Pot Luck

                                                                       

You could stand on just about any corner in Sun City. Arizona, and you wouldn't be more than a stone's throw from a potluck supper. The community's many churches regularly hold Sunday evening pot luck suppers. They help to bring the congregations together, for fellowship, or just to sit down and rub elbows with other folks.

More sectarian groups, like the RV Club, or the Pottery Club, or the Apple Mac clubs also hold potlucks on a regular basis.

Sadly, a few months ago, the FDA's U.S, Public Health Service lords invaded a few of these potluck suppers. Armed with their food thermometers they set about finding miscreants whose potato salad was one degree above the 35 degree recommended temps. Or that the meat loaf was a degree or two lower than acceptable preparation directives. Although they didn't insist on inspecting Aunt Clara's home kitchen, they did grill her on how often she scrubbed her kitchen counters with a clorox solution.

Well, the feds food lords declared pot lucks totally unacceptable and a threat to the health of ....well, of someone. Issuing a "cease and desist" order against these pot lucks, the federal bureaucrats declared that, unless these churches and clubs began hiring certified food handlers the Sunday night pot luck suppers were over. Never mind that not a single case of anyone getting sick was discovered, the feds said "shut em down".

I am happy to report that the Arizona State House of Representatives this week passed House Bill 2341, which authorizes social groups to have as many pot lucks as they wish...and told the FDA and the U.S. Public Health Service to put their food thermometers up there where the sun don't shine. The bill passed unanimously.

The FDA was not happy. The U.S. Public Health Service was not happy. And, no doubt, Michelle Obama would not be happy. These senior citizens are dining on fried chicken, meat loaf, baked ham, cornbread, biscuits, mash potatoes and gravy, scalloped potatoes, potato salad, fudge cakes and marble cakes and home churned ice cream.

And the feds are dining on crow.