Letters.

• Position: Brief Article

Don't Read This at Lunch

It's very hard in a restaurant for everyone to comply with the rules, which is unfortunate ("American Fry," 5/14/01). But people tend to overlook food poisoning--unless they've experienced this God-awful feeling.

I had been working at a restaurant for over a year and a half. After a hard day, I went on break and had a hot dog. Well, to this day I refuse to eat hot dogs. After throwing up six times in two hours, I thought I was going to die from food poisoning. This was probably from a lack of proper care and refrigeration. But the disturbing part was that a 5-year-old could have had that same hot dog and died. The government should do more to regulate the handling of food.

SHEREEN HERIBA Longwood, Fla. Being raised on a cattle ranch has been a treat my whole life. I really love cows and all animals, but even more I love to eat a steak or a cheeseburger. I almost never eat at fast-food restaurants, because they usually make me sick. Fast-food restaurants add more to that little burger than beef. As ranchers, we send a cow to the butcher, and he sends back only her meat in a package. So we know what we're eating. Not all people can do this. But you do remember where the grocery store is, don't you?

NATALIE D. ATKINS Del Norte, Colo. You made it sound like working at a fast-food place is bad and stupid. It's not! You have to have good people skills, and of course you need to know how to give back change. I'm 14, and I work at the local McDonald's with many of my friends. Our parents used to give us money anytime we asked. But we're working because it makes us feel responsible. Mommy and Daddy aren't always going to be there handing out $25 for allowance and buying us all new school clothes.

AMY GALLOWAY Sagamore Hills, Ohio No Laughing Matter

I was disappointed with your choice of comics for the usually witty section ("Drawing On the News," 4/16/01). My peers and I found the comics with Charlie Brown and the child standing over his dead classmate offensive and distasteful. I don't understand what message was being conveyed, other than trying to parody these horrible massacres that are occurring all too...