Greetings Globblers

Indeed, I endeavored to create this blog to explore issues of great merit and weight such as what are the best beverages in which to dip a big fat chocolate chip cookie. The soft kind, mind you, that come individually saran wrapped by your local sugar dealer and distributed to the masses through a complex network of coffee houses, cookie booths, and underage sugar slaves.

Yes, indeed, I do so dip one as we speak. Or tweet, or whatever.

But this issue is eclipsed in my mind by the realization at the cookie booth (where my cookie was purchased) that there sat my chocolate chip cookie next to a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie as well as a walnut chocolate chip cookie. I can't help but think of those hapless masses to whom peanuts and/or tree nuts are the equivalent of cyanide or sarin gas through their unfortunate allergies to such items. Surely they must forgo these delicious cookies altogether, nuts or not, since we can surely assume that our local sugar dealers are not practicing "good manufacturing practices to avoid cross-contamination." Even if they did, would you dare eat a cookie from a place where they were also making cyanide laced cookies regardless of the safeguards in place?

Such is the state of this world where food allergies and sensitivities are soaring among the general populace. No longer is it just that strange kid two grades back that wears the full headgear and smells like bagels and armpit that has the strict diet limitations. Now it is your coworkers, friends, lovers, children, all kinds of people are finding out that they are indeed allergic to one thing or another.

My question is: What shape will the world take to integrate this growing trend?

How much revenue is this sugar dealer losing from people afraid of being poisoned?

How can anyone be confident that they will not be poisoned when eating out at a restaurant?

Is there a system of practices complete with an awareness and willingness among food producers that can bring a standard of production and labeling to give these people confidence in their choices?

This issue must be addressed if restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, and even the old fashioned potluck are to survive.

Now my cookie is gone, and I didn't even get a chance to do the dipping research I had intended. Well there's always next time...