I got real bad sick from eating the peppersteak at the Garlic
Festival. Upon sharing this information with others, I’m finding
out through Saturday, Sunday and even today, I don’t think I’m the
only one.
“I got real bad sick from eating the peppersteak at the Garlic Festival. Upon sharing this information with others, I’m finding out through Saturday, Sunday and even today, I don’t think I’m the only one. You should probably look into it. Something to look into. Thanks.”
and …
“I’ve talked to many people who say they got sick after eating the peppersteak sandwiches at the Garlic Festival. For some, it was the only thing in common. I also heard 86 people went to Saint Louise with digestion disorders. Any truth to any of this?”
Red Phone: Dear Possibly Peppered by Pepper Steak, Well Red Phone heard that 4,000 people died from garlic fries, but Red Phone doesn’t believe everything it hears.
That said, it looks like something didn’t sit right with some of the Garlic Festival attendees. Whether it was the peppersteak or something else is more than difficult to track.
But neither Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy nor Hazel Hawkins in Hollister reported any cases of food poisoning over the weekend.
“I looked at every chart with the physician’s final diagnosis from last Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and saw nothing that had a complaint of abdominal pain or food poisoning after eating at the Gilroy Garlic Festival,” said Scott Thompson, the Director of Critical Care Services at Saint Louise.
Garlic Festival officials reiterated how seriously food preparation is taken, and how rare it is to have anyone get sick as a result of the food.
“The festival has received a few calls regarding food items served this past weekend,” said Garlic Festival Executive Director Brian Bowe. “This instance was the first of its kind in the 31-year history of the festival. We are in communication with the Department of Health in Santa Clara County to obtain its assistance and direction in maintaining the festival’s exemplary standard of performance.”
Of course, there is bound to be a few upset bellies after a day of heavy eating and for some, heavy drinking. If you think you got the worst of it, you can call the festival office at 842-1625 or the health department at 918-3400. Meanwhile, Red Phone has a duty to report it consumed at least two peppersteak sandwiches and felt healthy as a race horse all weekend.
Internet in rural South Valley
“When will Verizon, AT&T and Comcast finally provide high speed internet service to the rural area of Gilroy?”
Red Phone: Dear Remotely Challenged, If you are in a remote area of South Valley, you’re best best may be to get a wireless Internet service plan because phone service is either spotty or non-existent.
“Wireless is often the best alternative in rural areas where DSL is not available, said James Alexander, of South Valley Internet. “We extend all the way down to Hollister. But each area is different, and sometimes services are available in remote locations. So the best thing to do would be to have the customer call us and we can determine what they qualify for.”
You can pick up wireless devices at stores such as Best Buy. The wireless modems plug into your USB port and are about an inch long. The data plan is usually around $60 a month. Most providers will have an interactive map on their Web sites of coverage zones. If the phone service works in those areas, the data service will usually work as well.
Unfortunately there are still some areas in the South Valley that you won’t be able to get internet access regardless of what you try. The area around Henry Coe Park is one such dead zone.
Until then, you’ll have to keep calling in your Red Phones.
