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The Recklessness of Refrigeration One of the striking features of most tropical islands is the relative paucity of refrigeration. Simply walking into a food market challenges one's pampered western sensibilities. Putting aside the fact that the selection in most places is a tiny fraction of a typical American market, there is the additional challenge of confronting how little of the food is refrigerated. There is a palpable odor of vegetables being past their prime due to inadequate chilling. There are very few cold drinks. Eggs are out on a shelf. The store itself is most likely not air-conditioned. Yet the food is all perfectly edible. One can find provisions to cook meals. One's health is not at risk shopping here. The issue, upon closer examination, is primarily a matter of aesthetics. This isn't the way we do things at home. No it isn't, and it illuminates vividly how insane some of our American practices are. For contrast I offer the spectacle of your typical gas station or mini-mart in the near-tropical American south. Walking into one of these temples to American cultural mediocrity one is immediately met with a blast of cold, not merely cool, air. A blessed respite, we are meant to feel, from the brutal heat experienced during the thirty-foot walk from our refrigerated vehicle. The collection of unhealthy food products, produced without regard to sustainability or, in many cases, worker safety, is staggering. And then you have the fridges. There they stand, lining two, or even three, walls. Glass-fronted case after glass-fronted case of frigid soda, beer, milk, juice, water, etc. Perhaps ice cream. More refrigeration in just one store than exists in public in entire countries in the Caribbean. Yet if you find this cornucopia lacking, there surely is an equally varied, and perhaps more satisfying assortment, just one short drive away. When you consider the tragic spectacle unfolding in Iraq today, and our disastrous alliance with repressive regimes in places like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, think about these endless miles of excessive refrigeration. Consider the gas-guzzlers needing frequent stops at these refrigerated oases. This is the sacrosanct American Way of Life for which we are sending our soldiers overseas to kill and die. This is the lifestyle which we are willing to destroy pristine wilderness to preserve. If this really seems worth the cost we are paying for it, you've probably been out in the sun too long.