Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Can we handle the truth

From the movie A Few Good Men, Jack Nicholson’s rant from the witness stand, “You can’t handle the truth!” was voted the twenty-ninth greatest American movie quote of all time and is near the top of the poll of one of the most memorable quotes in filmdom. It has become a part of our vocabulary and is quoted often. And it begs the question, Can we handle the truth?
Consider this scenario:
Say for one 24 hour period, the whole world, from Argentina to Uzbekistan and all countries in between, everyone tells the unfiltered, unvarnished truth. No exceptions. No white lies, no dodges, the truth and nothing but.
We are so inured to the fact that truth and lies have become so blurred that we can’t tell one from the other anymore. And we have become so comfortable in our own little comfort zone of believing whatever we hear, that we no longer check the facts. They make us uncomfortable, shake us up and we don’t want to rattle the status quo. But think about it. What if the premise I just laid out really happened? Can we really handle the truth?
Would empires fail if the curtain were pulled back on the deceit they harbor against their citizens? Would they pass the 99 and 44/100 percent clean test?
Would the U.S congress implode at the thought of revealing the dodges and loopholes that have become common practice.? Would they vote down a bill that is necessary for helping their community in lieu of saving their own job?
Would companies that advertise “Going Out of Business” sales really “go out of business?”
Would “bait and switch” scams advertise the original price of an item?
And picture this scenario: Would the man you see soaring over Indianapolis, Indiana think twice before answering in the affirmative when his wife asked him if her dress made her look fat?
So you see, my friend, truth does have its consequences.

Cool Lime Pie

1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 (6 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed?milk
1 tablespoon grated lime peel
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla?pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped?topping, thawed
4 drops green food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

To Make Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine pretzels, sugar and butter.
Press into a lightly greased 9 inch pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
Let cool completely.

To Make Filling:
In a large bowl, combine limeade and condensed milk.
Whisk in pudding mix.
Allow mixture to set for 5 minutes.
Stir in lime peel, then fold in whipped topping.
Stir in green food coloring if desired.
Pour mixture into cooled pie crust.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

The pretzel crust adds an extra special touch.
When ready to serve, garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped topping and a lime slice.