Like a really needed a reason to stop eating sprouts!

Like many poorly informed, germaphobic hypochondriacs, I have been following the deadly E. coli outbreak as it has gone from a localized German problem to a European issue... to possibly a global problem.

It took awhile, but the guys and gals in the white lab coats finally traced the E. coli outbreak to a kind of sprout that is widely used to bulk up and add variety/texture to salads.

It turns out, the pocket-protector crowd should have identified the source of the outbreak much sooner given the recent news that this kind of sprout is particularly prone to harboring nasty stuff... so much so that a routine part of the pre-germination routine is soaking the seeds in a chlorine solution just a tad weaker than what you're likely to encounter in a typical public swimming pool!

Well, the Times has now announced that an Egyptian company sold more than 11 tons of the funky fenugreek seeds to a German distributor, who in turn sold them to companies all over Europe (and possibly beyond).  And only a tiny fraction of that shipment has been accounted for!  

So, not that I needed a compelling reason to give up eating sprouts...  but aside from my typical Neanderthal diet of animal protein, I am definitely limiting my salad fixins to a strict romaine lettuce, tomato and cucumber regimen... and then only in small amounts.

I like my odds with 'Mad Cow' Disease a lot better than with E. coli!