People are experts in communication in that most of us talk; people are experts in food safety in that most of us eat.

So it’s no wonder the level of confusion and disagreement amongst talkers and eaters.

Me, I gather evidence and sort the wheat from the chaff (from a CSNY song, and it is time for a haircut, although I had to explain to 20-year-old
daughter last night who was in Buffalo Springfield).

Jane Brody, long-time talker and eater with the N.Y. Times, wrote yesterday that “people, not products, are the main cause of foodborne illnesses, and they can be avoided by following certain basic principles of food safety.”

Except Brody doesn’t follow all of them; like most experts, she cherry-picks to validate her ingrained and cultural preferences (don’t we all use the Internet to prove how right we are?).

Brody writes, “Although some suggest that poultry and meats not be rinsed lest they contaminate the sink, I find that hard to avoid. Instead, I rinse them, then clean the sink with a bleach spray. And I do use clean paper towels to dry raw food.”

I’ve used Jane Brody’s buckwheat pancake recipe for 25 years. The five daughters love it. But she’s wrong on washing chicken. That’s ol’ timey.

Go evidence or go home.