Author Archives: Sol Erdozain

Happy cows come from British Columbia, too

Posted on by
Reply

I like having a glass of wine with my dinner every now and then. It tastes good and they say it’s good for you, so I don’t even have to feel guilty about it.

Apparently, a group of farmers in British Columbia think the health benefits also apply to cattle. The idea is a variation of the Kobe beef, where cattle are fed beer. Unlike Kobe beef, the wine is not fed every day.

“It’s during the final 90 days leading up to their slaughter that they are fed red wine supplied by a number of wineries in the Okanagan Valley.”

The final product is sweeter-tasting meat that is supposedly more tender. Plus, the cows get to die buzzed.

I wonder, if they did this with dairy cows, would wine and cheese parties become obsolete?

Dining a La Lohan

Posted on by
Reply

Lindsay Lohan has been making headlines lately for the whole drunk driving and defying court thing. I miss the good old “Mean Girls” days. She looked so innocent at the beginning of that movie, when the only place she felt safe eating at was in the toilet stall.

Maybe she was on to something.

"There’s more faecal bacteria in your kitchen sink than in your toilet after you flush it. People nuke their bathrooms, but not their kitchens."

The research, from the University of Arizona, also points out that the toilet is also cleaner than cutting boards in the kitchen, computer keyboards in the office and workplaces where there are children.

Ok, so maybe Lindsay did it because it was in the script and it’s not exactly a trend to follow in dining, but the point is sanitation.

Clean kitchen surfaces, use a separate cutting board for meat and wash your and your kids’ hands.
 

Skimmed oil, anyone?

Posted on by
Reply

A friend of mine works for a company in charge of collecting waste oil from restaurants to later turn it into fuel. They also pick up road kill from I-70. It’s a dirty job, but I’m glad somebody is doing it.

The Chinese have taken recycling to a whole new level. The waste oil is “skimmed from kitchen waste” and resold in the black market. The yuck factor is enough reason in itself to blog about, but the practice is also a dangerous one:

“Reused cooking oil would likely contain acrylamide, a chemical that forms naturally when starchy foods are baked or fried. Studies have shown the chemical, which also has industrial uses, causes cancer in lab animals and nerve damage to workers who are exposed to high levels.”

Chinese officials say they are stepping up their efforts to combat this and other food safety issues.
 

Salsa and guacamole – yummy but risky?

Posted on by
1

I love Jimmy John’s veggie subs. I think the secret ingredient is in the guacamole spread-thingy. I avoid the sprouts though; not just because they’ve been linked to outbreaks, but I find they ruin the whole flavor chemistry.

It appears that now I might have reason to avoid the guacamole spread-thingy as well.

Research from the CDC shows that “nearly 1 out of every 25 restaurant-associated foodborne outbreaks with identified food sources between 1998 and 2008 can be traced back to contaminated salsa or guacamole.”
 

The risks might arise from big batches of the stuff being stored at improper temperatures, or contamination from mishandling the raw ingredients.

Next time I’m at Jimmy John’s, I’ll make sure I ask how their delicious guacamole is prepared and stored so as not to make any rash decisions about completely avoiding it.

 

No money for food safety inspections in Florida?

Posted on by
Reply

I was recently at a day care center doing some research. The director pointed out that one of the rooms was unavailable for the summer because they are required by law to have an emergency exit, which the room was lacking due to recent renovations.

I thought that made perfect sense, especially with such a vulnerable population in the facility.

Another thing that makes sense is ensuring the food at the facility is just as safe as the building, which Florida seems to disagree with.

“The state of Florida has eliminated food safety inspections at hospitals, day care centers and nursing homes because of budget cuts.”

Maybe the state should borrow some money from one of their basketball teams who apparently have a few extra million to offer LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

Pet Food Recall Trifecta

Posted on by
Reply

There have recently been 2 previous recalls due to pet food. Ok, one of them was dog vitamins but it still counts as a trifecta.

In the latest pet food recall, Feline’s Pride (cat food) is recalling its chicken formula due to salmonella contamination (right, exactly as shown).

The product is packaged in uncoded plastic containers and sold frozen to private consumers nationwide. Once thawed, the pet food has a shelf life of about 1 week. The firm manufactures the pet food by an as-ordered basis. This recall affects only those orders placed and shipped from June 10 through June 17, 2010.

Wash your hands after handling your pet food, especially if its contaminated with salmonella.
 

I would not eat them here or there, I would not eat them anywhere. I would not eat eggs fried on a sidewalk, Sam-I-am.

Posted on by
Reply

4th of July is coming up and Arizona is holding it’s annual sidewalk-frying egg contest. I don’t know who comes up with these contests but whoever it is should properly inform people about the risks involved, namely salmonella.

The spokesperson for the event doesn’t “recommend” anyone actually eat the eggs but with kids hanging around and adults acting like kids, recommendations might go unheeded.

Allergies are no laughing matter

Posted on by
5

I have food allergies but they are not life-threatening, I just get hives like Woogie from “There’s Something About Mary.”

However, some people get serious allergic reactions and a waiter shouldn’t ignore that or make fun of it. Makes me wonder what else they don’t know about the industry they work in.

In response to a reader’s dining experience, FloFab replied  “Obviously that wait person has been badly trained and the restaurant could use a wake-up call.”

It’s important for restaurants to properly train their staff members to keep people from getting sick; be it from foodborne pathogens or allergies.