Tuesday Edition of Monday Menu

I didn't have time to post yesterday. Today I think I am allergic to everything. Okay, I'm not, it just feels that way. I think that's how I got pink eye- things are falling out of trees again. Thus my nose is stuffy. So I probably touched my face too much and got pink eye. After I came back to work, I found out three other people on the line had it before me. None of them were sent home because the team leader didn't think it was a big deal. My eye was gushing tears so I taped gauze to my face and when people saw me, they freaked out. Naturally this drew the attention of the production manager who sent me home quick. He probably didn't know about the other people because no one else came to work looking like they lost an eyeball.

Since I don't feel well, this week's menu consists of simple fare- scrambled eggs and steak for breakfast, hamburgers for lunch, and burritos for supper. I realize most people don't consider steak simple fare, but it was on sale and it's just skillet steak, not a t-bone or anything. And I'm frying it in the pan, not grilling it. I'm not keen on grilling. It seems like far too much work. Kevin loved to grill. Grilling is an art and until I met Kevin I never had a perfectly grilled steak. Please, people, do not set the meat on fire. I realize being outside with friends gathered around a fire and drinking is fun, but if you don't know how to control the temperature of that fire, just give everyone a stick and let them roast hot dogs. It will be just as much fun, less expensive, and the food will actually taste right.

As long as we're on the subject of meat, the most important kitchen tool I own is a meat thermometer. I'm a bit absent-minded so I rarely remember what time I started cooking or when I flipped the meat. Just because it looks done on the outside doesn't mean it's ready. The thermometer takes care of the guess work. Mine cost about $9 at Kroger. The left side has the temperature and the right side has a chart listing the correct temperatures for various meats. I used to like my steak medium well, but with all the food recalls in the last few years, I don't think it's safe to eat anything other than well done. Used to, salmonella was only found on meats. Now it's on the fruit and vegetables too.

It would be easy to blame the FDA for not doing a good job, but I think that's only part of the problem. People don't seem to know food needs careful handling. They don't seem to understand how germs are transferred- like with the pink eye I mentioned earlier. We seem to have a lack of understanding about hygiene and good health. And it doesn't help if a fruit company unknowingly washes produce with contaminated water. I think we all just assume that because we live in America we have clean water. Do you know where your water comes from? My water company sends me an annual report about the cleanliness of the water, what chemicals or minerals it may contain, how often they test it, and what they test for. Does your water authority do that? Do you know how far the water has to travel before it reaches your home? If your water source is a lake or river, is it open to the public? Can people fish there? Do they dump litter in the water? Do you want to drink from the same water people have been swimming in?

Of course, our food is also touched by soil and air. Is there smog in your city? What's in the dirt? What was in that location before someone turned it into farmland? Was it woods or houses? Is there a factory nearby? What if there's a busy highway bordering the farm and all the gas fumes, oil, and tar washes down to the tomatoes? Do you think that stuff can be easily washed off?

It's not feasible for everyone to grow their own food. Most people don't have the time or space or knowledge. And you can't grow it all. Like bread- are you going to grow your own wheat? What about coffee? Would you be willing to tend a cow for milk? What I would like to see is a greater understanding about food, where it comes from, and how it was prepared. Maybe we need placement labels- something that tells us who grew it, where it grown, who picked it, who processed it, and how many miles it traveled to the store. And then when we got home, we could all wash our hands before we sat down to eat.