[foodnfoto]

This thread goes to show how difficult it is to get some perspective on this issue and also how little the public knows about real and percieved dangers in food. A few observations:
1-Organic food has no fewer bug parts than commercially produced foods-probably even more.
2-Some bacteria are bad, some are good. Finding out which is which and controlling your own exposure is the responsibility of each individual.
3-Refusing to immunize your children will not protect them from food borne illnesses or allergies. It only puts their health at risk and those of their play- and schoolmates. While on this subject, I must rant a little here. I contracted measles as a child and was rendered temporarily blind for 3 days. Can you imagine how frightening it was for a 10 year old (and my parents!), not only to be very sick, but also blind?!!! The risk of this spreading to my siblings and schoolmates was huge. Why any parent would choose not to immunize against these diseases is completely beyond me.
4- People have become so seperated from the natural world that they fear it and percieve risks where there really are none. A little (maybe a lot!) of dirt is good for you.
Anyway, there are plenty of people who pay top dollar to smear mud all over themselves at a spa, yet are afraid of a bug hair in their breakfast cereal..go figure.

 

[pete]

I have said it on these forums many times before. I believe that we are creating a race of "wimps". Why should our bodies continue to fight against foreign invaders when we have drugs to do that for us. We never give our bodies a chance to build up immunities to bacteria because we are overly cautious about gets into our body in the first place. I believe in being cautious, but there comes a point where it becomes ridiculous. As for the bug thing-we swallow bugs all the time. The average person will ingest 9 spiders in their lifetime while sleeping. How many bugs did you swallow while riding your bike as a kid?

 

[nancya]

Oh, no, Pete...there are some things I just don't want to even think about. I mean, I can cope with bacteria in my food and bug parts in my cereal ---- but please.......NO SPIDERS!!!!

 

[anneke]

Found 2 little ones in my toasted O's yesterday. Wouldn't be so bad If I had been unconscious...

So how about them tape worms, hmm?

 

[shroomgirl]

Great guys~ let's do the microscopic instead of creepy crawlers and slitherers.....I think there is already a roach thread going.

There is a whole mind set out there about what is acceptable as food and what is not....antibiotic shot up animals or kill sites and procedures that are a nightmare.....but farmstead raw cheeses are not OK, antispetic foods that have expiration dates years from now....
Many of you that have read my shtuff for the past 15 monthes know where I stand. Food should be nurturing, alive, fun, creative....not sterile, dead and dull.

 

[pete]

Just a question, a little off the the subject. Has anyone else ever noticed the use by date on a bottle of Evian water? What is up with that? LOL!!!!!

 

[shroomgirl]

Bizarre....dated water. Maybe the pastic particles melt after awhile and you end up with platisized (?) water much like the breast implants....weird day don't ask.

 

[kokopuffs]

I think that after some time, algae can develop in bottled water - especially if it's been exposed to sunlight.

 

[pastachef]

I agree, Kokopuffs. I believe that standing water becomes stagnant, and that's why there is a stale date. It's probably because there is no chlorine in the water. No cross contamination in my knives at work, no mud packs either. LOL! And I guess I'm already bent too far in his direction, but I sanitize and sanitize! I wear gloves and hair restraints. In January I am taking classes at the University on sanitation. I am excited about this, because it's always been a huge part of my operation. I can then say "I KNOW this," instead of, "I read this."

 

[kimmie]

Koko,

Can't have algae if it's dead.