Al Qaeda Wants To Poison Our Salad Bars?

Todd Barnes/OC Weekly

​It turns out those trusty salad bar sneeze guards might be just a tad inadequate.  CBS News broke the news that Al Qaeda contemplated targeting US salad bars and buffets at hotels and restaurants, sprinkling poisons such as ricin and cyanide over our food. They cited a "key intelligence source" that our government unearthed the plot months ago, a scheme allegedly called "Operation Hemorrhage."

Since the news spread, government officials are now downplaying the threat, referring to it more as a "tactic" than as an actual plot. "Officials implied the tactic is beyond the capabilities of the terrorist organization, which is based in the Middle East." The hospitality industry remains on alert.

On a lighter note: A Yahoo blog post on the news had this punchline: "This perhaps speaks to just how misguided al-Qaida is these days, because if you're looking to target large crowds of Americans, salad bars are pretty much the last places to set your plot in motion."

Crouton-related jokes from late night hosts are sure to be forthcoming.