[szweig]

So, what's up with this? Where does the gubmint get off telling a restaurant how to cook food which I ORDER TO MY LIKING? Or is this the g*ddamn lawyers mucking up our lives again?? SSZ

[Maceman]

No over easy eggs, either. Salmonella, you know.

[mlo]

The government has regulated food safety issues for a long time. You just now noticed?

Not defending the regulation, but you ought to reconsider your burger preference. It really IS dangerous. It is not like eating a rare steak. Because it is ground, any bacteria that was on the surface of the meat got all mixed through. It is necessary to cook it to kill the bacteria.

[sheik yerbouty]

California's state motto should br "The Nanny State"!

[Stingray51]

The same thing happened to me when I tried to order a cheeseburger at the Irish pub at Whistler in British Columbia. The waitress (who was not Irish) looked at me with that Left Coast sneer reserved for those who are suspected of being "intolerant" or of doubting the horror of global warming. She said "oh no, all beef must be cooked to BC Standard" which of course excludes all but burgers burnt to the consistency of shoe leather.

This is truly the end.

[Senator Pardek]

Don't feel bad. A few years ago, NJ passed a law outlawing the serving of eggs sunny-side up (the laws was later repealed by red-faced politicos).

[Silly]

I thought the important thing was to cook the meat to a certain temperature...?

[NC_Libertarian]

This has been around for years in NC I beleive. But usually they'll do it anyway.

[A CA Guy]

There are issues of health in raw meat in recent times. You are free to go buy your meat and take it for a walk if you wish to. LOL

A store owner is out of business if they expose their patrons to harm and "YES" lawsuits are a reason for a lot of these causions being taken.

Maybe you should order a coffee and pour it in your lap and threaten to sue unless you get a medium/rare burger? LOL

[Jefferson Adams]

So, what's up with this?

Not to worry - it's just "your" government protecting you from yourself.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I assume you mean Applebees, they did the same thing to me here in Albuquerque. No more business for them.

[aomagrat]

This is just the begining. Soon all food will have to be prepared according to government regulations. Since many people prepare food in their own homes, the next step will be the government preparing all food. Once the government controls the food supply, total abolition of all personal freedom follows. Submit or starve.

[ikanakattara]

Risk management. I can count on one hand the restaurants I can go to where I am *assured* of a rare hamburger. It's just easier to fire up the grill at home. And they wonder why we're in a recession...

[Protagoras]

It would be bad for government to tell people how to order their burgers and I wouldn't put it past them, but I wouldn't take a waitresses word for what the law is.

BTW, it would be well within the rights of the resturant to not invite a lawsuit or bad publicity associated with sick customers. One report of sick customers can put a place out of business. They ought to have the balls to say that it's their policy instead of hiding behind the law.

[isthisnickcool]

I heard Madonna's husband had a similiar but opposite complaint. But he wanted the darn thing cooked before he would eat it. Well done, hold the skank!

[JRandomFreeper]

It's also the law in Texas. There is a clause that the customer can ask for eggs sunny-side up, or rare hamburger and the establishment can serve it after giving the customer information about the possible dangers.

/john

[eastsider]

I was at work on Saturday and had to order in. I ordered my burger from someplace I hadn't ordered from before but which was recommended. I ordered it RARE. It came back baby-bottom brown, through and through. When I called to complain, they, too, cited health reasons. So, I went out to pick up my own from some place that serves 'em squirming on the plate, and gave the first one to some unusually appreciative street person (which made me feel pretty good).

I order my eggs sunnyside up, too. Bon appetit.

[ambrose]

"Yummy"

[flushed with pride]

The legislative push to regulate 'meat cooking temps' and the like is driven by labor unions who want to organize in western and midwestern states where the nations largest slaughter/packing houses are located, and are for the most part, non-union. The idea is to create silly, over-regulation at the local level regarding how meat is cooked so that folks such as yourself will become irritated by it and demand a solution. The union steps in and says, 'Well if these meat processing facilities weren't such a toilet [which they aren't], and if there were enough properly trained personnel [read: bloated, inefficient, union payroll] to work in them, the meat you buy would be squeaky clean and you could have your rare burger.'
In other words, if the union has it's way, look for that burger to cost you $15.00 in the future.

[Lurking Libertarian]

If they want my rare hamburger they will have to pry it from my dead, greasy fingers!

[WindMinstrel]

that's the law in my community too. Gotta love it -- we need more regulations.