Summertime and the Food Poisoning Is Easy
eye WEEKLY
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eye WEEKLY July 28 1994
Toronto's arts newspaper .....free every Thursday
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FOOD FOOD
SUMMERTIME AND THE FOOD POISONING IS EASY
HOW TO AVOID THE BACTERIAL HORRORS OF BARBECUE SYNDROME
by
CINDY McGLYNN
Salmonella. Campylobacter. Cod worms. Worms! Indeed, there are all
kinds of potential extra guests that may be joining you on your
picnic this summer. And after asking around a bit, it's easy to
convince yourself that it might be better to avoid eating altogether
than eat a mouthful of something you can't pronounce.
Still, not eating is an impractical and perhaps equally uncomfortable
option. So here are some handy hints to help you make it through
picnic season alive.
First, some stats. Every year about 7,000 Canadians are reported ill
from food poisoning, according to Health and Welfare Canada. Since
most of it is unreported, the number is probably closer to 2 million
cases annually.
And your chances of getting something nasty are much higher in the
summer. That's what Dr. Chuck LeBer from the provincial board of
health said. He quoted 1993 statistics showing the number of
reported cases of salmonella poisonings doubling in summer.
Getting food poisoning is easy. Simply put, food poisoning happens
when you eat food contaminated with loads of harmful bacteria that
infect your digestive tract or release poison into it. It can make you
sick and is fatal in some cases. Bacteria are lively things that
multiply quickly, doubling every 15 minutes. One hundred of them can
become more than a million in fewer than four hours. They like
warmth, which means while you're relaxing at the poolside, the bug
equivalent of the population of China might be setting up camp in
your potato salad.
Most bacteria are harmless. Some, like salmonella are not. Your job
is to make sure you don't create an environment where the little
devils can survive, multiply and wreck a fine barbecue.
There are lots of ways to pick up a few million bacteria.
Undercooked meat is a common problem and one kind of food
poisoning you can get is "BARBECUE SYNDROME."
(By God, the names and descriptions of these critters are fabulous.
Who will turn this article into the 3-D movie it longs to be?)
Anyhow, BARBECUE SYNDROME! Most people get it after eating
hamburgers. Although the particular bacteria, VTEC, involved in this
illness live in the intestines of animals, they can coat outer
surfaces of meat. So when meat is ground, it can spread nice and
evenly through yer entire burger.
Whaddayado? Don't ask for a rare burger. Studies say VTEC is easily
killed at temperatures hot enough to cook food.
You should also make sure all the surfaces and utensils you work
with are clean. This way you can avoid another food-prep no-no,
CROSS CONTAMINATION. If you throw your infected chicken on the
barbie and then, say, take your cutting board and knife to chop up a
few potatoes for some salad, you've got yourself infested spuds.
All this is not to mention the fact that after you drink 10 beers
while you make sure your chicken is thoroughly cooked so you don't
get BARBECUE SYNDROME, your potato salad has been sitting
unrefrigerated for four hours. AN IDEAL BREEDING GROUND FOR
BACTERIA! So remember: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
(Cute jingle courtesy of Health and Welfare Canada.)
Make sure anything you buy from a store has been properly
refrigerated, too. And thaw all your meat in the refrigerator or
microwave oven before you barbecue it to golden perfection.
Oh, and do make sure it is done to golden perfection. You see, there
seems to be another problem with yer backyard barbecue.
The Canadian Cancer Society says cancer-causing chemicals called
PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, for trivia buffs) are in the
smoke created when fat drippings burn on the coals. An article found
in the Society's surprisingly buoyant magazine, Progress Against
Cancer, advises moderation and caution rather than nixing barbecues
altogether. Buy lean cuts of meat (no fat drippings = no PAHs). You
can also raise your grill as far from the coals as possible so less
smoke coats your food.
Stephanie Charron, from the Health Protection Branch of your
friendly federal government, charmingly refers to bacteria as bugs
and has an impressive pile of stuff to send to those interested. (Look
in your blue pages.) The tip she wanted to highlight was for inspired
cooks who actually marinate meat.
Marinade which has had meat in it is filled with the same bacteria
as the meat. If you coat your food with it once on the barbie, make
sure you cook your vittles for five to 10 minutes after the last round
to kill any nasty critters.
And if you need further convincing that it's a bad idea to eat a raw
burger with a paw you just pulled out of yer baseball mitt, think of
the fact that 500 million bacteria fit on the head of a stamp.
In the summer more than ever, you are what you eat.
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Liz
go rancid very quickly (big outbreak of food poisoning in El Paso was traced
to a potato dish in a Greek restaurant). Mayo supposedly is not as big a risk
as people think, but I avoid it nonetheless. I'd rather skip the cole slaw
that kiss the porcelain god... ;)
liz
Donna Pattee
I think this is just a touch of paranoia. If you follow the rule of "Keep
hot foods hot and cold foods cold", you really aren't going to have a
problem with food poisoning. Just think of the numbers of people who eat
potato salad and cole slaw every day with no problems. If you are really
worried about it, just make sure you acidify the salad enough. I marinate
the potatoes for salad in dill pickle juice before adding anything else (I
do this for the taste, not because I am worried about food poisoning, but
it is a good preventive). For cole slaw, my husband doesn't like a
mayonaisse-y slaw, so I put lots of flavored vinegar on the vegetables
before adding mayonaisse.
By they way, I have never gotten food poisoning from any of the "summer"
foods, but I have gotten it twice from chicken. Once it was from a chicken
dish on a buffet and the second time (which was no fun and lasted about a
week) was from chicken that hadn't been fully roasted at a company
Christmas party.
Geoffrey P Waigh
[header]
>Salmonella. Campylobacter. Cod worms. Worms! Indeed, there are all
>kinds of potential extra guests that may be joining you on your
>picnic this summer. And after asking around a bit, it's easy to
>convince yourself that it might be better to avoid eating altogether
>than eat a mouthful of something you can't pronounce.
>Still, not eating is an impractical and perhaps equally uncomfortable
>option. So here are some handy hints to help you make it through
>picnic season alive.
[Plenty more going on about the perils of undercooked meat, or exposing
your food to the bacteria that was living on said undercooked meat.]
I don't suppose the possibility of vegetarianism wafted through your head
for at least a minor mention? Granted if you let your vegetables sit for a
few weeks they'll decompose into something inedible, but usually the person
dining has the rudimentary intelligence to recognize this state of
affairs.
No doubt someone in pathology will point out a vicious, fast growing
bacteria that lives on legumes that doesn't wash off easily...
Geoffrey
bmai...@eyecon.com
IR> Potato salad is an excellent way to get food posioning. I read that potato
IR>go rancid very quickly (big outbreak of food poisoning in El Paso was traced
IR>to a potato dish in a Greek restaurant). Mayo supposedly is not as big a ri
IR>as people think, but I avoid it nonetheless. I'd rather skip the cole slaw
IR>that kiss the porcelain god... ;)
IR>liz
Well. The potato salad I always make for large buffets/picnics where
there's a chance the food will be sitting out for a while is a recipe
from _The Cuisine of the Sun_. Sorry about the imprecise measurements,
but a lot of the way it turns out depends on the individual's taste...
Quarter/half a bunch of new red potatoes ("creamers" I've seen them
called). Steam until done.
While potatoes are steaming, chop garlic and tarragon. Add olive oil,
red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. When potatoes are done, drain well
and add dressing. Toss gently (try not to smush) while cooling.
Hmmm... on second thought, maybe make about a 1/4 cup dressing for every
pound of potatoes.
As far as cole slaw is concerned: Slice green cabbage, some red
cabbage, maybe shred some carrots into the slaw .... dress with
Bernstein's cheese and garlic italian...
see? there's ways around them ol' bugs...