I wasn’t a fan before of Sbarro, the restaurant that prides itself on fresh Italian cooking. But, recently, I’ve grown to like its spaghetti with tomato sauce and, later, its pizza. But, even more recently, starting on April 7, 2010, I’ve already “unliked” Sbarro. This, after I found a button in its spaghetti with chicken parmigiana, which I took out for lunch from Sbarro’s restaurant in Trinoma Mall, Quezon City, that day. I had made a quick trip to Trinoma to buy an electrical outlet for our house. I arrived at the mall in time for lunch. After some musing on what my taste buds were harping for at that time, I finally decided to have spaghetti and pizza at Sbarro in Trinoma. But since the restaurant was getting crowded at that time, I took out my order to eat it at the fast-food area down below the mall where there were lots more seats.
I'm the type of person who gets really excited when I'm about to eat something that I know or feel will taste good. But my excitement turned to real dismay when when I saw a piece of button on my Sbarro spaghetti after I’ve cut the chicken to pieces and rolled over the noodles in the sauce. The button was rusty-looking or maybe it was rusty—not easy to tell because it was mired in sauce. It was a button that looked the kind that came from a pair of pants, with a small protruding part. I suddenly imagined with fear what would have happened if i had swallowed that button.
I hurriedly put back the spaghetti and pizza in the Sbarro plastic bag and went back to the store. I talked to the manager and showed her the spaghetti with chicken parmigiana with button. I asked for a replacement—of the button—nah, of the spaghetti heheh. She gave me a new spaghetti order, and I told her that her crew should be more careful in giving out orders of food to avoid any accident. She told me that it was hard to trace where the button came from, or in what stage of processing the food that the button 
came into the picture. Anyway, for me, wherever or however that button came into my spaghetti, all I could think about is what kind of hygienic practices does Sbarro have that a foreign object could have made its way into food that it would sell? And a potentially dangerous object if swallowed, at that. I’m very picky with cleanliness with it comes to my food. Well, Sbarro has just lost a new fan and potentially loyal customer.
Here's an interesting fund-raiser story i caught on the web. the link to donate funds for breast cancer is at the end of the article.
California surfer receives whale of an escort during marathon paddle
by: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
When Southern California surfer Jodie Nelson set out Sunday to standup-paddle nearly 40 miles from Santa Catalina Island to Dana Point, she hoped it'd inspire her best friend, who has been involved in a long and exhausting struggle with breast cancer, to keep fighting.
Nelson, 34, whose mother and aunt are cancer survivors, also hoped her nine-hour test of endurance would raise money for two cancer charities and heighten awareness about a plight affecting millions of women. What Nelson could not have known was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours, thus joining the cause. "It was a day that all of us involved will never forget," Nelson said, in reference to Angela Robinson, her best friend, and the rest of a crew aboard an escort boat. Minke whales are not commonly seen off Southern California, and those spotte
d by boaters are often elusive. So when a mammal Nelson named Larry joined her endeavor to become the first woman to make this long paddle, she took it as a sign. "To me it was a total God thing," the San Clemente resident said. "We prayed at 4 that morning that God would reveal his beauty and creation and nature, and allow me to endure this long trek, so for me it's not such a huge surprise that this happened." Larry did not merely swim close to Nelson. He rolled around repeatedly alongside her and blew bubbles beneath her board. A film crew was on the escort boat and CNN, Fox News and ABC are just some of the networks she says are interested in the story and footage. Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society whale researcher, said minke whales can be friendly but added: "This type of quality encounter is highly unusual." Nelson raised only about $6,000 in advance of the paddle, disappoingtingly short of her target of $100,000 for the Keep a Breast Foundation and Boarding for Breast Cancer. A few of her celebrity friends let her down, she said, but when this story reaches a national audience she expects the pool to grow considerably. "I thought, 'I don't need so-and-so,' " she said of a particular celebrity, whom she declined to name. "Because I honestly feel like Larry is going to help us reach the $100,000 mark with our fundraising effort." Larry or no Larry, completing a standup paddle over 39.8 miles of ocean and sharks speaks volumes about Nelson's strength, stamina and determination. Larry took her mind off the task for two magical hours, but her mind never strayed from the cause. "I can't even begin to compare what I did to what cancer patients are going through," she said. "But I wanted to put myself out there in a dangerous and scary, overwhelming situation; something that was big and just to show people that you can win that battle with that big, scary thing called cancer. "I wanted to draw some kind of parallel and just encourage people to keep fighting." Those wanting to help Jodie with her mission can do so via her page on the Keep a Breast Foundation website.
Photo of Jodie and Larry from paddlewithpurpose.com
came into the picture. Anyway, for me, wherever or however that button came into my spaghetti, all I could think about is what kind of hygienic practices does Sbarro have that a foreign object could have made its way into food that it would sell? And a potentially dangerous object if swallowed, at that. I’m very picky with cleanliness with it comes to my food. Well, Sbarro has just lost a new fan and potentially loyal customer.
