Beekman Boys, A Beef with Taco Bell and Hannah Montana Cherries

Taco Bell has stopped serving beef. According to the Associated Press, the meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as "beef," according to the legal complaint. When biting into a seasoned beef taco you can expect only 35 percent of your mouthful to actually contain beef. Taco Bell has shot back at the suing party that they, like their millions of customers, stand behind their product and its quality. Everyone knows you never stand behind anyone who has recently eaten Taco Bell. Aside from the fact that the beef used by Taco Bell comes from Tyson Foods, the first clue one  should not even come within a ten mile radius of a Taco Bell drive-through, the less-than-a-dollar price tags indicate a complete lack of quality. I am not saying that inexpensive equals bad. I love orange Tootsie Roll lollipops and they're only $0.50 a piece. Oddly enough that's half the price of a taco at Taco Bell. Food for thought.

As Taco Bell boycotts bovines Disney enters a new market: the super market. Grocers are noticing a trend: if Hannah Montana is on a banana or a bag of cherries the product is more likely to sell. Winn-Dixie noticed a 47 percent increase in apple sales when the fruits had High School Musical characters singing their praises on the packaging. As if Disney did not exercise enough influence over  young minds with radio and television they're now literally feeding American youth. The irony of Hannah Montan selling cherries is too much for me, personally.

While Disney has its "garden" and Taco Bell forgoes its beef, the Beekman Boys have thankfully begun a large-scale community garden project along with Williams-Sonoma. Available online or at Williams-Sonoma stores, the Beekman 1802 kit offers heirloom seeds that anyone can grow and access to expert advice online. The goal is to have over 10,000 people participate in this gardening project. You can bet I will be one of them!