Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Cleans Toilets but Leaves Bathtub Cheese

LOS ANGELES - In a day and age when food contaminants are making headlines - there is the threat of downer cows or the peril of tomato recalls - and salmonella, listeria, and other contaminants are seemingly constant companions in the kitchens, the alarming rise of unsanitary practices in the City of Angels is giving pause to even the most nature loving connoisseurs. You don't have to be Andrew Zimmern in search of bizarre foods or Anthony Bourdain with no reservations to politely yet decisively push away from the Los Angeles table that features bathtub cheese or backyard slaughtered chicken.

What on earth is bathtub cheese?

As early as June of 2008 there was a report from the Orange Country Register that looked across the county line with surprise when a seemingly deadly and medication resistant strain of tuberculosis was linked to bathtub cheese. Essentially, this kind of cheese is manufactured in a bathtub under sanitary conditions that have Louis Pasteur turning in his grave; it is then packaged and sold either door to door or from the bed of a truck in a mall or store parking lot. The name of this concoction is queso fresco and in the past it has been linked to listeria outbreaks that are known to be fatal to babies prior to birth.

Who would run an unlicensed slaughterhouse out of their backyard?

According to the Los Angeles Times, it is the waves of immigrants that are crashing on California's shores. With them they bring their traditions, a rich and colorful history, and since especially for Latin American immigrants family and family traditions appear to have a lot more value than for the average born and bred American who may be more aptly compared to a nomad in search of greener pastures, they also bring with them the need to be close to one another.

This leads to entire neighborhoods that are reversing the trend of industrialization and instead bring back a sense of community gardens and slaughterhouses. Rooster crows, goats are gnawing on grass and other items, and chickens appear underfoot. Most of these animals are kept for food - butchered in the backyard over a rusty barrel.

So why is a Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, cleaning toilets?

Apparently because he needs to have something to do when he is not busy ingratiating himself to foreign dignitaries, backing a losing horse, and traveling to Israel to learn about anti-terrorism security measures. When he joined with illegal immigration proponents and loudly proclaimed "we clean your toilets" (read it at Michelle Malkin's blog), he should have included the bathtubs as well.

Give it to me straight: what can I do?

If you are approached by someone selling cheese door to door or in a parking lot, call the health department at 714-433-6000. Never buy dairy products or meat that is sold in this manner. Refuse to purchase cheese in small mom and pop stores if it does not have a label; ditto for meat and meat containing products. And for crying out loud, DO NOTreelect Mayor Villaraigosa!

Sources:
http://www.andrewzimmern.com/
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24991069/
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayor19-2008jun19,0,7891831.story
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/04/15/the-toilet-brush-campaign/