By Alan Greenblatt

J.D. Salinger, the great writer of “Catcher in the Rye,” has jealously protected his privacy throughout his long-stalled career. Now, in his old age, he’s become the subject of tell-all biographies by his daughter and Joyce Maynard, who was his lover as a teenager. He always has hated the movies, but he’s the clear inspiration for the upcoming Sean Connery vehicle “Finding Forrester.”

But this isn’t about privacy protection. Instead, it’s a warning about food safety.

In Maynard’s memoir, “At Home in the World,” Salinger is revealed as a bit of a food nut. About all he’ll eat are raw fruits and vegetables with an occasional barely reheated frozen lamb patty thrown in as a treat. “Cooking food robs it of all the natural nutrients,” Salinger lectures Maynard.

But relatively few Americans would be happy with an all-raw diet. For most of us, eating is one of the major pleasures in life. We constantly eat food that we know is bad for us. Otherwise, why would snacks with names like Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Zingers and Ho Hos be national staples? And when we eat out in restaurants, we’re willing to take risks by letting well trained strangers prepare our food.

Any sensible person recognizes that eating in restaurants is not the healthiest choice. “I don’t usually think about things going on in the kitchen,” Mark Kantor, a professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Maryland, says with a laugh. “It’s better not to.”

Which brings me to the point of food safety. Most localities follow federal guidelines to require that restaurants store food at or below 41 degrees or above 140 degrees to ward off bacteria. But not all food will be yummy or have the proper texture when stored at those temperatures. Delicacies such as poached shrimp and ethnic foods such as sushi rice and Vietnamese spring rolls are best when served at room temperature.

New Food and Drug Administration guidelines, which have been adopted in 19 states, allow for some foods to be stored at room temperature. More states should follow a policy adopted by California that allows raw eggs to be served in Caesar salad, if the eggs are disclosed on the menu.

“There’s no easy answer to this issue,” says Bill Ford, assistant director of the Orange County, California, environmental health division. But disclosure would allow patrons to make their own choice as to whether they felt safe eating foods stored at room temperature. Just as restaurants can’t do much business selling healthy but unpalatable food, they don’t want to risk making their customers sick from eating unsafe food. A little more flexibility in regulating this area would make everyone happy. Except maybe J.D. Salinger.

Alan Greenblatt is a staff writer for Governing.

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