Sunday, March 5, 2017

I Just Paid $40 for Mercury and Arsenic Poisoning

Sushi.
Love it or hate it; it's a national craze. Has been for awhile.
And every time I have some, there is always someone to remind me there is "so much mercury in fish these days" and "that rice has high levels of arsenic."
Really?
And by "Really?" I don't mean: "Really, sushi has mercury and arsenic?"
I mean: "Really?!  You had to ruin my lunch?!"
For every food we put in our mouth to nourish our bodies, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And there is always someone to point it out, isn't there?

I used to hate sushi. Not because I was worried about being poisoned by toxins, but because the thought of eating raw fish made me gag. I tried it once years ago and felt nauseated afterward; it probably wasn't because I had bad fish. It was because I looked at what I was eating. The friend I was with was eating octopus and squid and what looked like the shaved off backs of every fish you'd find in Santa Monica Bay (talk about toxins!) I picked at my California roll and sat quietly. I did not spoil her lunch even though it looked like she was devouring an exhibit from the Aquarium of the Pacific.
No matter what we eat, there is something in it that is going to kill us. Granted, some foods manage to do it efficiently (i.e. fried food, butter, mayonnaise...or fried food with butter and mayonnaise, i.e. lethal injection.)  But still.  Even celery can kill you if it isn't organic with all the pesticides farmers use to keep bugs from eating this vegetable that humans won't eat. And even if it is organic, you might die of depression from having to eat it. We're only here a short while so let me choose how I want to poison myself with delicious food. I get five servings of fruits and vegetables every day (Does cereal count as a fruit?) and I work out five days a week. I don't eat red meat. I go to the doctor regularly and allow him to run my vitals and perform other uncomfortable tests that involve stirrups and vice grips (not all at once thankfully). So please, just let me eat my mercury and arsenic in peace won't you?  If you see a second head growing out of my neck, just politely smile and pass me the soy sauce.

-Hope A. Horner, 2017
Contact author on gmail at hopeh1122
#ilovesushi #sushi #healthyeating #youonlyliveonce
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