Yesterday, Edward Frettchenvergnuegen Lipinski wrote:
>Hint: become good friends with your local grocery store meat cutter, 'cause
>you're gona want to get the debris out of the meat-cutting bandsaw
>collection tray every other day or so.  Briefly cooked, this is one of the
>main elements of LUMPS.
 
I assume that you've been doing this for a while, and are aware of what I'm
about to say, but I thought others might not be.  Sometime back I managed a
coffeeshop in Chicago and had to become certified in Food Service Sanitation
by the city.  There we learned, among other interesting facts (have you ever
thought about how filthy money is?), that the meat-cutting bandsaw
collection tray, as well as that of deli meat slicers, can be a breeding
ground for bacteria and such well-known nasties as salmonella.  Please check
your butcher carefully to make sure s/he follows sanitary meat cutting
practices-- best would be if the bandsaw were kept in a refridgerated room.
Briefly cooking the meat will indeed help cut down on toxins, but all the
meat in the portion must reach temps from 140-180F, depending on the type of
meat.  There are also a few nasties out there that sometimes become even
nastier after they're killed, so be careful.
 
Any advice on how to get your finicky eaters to try meat?  Neither of mine
will touch the stuff-- they're the ones who think that food only comes out
of a bag!
 
Health issues: I for one am all in favor of keeping the health-related stuff
coming.  Apart from the fact that the FML saved Amelia last spring, I really
appreciate having some ideas of warning signs to look for and what to expect
in the case of various ferret illnesses.  I would like to thank all those
who write about their ferrets' illnesses and provide updates-- I know it
can't always be easy to write about it.  For those who complain about the
health-related stuff-- owning a pet is equal parts fun and _responsibility_.
IMO, accepting an animal into your home means not only getting a really cool
and loving companion but also means making a pledge to be responsible for
that animal's wellbeing.  I think the FML really represents a group of
people who are among the most responsible pet owners out there (some might
even call us nuts, but then they must not know the joys of ferrets), and I
think that's something for us all to be proud of.  Just my $.02 worth!
 
Regina
and Cully and Amelia ("please responsibly go get us some more Linatone...
now responsibly put all the plants on the floor...  now responsibly let us
into your roommates' rooms...")
 
ps  no, it's not pick-on-Ed day, but, ahem, those Englander pig farmers
just stole the San Juan islands from their Native inhabitants...  ok, I
know, way off topic.
 
 
*********************************************
Regina Harrison
PhD Student, Anthropology
Joint Co-ordinator, AGSEM-- McGill's TA union
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec
"If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing" --Peggie Lee
[Posted in FML issue 1818]