Food is a major necessity, you know

I want to indulge in some pet peeves I have about food in Seattle. I’m mostly

I want to indulge in some pet peeves I have about food in Seattle. I’m mostly talking about cheap fast food dining not being what it should be.

I recall the E. coli scare of the 1990s. Ground zero was the Jack in the Box on the Ave. I went there often because I lived two blocks away. Before the E. coli breakout, I repeatedly complained about undercooked burgers. I’d take them to the counter and show the workers the burgers were raw inside.

They tried to tell me there was nothing wrong with that.

"People like it that way. Try it; it's good."

And I would be forced to tell them that it's fine if it's fresh ground from individual steaks on the premises, but it's not fine if the meat is ground from multiple cows and brought in by the truckload. I’d make them cook the burger over, this time medium.

About a week after the last time I had to go through that nonsense, the news broke about the E. coli outbreak, and we all learned a customer at that specific Jack in the Box died from it. Then the news came in that other Jack in the Boxes were having the same issues. There were four deaths, all children. There were 732 cases, of which 178 were severe.

For a good long while, the chain shut down for investigation. The culprit? Undercooking the burgers.

Now it's a whole different world. Almost any burger joint I go to overcooks their burgers. Come on, people, the line between well done and charcoal is paper thin. Why can't people find the middle way? It's not that hard to cook a medium burger. A proper burger should still be juicy. It should not be suitable for building a BBQ fire.

In another vein, I wish the operators of Seattle hot dog stands would ease up on the cream cheese evangelism. I’ve heard the Good News that now I can get Seattle cream cheese dogs. I’ve heard it enough, so you can stop pushing it.

Regarding fish and chips — or so they are called. I like the "fish" part of Seattle's fish and chips, but those aren't proper chips; those are fries.

A lot of restaurants have been lost in the Pioneer Square neighborhood near Real Change. Some went the way of all flesh due to the pandemic, and a couple due to being smashed by a car or catching fire. A big loss recently was Pizza Professionals on Occidental Avenue South. That has limited my pizza options to an unbearable extent. OK, there's still three pizza shops within a block, but I wanted four options, not just three.

Another big loss for me, personally, was the Vietnamese restaurant near the office. It was just outside the First Avenue South entrance to Real Change, on the other side of the post office. It was close, and it was quick and easy to pop in there and get a brisket banh mi and a hot cup of broth for the workday.

We lost Kigos, a friendly neighborhood store about a block further up First Avenue and also a good place to get lunch for work, in this case wok-cooked bowls with rice or noodles, vegetables and meat if you wanted it. It appears Kigos still lives on at the Denny Triangle, but that's too far for me.

We also lost Casco Antiguo, which was an interesting Mexican restaurant on Occidental Avenue South. It was one of the first to leave during the pandemic. I think I’ve found them again up on Seventh Avenue, but, again, it's too far for a lunch stop for me.

We even lost the First and Yesler Subway! That old standard was brought low by that unfortunate car crash into the storefront. And probably also the pandemic.

Elsewhere, California goat herders are in the news. The goat herders have been helping reduce the risk of wildfires by having their goats graze on brush that could catch fire. But the enterprise is now at risk because the state regulators have changed the rules about how much goat herders have to be paid. Now their pay is higher than anyone can afford — raised by a factor of five, if I’m reading the story right.

It would be as if Subway moved back in at First and Yesler, but now a footlong was $40.

Dr. Wes is the Real Change Circulation Specialist, but, in addition to his skills with a spreadsheet, he writes this weekly column about whatever recent going-ons caught his attention. Dr. Wes has contributed to the paper since 1994. Curious about his process or have a response to one of his columns? Connect with him at [email protected].