> >> NZ site giving official coordinated guidelines on health-safety
> >> procedures for food cooking, refrigeration, freezing,  thawing and
> >> more.
> >> Brief but useful.

> > About as useful as the California warnings on everything suspected
> > of causing cancer.   Bah, humbug.  No one should eat a steak less
> > cooked than 'well done.'  Sushi, sashimi, steak tartar, carpacio, etc:
> > right out.  No runny yolks in your fried eggs.  No eggnog.

About three years ago, my wife picked up a minor in food safety as a
part of her microbiology course of study.  She still eats runny eggs
(yolk only) and mayo, and has given a stamp of approval to my
consumption of criminally undercooked beef and sushi.  She is (and
has made me into) a manic handwasher, but that's okay (more or
less).

> > Most cases of food poisoning aren't even worth worrying about...
> 
> Unfortunately, that may be less true than most people realise. 

A very dear friend of mine from college may be hindered for life by a
food-borne disease which was maltreated by a doctor, given his
diabetes, and spread into his knees.  It doesn't take much for the
nastier bugs, and it's also important to note that in the case of
things like botulism where the active pathogen is a toxin rather than
an organism, even cooking the food won't prevent illness.  Hence the
rather harsh recommendations on food temperature.

> Do a survey in your local public toilet and see how many men wash
> their hands either before or after urinating. (Be careful how you
> survey or you may attract the wrong sort of attention :-) ). 

I work in a University, at a Veterinary Medicine school.  Most of my
coworkers have, at a minimum, a Master's degree usually in some
health-related study.  I recently saw a man in the restroom towel off
his hands after using the restroom, without washing them first.

> Watch
> people buying food from cafes etc and see how many wash their hands in
> advance. 

My wife freaks out when people handle food with gloved hands, then
handle cash and operate the till with those same gloves, then go back
to preparing food.  Subway and other sandwich shops are usually the
worst about that sort of thing.

> Do YOU handle the door handles in public lavatories as you
> leave? In such locations, I don't if at all possible. I also don't
> usually dry my hands with the provided media or machines but do try to
> get my hands dry asap - wet hands greatly increase germ acquisition
> rate. paranoia? Maybe, but effort required is very small and potential
> benefits are significant. I get enough 'germs" to keep my antibodies
> at a reasonable level without courting others' bugs.

As flu season passes, I've taken to washing the local knobs around my
office.  Just a precaution.  I also use the paper towl I dried my hands
with to open the door.  I haven't figured out a general alternative to
paper towels or air dryers; if I'm wearing jeans they can usually absorb
quite a bit of moisture without looking or feeling too wet.

Of course, when wearing khakis or other types of pants, that habit
CAN lead to embarassment.  ;-)

Mike H.
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