONG!!Saul Bellow ... wrong.
Thanx,
Dennis St. Delore
Portland OR
What do you guys think? I think Dennis is my new favorite reader. (Besides you, Mom. Love you.)
Image by Flickr user Rocketlass, used under Creative Commons license