We slept in our own beds for the first time since Monday last night. The construction crew worked till almost 10pm making sure the most important part of the newly rebuilt bathroom was complete. Hopefully, today will put an end to the ongoing construction. I am ready to reclaim our old house…But the saga continues.

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The chronicle has an editorial on the fish coming into the country from China and ending up on restaurant menus. As with every story about China lately, this one deal with health risks. What with all of the fish farms in this part of the country it seems like we are trying to put all of our consumers out of work so the cheaper food coming from China won’t matter anyway. No one will be able to afford it at any price.

Fish story: Concerns about imported catfish | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle

One of the staples of fast food outlets and restaurants featuring country cooking in the Houston area is batter-fried catfish. A flood of cheap, farm-raised Chinese fish into the United States has prompted demands from American producers that imports be identified on menus.Imported seafood accounts for more than 80 percent of U.S. consumption. More than a third of catfish eaten domestically comes from Asia. Testing by officials in several Southern states indicates a high proportion of Chinese catfish contains antibiotics and carcinogens banned here. Because of rampant water pollution and overcrowding in Chinese fish farms, such substances are necessary to keep the fish alive.

It looks to me like it’s time to level the playing field…If you want to import food into America it must meet the same standards that are in place here. If it takes inspections to make sure those standards are met, then the importer should be paying for the inspections if they aren’t being done in the country of origin by reputable entities.

I agree with the article…Restaurants need to have country of origin on the menu. I read the labels in the stores when I shop for this very reason, and exercise my power of choice by not purchasing from countries with questionable growing practices. I should have the same ability when eating out.