Aquila Online

Aquila pronounced AK-weh-lah, uh-KWILL-uh or even a-kee-laa, means eagle in Latin. Just like the eagle, this blog is my “bird’s eye view” on situations or topics that I happen to come across in my life.

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Cancer Scare

// March 22nd, 2005 // General // 1,881 views

Rich…! over at Jo’blog has made valid points regarding sensation vs. objective journalism, in the wake of the UK and now South Africa’s massive product recall following the discovery that Sudan Red (a banned red food colouring) had found its way into an astonishing array of supermarket foods.

I’m not going to delve much into the story, but this conversation between a customer and shopkeeper probably illustrates the point :

Customer: Worcester sauce crisps please
Shopkeeper: Sorry can’t, it’s off the shelves, cancer scare.
Customer: Oh right, how about some Chinese chicken wings?
Shopkeeper: Ah that’s the same, cancer scare
Customer: Hamburger relish?
Shopkeeper: Cancer scare
Customer: Sausage and mash?
Shopkeeper: Cancer scare
Customer: Cottage pie?
Shopkeeper: Yes, … erm, no wait. Cancer scare.
Customer: So they’re all off the shelves because of a cancer scare?
Shopkeeper: Yes
Customer: *sigh* Just give me a packet of cigarettes then.
Shopkeeper: Certainly. That’ll be R16.50 please.

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7 Responses to “Cancer Scare”

1. Michelle says:

   2005/03/22 at 14:03

   The thing about these compounds is that you would have to ingest an awful amount for it to have a large effect on you. A while back it was MSG and Aromat that got everyone running scared – same thing as the colouring in NikNaks. But you’d have to eat the stuff non-stop, in copious amounts, in order to truly die of it.

   However, I DID go check on the list of products being withdrawn to see if any on my shelves were implicated…. Just for interest sake, you know.

   Brian at Kitch’nZinc once noted that we can have substances in our spice racks for years and never realize they contain what everyone’s carrying on about. He’s right! Who knows what poisons from the past lurk in my years-old seasonings. Yet I’m still alive. (Well preserved, maybe, but alive)
2. Aquila says:

   2005/03/22 at 14:13

   I guess if it wasn’t for all the stuff they’re pumping into us, we’d be past our sell-by dates ages ago.
3. Rich...! says:

   2005/03/22 at 21:04

   Rats, much respect bro, this is the post I wish I wrote in the first place…!
4. Aquila says:

   2005/03/23 at 09:07

   Hey Rich…! only thanks to your inspiration for this post… muchos gracias
5. Anonymous says:

   2005/03/26 at 19:09

   HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! VERY nice!

   Cheers!
   Redsaid.net

   P.S. Cigs are R16.50 a packet?!? I know I’m bound to sound like my grandma (who gave me R2 for my 21st and it still pained her to give me that much), but when I was still in SA, one would ask for cigs, give a R10 and STILL GET SOME CHANGE. Ah, the good ol’e days…
6. Aquila says:

   2005/03/29 at 14:50

   Where are the days when a loaf of white bread cost and a fistfull of Wilson’s toffees cost R1.