The end of the world is nigh'! You need proof? The Seattle Times has it:
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks?
Not in sections 311 and 312 at Safeco Field on Aug. 5 and Sept. 9. Those will be peanut-
controlled zones on those days, the Mariners announced this week, cleaned thoroughly
the night before and all peanut products will be banned on those games. Peanut products
will not be sold at nearby concession stands. Tickets will be $10 each for those days.
It is estimated 12 million people in the U.S. have food allergies, about one-quarter of
them children. The incidence of peanut allergies among children doubled over the five-
year period from 1997 to 2002, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.
And lest you think this is just some namby-pamby, overprotective, warm and fuzzy Seattle thing, the Cards and Twins have jumped on board as well.
So it's come to this: I may soon no longer have the simple pleasure of watching a ball-game and dumping piles of peanut shells on the guy sitting one row below me? How did this happen?!
Perhaps if we took a moment to look at our disinfected, anti-bacterial, synthetic clothed, poly-sorbate 60 filled, peanut oil fried, corn syrup drenched life-style, we might realize that a number of our technological "marvels" are no biting us in the proverbial ass1 No I do not profess to be an epidimiologist, allergist, or any other manner of "ist", so I have no evidence to back up my wild claims. But this is the Internet damnit, so facts be damned!
I'm just supremely sad for Mr. Peanut...
