the humble hotdog

That would be telling. I'll send you a PM.

I've gotten sick, of course, but not from what I've eaten (to the best of my knowledge). I have no idea what this thing people call 'heartburn' feels like. My tastebuds tell me when something isn't fit to eat. I don't need to know what's in it to know whether or not I like it.

I've gotten sick before from something i've eaten. I ate in an army mess hall while i was overseas, and contracted bacillary dysentery--shigellosis, to be precise. That means that someone who had the disease in its early stages used the bathroom facilities, and the proceeded to prepare food without having washed his hands. Before i came down with the dysentery, i weighed 195 pounds. Ten days later, having been delirious for most of that time, i weighed 130 pounds--i had lost 65 pounds in ten days. Quite an experience--i don't recommend it.

wow

I got sick one time and it was my fault. I undercooked some chicken...other than that I'm like MA

It was a trip, i'll tell ya. One night, i woke up, the first time in days that i was certain of my surroundings and relatively aware. I got up, walked to the end of the bed, and sat down on a chair there to rest for about ten minutes. Then i got up, walked to the door of the ward, and sat down again to rest. After about ten minutes, i got up, walked across the hall to the shower room, and sat down to rest. Then, after a few minutes, i took off my hospital pajamas (the army really gives you great stuff like that, decent pajamas and a robe--not that indecent crap civilian hospitals put you in), and then sat down to rest again. Then i went into a shower stall and turned the water on as hot as i could stand it and just stood there.

About twenty minutes later, the nurse came in and helped me get up off the floor where i had been sitting ever since my legs had given out on me about 15 minutes earlier. Fortunately, the water hadn't gone cold yet, it was still warm. We took our time, she helped me get dressed and then we went back into the ward and she helped me back into bed. With her help, that only took us about ten minutes. There's about eight or nine days there i lost completely, no memories immediately afterward and none since that time.

you're a tough ol' bugger.

Only time I went through a loss of conscious time was when I had pneumonia at age 12...fever was so high I was delirious...for a week
One night I got a glass of water from the kitchen and on the way back down the hall to my bedroom I opened the hall closet door by mistake and tried to get by the vacuum and just totally freaked out....I thought I had grown in size...giant like.

I had a recurring intestinal problem that went on for years. Felt like someone was removing my guts and wringing them like a wet dishrag for hours on end. I would gray in and out during those times.

By the time I could physically move to get to the doctor, whatever was causing it had **** itself out of me, leaving it's embryos to grow for another day. I was moving around a lot then, so never got to see the same doctor twice. I'll tell ya, it took me a loooong time to get any confidence in doctors back. One tried to tell me it was mentrual cramps because, in describing the symptoms I mentioned on was on my period, so toxic shock could be ruled out. The first time it happened it was over a holiday weekend, so I got to a clinic. They thought I was going through drug withdrawl, and were getting ready to call the fuzz.

No one can convince me it wasn't e.coli.

Took an entire year of only eating food I myself prepared, and drinking bottle water to finally get past it all.

freaking hot dogs.

Not to argue, but it was more likely Listeria, very common in hot dogs and deli meats.
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I get my hot dogs from a local German butcher who makes them fresh, but even then I first boil them and then pan fry to add a little crispiness and extra cooking time. I think food is important and you should buy the best quality you can afford. I have no idea why Americans are so obsessed with wanting cheap, poor quality food. 89 cent hot dogs sound like something I would feed to dogs. However, I do agree in principle with Setanta - I would eat the Chinese dumplings.

oh, it wasn't over hot dogs, that was just in keeping with the theme of the thread.

I picked it up from a restaurant I'd eaten at the day before. Most likely from a worker that didn't wash his/her hands, or spoiled food.

I wouldn't feed 89 cent hot dogs to a dog, or any other animal.

I do agree with buying quality.
When people say they can't afford it, I mention an angioplasty is a lot more expensive.

It's called poverty, and sometimes I have to choose between top-quality hot dogs ...or internet hook-up.
Sometimes I have to dress up 80 cent hot dogs with 99 cent sauerkraut...happens when one is poor

My hot dogs answer to a higher authority. Three packages for $7.99 at Sam's. Of course, there are only seven dogs to the package.

and those would be ....kosher

Hebrew National? Well, maybe. . . .

I like the example of McNuggets to illustrate that very point. People tell me they can't afford local, organic chicken, but they take their kids to fast food twice a week. McNuggets cost more than organic chicken pound for pound. Americans need to learn how to cook and how to do math.

Panzade, as a number of people on this board are probably tired of hearing me crow about - for years I have taught classes on how a family of four can eat for under $100 a week (when I started 20 years ago it was under $50). What we perceive as a bargain in supermarkets often isn't. I have no problem with people trying to save money at the grocery store, but I do have a problem with people thinking they have no choice but to buy poor quality, unhealthy food because it seems like that is all they can afford. Hot dogs should not cost 89 cents and only do because your tax money is making animals miserable, the environment polluted and ConAgra rich.

whatever...when I'm shopping all that other crap goes out the window

(and I can't usually tell the difference between hot dogs from a $1 package and saucissons that sell for a big whack more - don't tell anyone)

You could if you saw them before they were assembled.