How is it, that we are in mortal danger from raw eggs (i.e., salmonella), in lemon chiffon pies when people have been eating them (raw eggs, in one form or another) for so many centuries?
By extension, how is it that, suddenly, undercooked foods are such a threat to our health when the human race has been eating raw meat (and most other foods) for the entirety of its existence?
I’d appreciate it if someone would please provide a cite that proves we are undergoing a heretofore unprecendented epidemic of salmonella, trichinosis or E. coli, I’d like to know why the United States (not sure about Europe and Asia), is going so bonkers about food borne “pathogens”.
I am a firm believer in the danger of “anti-bacterial” soaps and cleansers. It has been documented that children who grow up in the homes of compulsive cleaners are much more likely to suffer from asthma. Similarly, there are certain antibodies that only come from exposure to good old dirt!
For fun, I have experimented on myself by eating food that has been stored in my refrigerator for 3-6 weeks. I keep the icebox set to a low temperature, but that is not a critical factor. Some of you may think that this is TMI but recently, I opened a pack of flour tortillas that had been misplaced in my pantry for over two months. They showed absolutely no sign of decay. I ate a few of them and suffered absolutely no distress whatsoever!
What is it that we Americans must throw out so much food? I have watched acquaintances throw out left over breakfast sausages just because they could not be bothered to wrap them up. Call me frugal, but I am unable to dispose of perfectly edible comestibles just because it is inconvenient. So sorry to be politically correct (something that I hate), but I consider it an insult to destroy edible food.
I have lived with compulsive cleaners and watched them repeatedly come down with illnesses when I would sail through with total immunity. I feel as though the biggest danger that faces us is an obsession with spotless surroundings that deprive us of any immunological challenge whatsoever.
Mind you that, more than a few times, I have thrown out what was probably perfectly good food just because I was not going to eat it before going on a trip or some such significant event. I just think that there is a hysterical attitude that most people have to food storage and exposure to germs.
If someone would only prove a solid connection of this behavior to anal-retentivism, that would suffice for me. I just think that it has gone farther than that and become some sort of obsession.
Your opinions please…