I had been laid up for a week or so and had been eating my own cooking perforce. My cooking is pretty darned good but I wanted a change so I drove a mile up the road to the local restaurant/watering hole. For an appetizer I ordered these pretty good fried cheese-filled raviolis. Marinara sauce accompanied the dish. I was a little surprised when the marinara sauce showed up in these little sealed plastic tubs; they were kind enough to give me two of them. One taste was gag-worthy - sickeningly and cloyingly sweet. Reading the fine print, i.e., the ingredients list, showed, from most to least, water, tomato paste, High Fructose Corn Syrup, a half a dozen mystery chemicals (preservatives, thickeners, artificial flavorings), vinegar, and, you guessed it, a half a dozen mystery chemicals more. How dare they call that little heap of semi-coagulated goo marinara sauce. I'm not even sure it was ever cooked. It's not just an insult to Italy, but it's an assault on the health and tastes of our society. Think of our children growing up expecting that since it's what they've known all their lives. Stern shakes of the finger must go to the manufacturers, restaurants, and the food industry for pushing this stuff. And a big shake of the fist at us for tolerating it.

Whew!