I enjoy a bit of mould in my food,
in cheese, and yoghurt and other foodstuffs where it’s intended, but this
morning’s yoghurt is on the turn and I debate whether to surge ahead and eat it
or whether to chuck it in and start on a fresh tub.
I have a cavalier attitude to mould
and germs and the like. If there’s not
too much of it, fine, you can eat it.
Same with germs.
When I was growing up my mother
told us that it was fine for brothers and sisters to share the same cups and
plates and knives and forks because we carry the same germs. With a crowd like this, what could you expect?
I took my mother at her word and passed
on the same knowledge to my children who these days refuse to go along with my
mother’s simple logic.
Just because we share the same
genetic material as in shared parents does not mean we carry the same
germs.
We can infect one another with all
manner of illness if we’re not careful.
The mould in my yoghurt sits on the
lid and has not yet infected the entire tub. I should be safe. The yoghurt is
not past its use by date. The words on
the outside of the tub tell me so.
Therefore, if I stick to my
principles and continue to eat, I should not get sick, food poisoning, gut
ache, salmonella or any other such contamination.
How easy it is to feel contaminated.
Especially with those childhood
ailments, the tapeworms, the lice and the school sores.
I’ve all but finished the tub of
yoghurt I started earlier this morning and my stomach is roiling.
Have I taken in too many foreign
germs to keep me settled?
3 comments:
I always enjoy your writing. Your style allows me to feel I know you even though rationally I recognize that I don't. But your topics are about things that I can say "Me too. That's happened to me."
Such is the case today. This week I wanted to make Greek salad but I went to the tub of feta cheese and there was a slimy surface. The package date had not expired. I started slicing it away to see if I could find some cheese that was not affected. I shaved off more to be sure. Ha ha how sure can you be. Anyway I added it to the salad and unlike you I was fine.
Are life decisions based on a guess whether they're mundane or important ones?
Enjoyed.. My mom said the same...
I don’t like food with mould on it, stuff I can see. What goes on under the surface doesn’t worry me so much but if I can see it then it’s not going in me. If I’m short of bread and notice a bit of mould on a slice I’ve no problem picking it off and tossing it—I won’t discard the entire slice—but I won’t eat it. I will eat yoghurt that past its sell by date as long as it looks and smells okay. I’ve no idea what my parents’ views on the subject were. I don’t expect food hung around that long back then. About the only thing that might go off would be fruit and I do recall refusing to eat an apple that had a bad bit and my mum having to cut it off for me.
I don’t obsess about germs. I do veer towards the hypochondriac but that’s because there’s always something wrong with me but I wouldn’t not give my wife a goodnight kiss just because she was unwell. If I’m going to catch something I’m going to catch it and the reality is I am usually the one to get sick; Carrie’s as resilient as an ox and the only time she ever got really poorly that I can remember was on a trip to the States when one of her grandchildren was ill and that was the start of all her ongoing ailments as best we can guess but it makes sense.
Carrie says I tidy but I don’t clean. It’s not completely true although I suspect my efforts at cleaning often fall short. But the kitchen is always tidy as is my office. That said there’s a noticeable layer of dust on the speakers at the moment but it’s not doing anyone any harm and I’ll get to it before my daughter comes over for Xmas.
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