This post is kind of a trifecta on the One Fat Frog blog today: first, it’s a feature on a unique delicacy that’s found in other countries that you could probably get a hold of here in the States; it’s also cautionary tale about the importance of proper food preparation in the restaurant business; and lastly, it’s one of those odd and bizarre stories that we just can’t resist at One Fat Frog.
So, during a festival to celebrate Ecuadorian Independence Day that took place in Minneapolis, the South American delicacy (and North American pet) guinea pig was served to many at the festival. Unfortunately, roughly 81 people have since fallen ill, positive for salmonella poisoning. The state’s health officials have not identified the vendor that sold the meat, but I’m assuming that if you were within 10 feet of the festival knew which vendor was selling the guinea pig meat…unless there was more than one vendor selling guinea pig meat.
Now, here’s the trifecta: as previously mentioned, guinea pig is a delicacy in many South American countries. Yes, we know guinea pigs are pets here (some of us may have even had them as a pet at one time), but it goes along with the idea of trying new things in the culinary world. In fact, for you rising restauranteurs out there, a taste of the exotic is a great selling point to get people in the doors. Of course, salmonella is a brutal thing to get, and you’ve got to make sure you’re storing and cooking all of your food at the right temperatures to prevent something awful like people getting sick. And you can go back through the blog here to find posts about the proper protocol of storing and preparing food.
And of course, the weird story part…it’s about eating guinea pigs! We at One Fat Frog hope the 81 are ultimately fine, but it’s hard to ignore a story like this.
One Fat Frog Restaurant Equipment
One Fat Frog •2416 Sand Lake Road• Orlando, FL,32809 • 407-480-3409
www.onefatfrog.com
www.onefatfrog.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/OneFatFrogRestaurantEquipment
www.twitter.com/#!/onefatfrog