In Response to: [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/03/barefoot-contessa-ina-garten-rejecting-make-a-wish-cancer-patient-enzo.html]

There are days when I am ashamed to be a part of a culture that feels that somehow they are owed certain treatment from celebrities. Apparently Ina Garten (“Barefoot Contessa”) has refused to cook with a 6 year-old who has cancer. People seem to want to gather on this particular decision and somehow find something evil about it. While I will admit that it isn’t a nice thing to have happen to a person, it isn’t the responsibility of celebrities (no matter how minimal they may be) to cater to the demands of the ill and unfortunate. What makes people feel that they are entitled to special treatment? More importantly, why is declining a request ever “evil”? That is sort of the nature of a request, they may be granted or denied, otherwise, we tend to call it a subpoena. So what makes this individual so entitled? Is it because he is sick, or because he is six?

I do not know the specifics of the situation, and apparently neither does the person who wrote the article. Perhaps Ina Garten has some personal reason for not being able to fulfill the request, or perhaps  she has a phobia concerning children. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter and is not for public discussion or debate. The women made a decision about a request. I fail to find anything “mean” or “heartless” in her decision. What I find “heartless” is how inconsiderate individuals responding to the article have been in their treatment of the situation. Sometimes I feel that people responding to news stories let their emotions run away with them and fail to be considerate to the rights of everyone concerned and react to whatever media spin is placed on the article.

I have a deficiency in my risotto technique that I find quite debilitating, and I would love to have Anne Burrell teach me exactly how to do it, but that is certainly not going to happen (unless I get into the next season of “Worst Cooks In America”, for which, I do not think I qualify).