I wanted to quote at length some passages from Berry's Fidelity, the title story of his fine collection of five short stories, but dadgumitall, I didn't highlight any of them and I can't find them. Essentially the story concerns an old man's death and the act of love that his son performs. Additionally, it contains some of Berry's thoughts on the medical establishment and the (joyful) burdens of community. I had posted previously about another story, but I think that four out of the five stories are simply wonderful and it would behoove you to find this collection and read it.
During my grocery shopping today I was asked to pick up some hot dogs for some meal or other. Now I am not an aficianado of the 'ot dog, but will usually have a corn dog or BBQed version of one or two during the summer. If my children like them, so be it. The trouble came when trying to find a package that didn't arrive from a chemistry lab. Nitrates and nitrites, sugars (including HFCS), the preservative sodium benzoate, and other fun substances littered every package I picked up. Even Hebrew National which "Answers to a Higher Standard" was doped. Apparently Kosher doesn't mean it can't be injected with a chemical cocktail. So-called "Natural Casings" were prominently displayed to catch my eye. As if sheep or pig intestine somehow offsets Agricorps tinkering. I ended up buying the brand "sold at Tiger Stadium" not because it was chemical-free, Hell no! It was merely the brand with the least additives. Why does a hot dog need su...
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