Re: “Baked bean bust,” BDN letter, Aug. 13

My condolences to Henry Marois Jr. on his recent bad bean exerience. He writes that the first batch were cooked ITALIC al dante. UNITALIC

As the correct term is ITALIC al dente UNITALIC (the old tooth test), may I suggest he should have continued his allusion to the great writer (Dante) and requested that the beans in question should have been returned to the “Inferno’ for further cooking (at high heat)?

No offense to Marois — I couldn’t resist this reply, u-pun my soul I couldn’t. M.S. Hunter Belfast