Author Archives: Megan Hardigree

Is it a barbeque or grill?

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I am from California. In California, it’s called a barbeque. I went to college in Alabama and graduate school in Kansas where both places call it a grill. The box labeled it a barbeque grill, so I guess everyone is right.

Regardless of the name, I purchased my very first barbeque this weekend. I put it together correctly and cooked chicken on it. I had never barbequed (or grilled) by myself, but I knew exactly when my chicken was done cooking: my tip sensitive, digital thermometer told me so. My chicken was cooked to a perfect 165°F.

And yes, I also thoroughly washed my hands before cooking and after touching any raw chicken.

When you’re barbequing, stick it in.

Fast food workers: Wash your hands

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I have been sick the past few days. I am not sure what caused it, where I contracted the illness, but I am sick. In my mind, this reiterates the need for everyone to wash his or her hands.

A recent study co-authored by William Burkhardt, a food virologist and microbiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),  explains that more than half of food service workers do not wash their hands before returning to work.

In an article by the Quad-City Times, foodborne illnesses can happen anywhere and they are easy to transmit:

Norovirus, hepatitis A and E. coli, another gastrointestinal infection, are the most common food-borne illnesses involving restaurants, Burkhardt said. Norovirus, like hepatitis A, is spread by fecal matter on food products that are then ingested by unaware patrons. However, the hepatitis A symptoms might not show up for 10-14 days while those with norovirus know much more quickly, in as little as 12 hours after ingestion.

Those who ingest the hepatitis A virus need only a few particles to eventually become ill, according to the microbiologist. "Oftentimes, a hundred million of these viral particles are present in a gram of fecal material," he said.

Even a small piece of fecal matter on a person’s hand can transmit the germs, especially to salads, uncooked food items or in ice. The virus is killed during proper cooking.

To prevent the spread of foodborne illness food service workers should abide by proper handwashing and proper glove usage.

Gwyneth Paltrow needs a lesson in food safety

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Gwyneth Paltrow has an interesting life.  She’s in movies, is married to a musician, names her first born after fruit, talks about bowel movements on T.V., and has celebrity chefs as friends. And to add to her list of accomplishments, she made an online video (posted below) about cooking.

She is preparing roasted chicken and potatoes and a summer salad. I am aware of Hollywood magic and editing film, but there are several times where hands and utensils touch raw chicken and then touch other things. That is called cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination is how people get sick (there may be unknown pathogens in or on foods we eat). Washing hands before cooking and after touching raw chicken is essential. However, we must remember to consider what else has touched the chicken (the knife and cutting board) and what our hands touch if we don’t wash after touching raw meat (the pepper mill, fresh herbs, knife, kitchen shears, etc.). And once you think chicken is done cooking, use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer to make sure it is cooked to the proper 165°F.

Besides the handwashing errors, it was pretty annoying how she called every type of item from the farmers market as beautiful or gorg.

Food porn or food art?

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At the Manhattan, KS Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Chefs Bryan and Sarah Severns demonstrated cooking with local ingredients. At their cooking station, you could find an array of utensils, several cutting boards (separate ones for raw and cooked meats and vegetables—no cross-contamination), hand sanitizer, and a three-bucket washing station.

The purpose of their demonstration was to show a variety of recipes with ingredients found at the market. Samples were provided; they were delicious. Since it is recommended to wash your hands prior to eating, the chefs had hand sanitizer available for patrons.

Bryan commented on their cooking at the market as being more of food art than food porn. Both Bryan and Sarah will return to the market for another demonstration August 1.

Singing songs of food safety

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University of California at Davis researcher, Carl Winter, has recently published a study in the Journal of Food Science Education on how contemporary popular culture songs affect teaching kids about food safety. From the Beatles to the Beach Boys, Ricky Martin to Van Halen, songs can be found on their website. My favorite is, of course, the rendition of “I wanna hold your hand,” by the Beatles into “You better wash your hands.”

The City Market’s vendor provides hand sanitizer

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A smile came to my face while walking the aisles of the Kansas City farmers’ market. A very nice lady selling oils, jams, and other goodies was wearing gloves, that she frequently changed, and had hand sanitizer for customers to use prior to tasting her delicious dips. My friend and I spent approximately two hours roaming the river-market area looking for various items and this particular booth was the only one to provide hand hygiene materials. Locally grown food doesn’t mean safer food, especially if your hands are dirty; wash your hands prior to eating and after handling unwashed produce.

Real World cast member needs to wash his hands

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I watch MTV. I have watched every season of the Real World since I can remember. Partly because I have a strong opinion on how MTV was the first television station to do reality shows, but mostly because I love the idiotic drama, which includes, but is not limited to drunken nights, roommate fights, and hook-ups. This season’s cast is living in Cancun, Mexico.

On last night’s episode, something really caught my attention. It was not the bisexual tendency between Ayiiia and Emily or the outing to Isla Mujeras where they swam with dolphins and sharks. It was when Derek urinated in the bushes (shown below, middle, about 60 seconds after action). He did not wash his hands after. And, yes, there is no sink behind random trees and shrubs, but just as a reminder, wash your hands, regardless of where you are.

The Little Couple sanitizes their hands

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On last night’s episode of the Little Couple, Tuesday nights on TLC, Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her husband, Bill Klein, showed the world clips of their every day lives: honey-do lists, visiting another little person, and giving speeches. The most interesting moments, in my opinion, were the hand hygiene opportunities.

Dr. Arnold works at Texas Children’s hospital as the Medical Director of Pediatric Simulation Center and Neonatologist in Texas Children’s Newborn Center. After seeing a patient, who was prematurely born, Dr. Arnold used an alcohol based hand sanitizer to clean her hands. I was very proud that TLC did not edit this content out. It is important for healthcare workers to wash/sanitize their hands before and after patient contact.

The next scene was of Bill cleaning up dog urine; I like to believe TLC chose to edit his handwashing out. Handwashing is necessary after bathroom use and after cleaning up others’ (including dogs) bathroom mess.

NPSA fights back

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The National Patient Safety Agency is fighting back media accusations. They’re not literally fighting, like my favorite mother of eight, Kate, and her soon to be ex-husband, Jon. The NPSA is fighting accusations saying they have endorsed the complete removal of alcohol based hand sanitizer from all clinical areas (see barfblog post: Drunk on Sanitation). In fact, the NPSA advocates the use of alcohol based hand sanitizer, but it should be concentrated in specific areas of the hospital (i.e. patient rooms and clinical areas).

Drunk on sanitation

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At Dorset County Hospital, in the UK, alcohol based hand sanitizing gel is now banned at hospital entrances. The hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Committee previously placed sanitizing gel at hospital entrances to promote hospital visitor hand hygiene. According to hospital staff, homeless people are now coming into the entrance and drinking the gel, which contains up to 70 percent alcohol.

A spokeswoman from the hospital said, “What we are trying to do is focus people on hand hygiene at the point of care so that they wash or gel their hands on entering wards or at the patient’s bedside.” She further implied the removal of the alcohol gel due to ingestion was only one of many health and safety reasons. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has advised hospitals to remove alcohol gel from hospital entrances.

Two persons have died from alcohol gel ingestion.