Hamburgers, pita, pigeons & more! Enjoy the show and/or the show content below.

I especially love the soft serve variety sold by our local ice cream parlor, aptly named D’Lites. It was around 6:00 pm when I ordered a medium chocolate and vanilla swirl cone.

The young woman behind the counter handed me the cone. There was no one else waiting in line.

I turned to find a table but came full stop. The empty tables were coated with gobs of melted ice cream, toppings and who knows what.

I asked her to wash off the table tops so that I could take a seat. She didn’t budge, and the manager – a pleasant person – wasn’t there. I asked again, and then a third, fourth and fifth time. Meanwhile, my soft ice cream cone was melting. Yes, I could have walked back into the sweltering 95 degree heat – perhaps ingested the cone in my car -  but that wasn’t my idea of fun.

Ice Cream - You Should Scream

I paid $3.50 cone (+ tax) to enjoy my cone while sitting at an air-conditioned table taking in the view.

She finally approached a table, with the dirtiest rag imaginable in hand. A filthy rag and a bottle of Windex.

Several moms sat at adjacent tables with their young children in tow. “Look at the way they clean the tables,” I said in a slightly raised voice but to no one in particular.

Three moms looked up and shrugged. No one uttered a word of interest or support.

The worker then proceeded to clean the primary counter-top – where women typically put down their purses to pay – with the same horrible rag.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of spending money to enjoy an ice cream cone, fast food sandwich or meal while watching staff clean tables with dirty rags. Why not use clean paper towels or micro-cloths that can be repeatedly disinfected and washed? Why doesn’t management care? Why doesn’t the public care? Where are the health authorities?

We don’t want to lose more trees than necessary, but neither should we be asked to pay to eat on dirt. Surely, there’s a cleaner ground.

Would you ever THINK of cleaning your kitchen table with the rag you use to wipe the toilet or floor? What’s the difference? How do we know where those filthy rags have been?

And how about the way that sandwich shop workers man-handle your food? I planned to enjoy a pita sandwich at Pita Plus. The “cook” threw my pita on the grill with his left hand and then banged on it with his right fist to make it cook faster.

“You put your hands all over my food,” I said.

“So what,” he replied. “I wash my hands.”

“You’re required by law to wear plastic gloves,” I replied.

He shrugged. Who cares?! Not the restaurant.

Burger King, by contrast, sets a high standard. Food workers start their day with a 12-step hand-washing program – and are required to rewash their hands every hour. Hourly hand washing is digitally tracked. If a worker leaves the area or picks up something off the floor, he/she must rewash.

Tables are cleaned with a blue towel that floats in a concentrated disinfectant solution. The solution is changed every four hours, and the towel is thrown out at the end of the day. The only negative: the same towel is used to wipe off both chairs and tables.

Another pet peeve: Workers that sweep the floor under or near my table while I’m eating – bouncing the dust and dirt into my food. Can’t they wait until the restaurant is empty and/or off hours? I can’t count how many times over the years I had to ask a McDonald’s employee to please stop sweeping the floor near my table.

I’m comforted to that McDonald’s cares about the floors – but there’s a better time and place.

I’ve had enough, and you should as well. Americans spend billions annually on home cleaning products, while paying for the privilege to eat on germ-infested tables in ice cream parlors, fast food joints and yes, even so-called fine restaurants.

A popular French outdoor cafe was besieged by pigeons at the height of the bird flu epidemic. Why? Because the manager refused to put up a sign asking his customers to stop feeding the birds.

The birds flitted from one table to another, resting on those that were empty. And how did the workers clean those tables? You guessed it: With the same filthy rag, because that’s what management told them to do.

And we wonder how sickness spreads.

But the most bizarre story of all comes from a local restaurant that “kosherizes” their glasses once a year. Where do they wash them? In nearby boat harbor waters, full of oil, pollution and muck from vanity yachts! And that’s suppose to make the glasses holy?

Give me a break.

If food establishment owners and managers care so little for our well-being, it’s time that we take our money out of their pockets and reward those who do.

To the customer’s right to clean tables and floors!

Dr. Joyce Starr

Ice Cream, You Should Scream – Paying to Eat on Dirt originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr on July 15, 2010.

Show Date: May 28, 2009

Super “Natural” Vitality for Pets: What every pet owner MUST know about natural nutrition for their pets. The author reveals what many pharmaceutical and pet food industry “gurus” don’t want you to know about your pet’s digestive health. He explains how to extend the lives of beloved pets by a decade or more.

How to Listen: Bookmark this page for the streaming replay below. Please scroll to the end of the page.

Issue: How to make informed decisions for yourself, your family and your beloved pet(s) re genetically modified food and genetically modified organisms? Here’s a list of questions we address.

(1) What plants are genetically modified?

(2) What are GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms?

(3) How does genetic engineering work?

(4) Why are GMOs dangerous?

(5) What does the FDA say about the safety of GMOs?

(6) What are the specific concerns about the health consequences of GMO foods?

(7) Some scientists think GMOs are safe and others think they are unsafe. Why should we believe one over the other?

(8) Have there been any large scale population studies done on the effects of GMOs?

(9) What are the potential dangers for humans?

(10) What are the dangers for the environment?

Listen HERE. Press the play button.

Prevent Sun Aging & Skin Cancer

Concerned about sun aging and skin cancer? Prevent sun aging with our new SunAWARE CD. This CD could save your skin and your life. Gift this CD to loved ones and friends. Don’t wait for a wake-up call from your doctor.

Join our list to learn more about sun aging.

To your health security!

Genetically Modifed Food Risks for Humans & Pets: How to Make Informed Decisions originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr on May 28, 2009.

I discovered Macy’s Taste Bar Cafe purely by chance. What a shock. Not only is the food healthy and delicious, it’s also reasonably priced – one of the best buys in town.

The service is also outstanding.

In these trying economic times, let’s give credit where credit is due.

Guest: My Self Help Hour guest is Kashleigh Greenwood, Training Manager of the Florida Food Division of Macy’s. You read that correctly. Macy’s has a Food Division, a Culinary Council comprised of outstanding chefs and Taste Bars in numerous cities. You heard it here.

Show Date: March 5 at 5:00 pm.

We’re a  professional food organization. We take great care about customer service. All of our team leaders have a food service background. Our products are as fresh as possible,  offered at good price, and we deliver them with a smile. Everything we do is above board. I make certain that our employees properly wash their hands and use gloves when preparing food. We have food checks twice daily and only produce the amount we will serve that day. It’s not about the money. It’s about reputation. – Kashleigh Greenwod

Listen to the Repay. Click the play button below.

Here’s a list of Taste Bars and an example of the comforting cuisine.

Rights Radio Self Help Hour: Healthy, Affordable, Comfort Food at…Macy’s Taste Bar! originally appeared on Rights Radio™ with Dr. Joyce Starr on March 2, 2009.