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To: Alan Whirlwind who wrote (11348)	5/6/1998 11:10:00 AM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116827

We could all die - by accident?: nejm.org rh

To: Alan Whirlwind who wrote (11348)	5/6/1998 11:41:00 AM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116827

the lettuce story(price up 5x): CALIFORNIA SUPPLIES nearly 80 percent of the nation's romaine. The heavy rains delayed planting or killed seedlings. And many of the crops that did survive were attacked by fungus because of the standing water. While other types of lettuce also were affected, romaine was the hardest hit.The result: Wholesale prices of romaine shot from about $10 a case to $50, according to the U.S. Department of agiculture. Like many other restaurants across the country, Centro at the Mill, a Tuscany-style Italian spot in Greenwich, Conn.,has been getting by for the past week by using other types of lettuce, such as red leaf or baby greens. For those Centro guests who insist on romaine, there's a $2 surcharge. Ken McConnell, manager of culinary development for the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain at its headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., said a restaurant manager from New Jersey found a case of romaine for $72. He normally pays $12. "And he still wanted to buy it," McConnell said. The restaurant manager got the OK. The shortage should ease in a few weeks as the next crop of lettuce makes its way to stores and restaurants. Romaine usually takes three to four months to grow. In the meantime, Wendy's customers will see signs at the cash registers and drive-thru windows explaining why Caesar salads aren't available. And at the 370 Ruby Tuesdays around the country, signs on each table announce "El Ni¤o Strikes Again!" and explain why the chicken Caesar - the restaurant chain's most popular salad entree - isn't on the menu. Jeff Frost, a manager-in-training at the Ruby Tuesday in Boynton Beach, said: "It's just one more thing that people are blaming on El Ni¤o." rh