NANNY-STATE WATCH!

From Eric Dondero:

Thanks to the North Carolina Division of Environmental Health you can not get a rare or medium-rare cooked burger anywhere in the Tarheel State.

From AOL News, May 17:

a state restriction that requires restaurants to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's enough heat to sufficiently kill dangerous bacteria like E. coli, according to state health officials.

Restaurant owners now asking "Are you a cop, or a food inspector?"

One Raleigh resident and self-described "rare burger aficionado" is crying foul.

"I don't believe in a nanny state when it comes to food," said Elliot, "I don't like the government telling us what we can and cannot eat," he added.

But then Elliot let's it slip:

"Some restaurants will make a rare burger for you if you're a regular or if you look hip enough," said Elliot, who founded RareBurger.com in hopes of mapping out the best spots for undercooked meat for burger fans. "They'll ask you if you are a cop or food inspector first."

From Elliot's website:

There was a time not to long ago when you could go to any restaurant and order a rare burger. Now because of germaphobes, vegetarians and government hacks a good black and blue is hard to find.

Many burger venues at best only serve medium burgers. When you get them they are like charcoal. Most of us would be happy with a medium rare burger, but you can't even get those. Our "nanny" government once again is trying to protect us from ourselves and deny us our rights to pursue happiness, and bloody meat.

New York more libertarian on Burger Choice?

Adding to all the irony, Charlotte Purvis, food editor for the Charlotte Observer recently took a trip to New York City.

"It was sort of a shock," she said. "I bit into it and I was like, 'Holy cow -- this is a little pink in the middle. It's a juicier burger."

According to AOL she now supports "ordering a rare or medium rare burger as the kind of decision adults should have the right to make."

Photo credit - The Gothamist

UPDATE! This article picked up by WGNC 1450 AM, North Carolina.