Food Safety Makes Sense

In my former career, I was a public health inspector/environmental health officer and ran my own business called Enviro-Food Consulting. I trained a large number of restaurant and foodservice workers on food safety techniques.

The public forgets that food poisoning cases are happening worldwide and are preventable. It makes sense for us to remember that food safety is important to all of us.

The Attitudes of Food Service Workers

I have taught many groups of workers from teens to seniors. For most of my students, food safety is not treated seriously. Working in a restaurant is thought of as just another job. Management is not always supportive. If workers notice that management doesn’t take an interest in them, they are not concerned about food safety. That means sanitizing isn’t done carefully, hands are wiped not washed and dirty cloths are not replaced. Sanitizing is extremely important in preventing food poisoning.

Cappucino

Food Prepared & Purchased in A Typical Day

On a typical day, many of us consume food made at home or nowadays may enjoy a takeout item such as coffee. We all forget how much we depend on the food supply chain to provide us with safe food to eat which won’t make us ill. Many cases of foodborne illness are not reported as symptoms tend to mimic the flu. There are times when you may not have had the flu but food poisoning instead.

Breakfast Egg Sandwich

Consider The Following Points

For example, if you had an egg sandwich for breakfast in a restaurant, do you consider the following points?

1. How old is the egg that was used to make the sandwich?

    2. Did the food handler preparing the sandwich wash his/her hands before preparing the sandwich?

    3. Was the egg cooked properly to the correct temperature?

    4. Was there any cross-contamination with other menu items being prepared on the grill or at the same time?

    Food Handler Washing Hands
    1. Was the handwashing done properly not just using a shot of hand sanitizer? Hand sanitizers are wonderful when sinks with hot and cold water are not available. However, in a restaurant kitchen, there is a designated hand basin to use. Handwashing with hot or warm water and liquid soap sanitizes hands most effectively.
    2. Was the work area sanitized? This should be done with an approved sanitizer in a spray bottle and clean cloth. If the cloth is dirty, contaminants will be spread around the surfaces.
    3. Was the sandwich cooked to the proper temperature?
    4. Is the purchased sandwich hot, lukewarm or even cold? Uneven temperatures mean the food is in the Danger Zone where various food poisoning organisms can grow.

    Do You Still Want to Eat the Egg Sandwich?

    After thinking about all these points, do you still want to eat the egg sandwich?

    Food safety affects us! Don’t take it for granted. Food safety does make sense.

    More Breakfast Food
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    Travel Memories: Santorini, Greece

    A Trip to Santorini

    How To Get There

    Santorini is a beautiful Greek Island and was very popular with tourists when I visited on a cruise stop a few years ago. Hopefully, once the earthquakes subside, tourism will return.

    When a cruise ship docks, there are two ways to get up the hill.

    The first way is by cable car which is a steep ride up to the top with amazing views.

    Cable Car up hill

    The second way is to take a donkey ride or walk up the steps which takes a while. The donkeys must know the route by memory as they constantly walk up and down the steep slope.

    Donkeys and tourists walking up the steep slope to the top.

    I chose the cable car because it was fast and also a fun way to quickly get to the top.

    Donkeys waiting on steps in shade.

    A Special Greek Island

    Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, around 200 kilometers from the mainland of Greece.

    It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago, and is a remnant of a volcanic caldera. A caldera is a caldron-like hollow which forms shortly after the magma chamber empties in a volcanic eruption. The walls of the volcano cave in resulting in the cauldron-like appearance of the island. It can also be considered a crater though it looks more like a giant sinkhole structure due to the eruption and the build-up of magma over time.

    The Churches

    The principal city in Santorini is Fira. The cycladic style are the white buildings built like an amphitheatre on the hillside. The blue domed churches really stand out against the white buildings built with narrow pathways between them. The churches were my favourite part of Santorini because they are so beautiful and I had never seen anything like them before.

    A Return to Santorini

    When it is safe to return to Santorini, it will be worthwhile to re-visit this amazing island with the beautiful views.

    A church dome.
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    Travel Memories: Mykonos, Greece

    A Popular Greek Island

    Windmill on Mykonos

    On a cruise a few years ago, we visited the Greek island of Mykonos, also the name of the main town.

    A Town By The Sea

    Mykonos is a lovely town with some buildings and restaurants up to the water’s edge. It is nicknamed “The Island of Winds” due to the very strong winds which blow across the island which we experienced.

    The cruise ship in the distance.

    Greek Dining

    We were able to sit outside and enjoy some Greek food while almost on the water.

    My husband Al and myself sitting outside at Mykonos restaurant.

    We had some Greek appetizers which included olives and hummous of course!

    Hummous

    They also brought us olives, bread and tsatziki.

    Appetizers

    We had to try the cappucino!

    Cappucino

    Greek Octopus

    One thing we didn’t try was the octopus! This one was sitting outside on the bar all ready to go!

    It was a fun day in Mykonos and well worth the visit.

    Dining by the sea.
    Mykonos Pottery showing the famous windmills.

    I look forward to returning there again in the future.

    Narrow streets in Mykonos.
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    Back To School Lunch Safety

    Safely Prepared Lunches Are Important

    I always get asked questions on children’s school lunches. Parents ask if lunches are not refrigerated, how can they be safe? Of course, most of us attended school and didn’t have insulated lunch boxes or ice gel packs and did not become ill. However, there are some steps to take that will help reduce the risk of food poisoning and provide a safe lunch.

    Here are safety tips for parents:

    Temperature Control

    ** When preparing sandwiches, use either frozen bread or refrigerate the night before. Otherwise, pack with cold drinks, a frozen juice box or an ice pack in an insulated lunch box and that will keep food cool enough until lunch time.

    Sandwich

    ** Remind children to throw away perishable leftovers and recycle packaging when possible. Use individual containers and don’t re-use food packaging as this increases the risk of cross-contamination. As allergies are an increasing concern with children, any re-used packaging could contain an allergen, eg. peanut butter, which can be placed onto another food, eg. cheese, causing an allergic reaction.

    ** Wash all fruits and vegetables with tap water and then dry with paper towel before adding to the lunch box.

    ** Insulated bottles can also be used to keep hot food out of the temperature danger zone. Fill the bottle first with boiling water, empty and fill with the hot food.

    Sandwich & Salad

    ** Most importantly, wash your hands before preparing your child’s lunch.

    Stay on the Right Track

    School lunches safety prepared will help children start back to school safely and ensure a great start to the new school year!

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    Hard Cover Books Versus E-Readers

    I remember when e-readers came out such as kobe and kindle. I wasn’t too happy with thinking that books would be read on an electronic reader. Where would the feel of the book be and the joy of turning pages to find out the rest of the story?

    Paperback Books to Read When Travelling

    Paperback Travel Reads

    Even though I travelled at the time, I always took a few paperbacks with me and was able to read them on the trip. Some of the travellers I met really loved their kindles as they could load many books on them at a time. This saved carrying extra books in their luggage which was an advantage. There is also the concern with the radiation level emitted when holding the e-reader near the body. This also happens with the constant use of cell phones though the public doesn’t accept t

    The Joy of Reading Books

    However, I have always loved to read books and turn pages into each story. It’s great to be able to hold the book and flip the pages and carry it with you to read when you can. This is what influenced the sales of e-readers. It was originally thought that many would use kindles and printed books would become obsolete! The public have continued to read books because they enjoy having the book to hold, read and flip through. Printed books won’t go out of style as we all enjoy them too much. There is a place for both e-readers and printed books in the reading world which is a good thing for book lovers everywhere.

    The Fairy Hollow Chronicles Book 3
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    Debutante’s Lives in WW2

    While researching information for my book Olive’s Obsession, I found a fabulous book called Debs at War: How War Changed Their Lives 1939-1945 by Anne de Courcy.

    Debutantes

    I was amazed to learn how little the debutantes knew about life. They had been sheltered for most of their young lives. Their main goal in life was to find a good match and marry very well. The higher up the better! Then war came along. Many had servants and maids who did everything for them. All of a sudden, they were thrust into the war effort. Some went into nursing, some worked for the Women’s Voluntary Association, some became pilots and some drove ambulances. One deb was asked what she knew about the gas tank. “It was full of oil and hair,” she replied. Her chauffeur had taught her this but instead of saying hair, he had said air! As for support from their parents, many didn’t dine with their mother or father until much older.

    Debs in their evening dresses in 1939.

    Life Influencers

    The sole influence on their lives was Nanny. They learned all her mannerisms which carried them through life. They were challenged during the war to use skills they didn’t know they possessed.

    Female pilots in WW2.

    Chosen Paths

    Imagine going into culture shock from your world where the lady’s maid looked after all your clothes to one where being inspected for head lice was routine. Some went on to Bletchley Park or became Land Girls. Most went into the Services – as FANYs, ATS, Wrens or WAAFs. The class barrier had existed in England but it dissolved under the love and war or continued on to in superiority to those less wealthy. No one was catering to them when they volunteered.

    Character in Book

    I will be having a debutante as one of the characters in my book. Her name is Lady Pamela and she is using the club as one of her good works! More to come.

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    Children’s Books Mean So Much

    Summer Reading Clubs at local libraries are a fun part of summer and provide challenges to children to read different books and receive prizes! Children’s books are meant to challenge their imaginations, provide stories they can relate to and improve their literacy. Books can accomplish this in many ways and promote a life-long love of reading.

    Illustrations Are Important

    A young reader with the first book The Fairy Hollow Chronicles

    As a children’s book author, I know how important it is to have illustrations with the story. The story comes alive when children see the characters which ignite their curiosity. Movies and videos for kids don’t always allow them to use their imaginations. Imagination is a powerful tool and helps the child create or use their mind to imagine what could be or what the characters could do.

    The third book in the series The Fairy Hollow Chronicles – The Fairy Hollow Gold Treasure Adventure

    In my Fairy Hollow Chronicles series, my illustrator, Barbara Warwick, used vivid colors and attention to detail to bring the characters to life. What children see on the above book cover are three pirates. However, look at the details which bring them to life. The Captain has a sword and a skull and crossbones on his cap. The second pirate is tall with a black eye patch cover over his eye and is barefoot! The cat looks interesting with the tiny pirates hat on the cat’s head! The third pirate is wearing the large gold buckle on his belt, high top boots and a black eye patch cover on his right eye. Now the reader has a visual description of what the characters look like which helps to understand the story.

    Writer’s Tool Kit

    Writers of children’s books really need to appeal to children and can do so by challenging their imagination and use of descriptive words. Books can have simple wording or use more complex phrases again to challenge the child’s mind. One tool for the children’s book author is the use of colorful illustrations. Children are fascinated by different color images. In the story above, the child is not just walking down a path but is wearing bright-colored shoes, pink overalls, with flowers, her pet dog and cat, her doll and last of all her baby brother all in the same scene. There is a lot going on in this scene. The reader can discuss with the child when reading the book together which is what the author had in mind.

    Stories That Children Can Relate To

    Rupert Bear in his famous yearly annual for children

    Happy Endings

    Children like stories with happy endings. With Rupert, children can look at the world of adventure and fun through different animals who are dressed in brightly colored clothing. These animals would not be like this in real life. However, the characters are helpful to children to think about the world they live in and their friends and family in a different light. They will want to join Rupert and his friends on adventures too!

    Sally with her children’s book The Fairy Hollow Chronicles illustrated by Barbie Warwick

    The Best Part

    By making children’s books colorful, interesting, challenging and fun to read, children are off to a great start in the world of books. They will enjoy reading as they get older and venture into longer books with no illustrations. Most importantly, children’s books help children begin their journey into literacy which will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

    Another young reader with her Grandma reading The Fairy Hollow Chronicles!
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    Opportunities for Young Women in WW2 in England

    Women today do not know how far we have come. It wasn’t that long ago that women were raised to get married and that was it. No career was to be considered. Not even university. Here are some points I discovered while doing the research for my book.

    A Job in London


    While researching my book Olive’s Obsession based on Olive working at the Beaver Club in London during the war, I have found that there were not many choices for young women. Olive, who in real life was my mother, went to Pitman’s College in London to learn shorthand. She then went on to learn typing and worked as a secretary for such amazing companies as Quaker Oats and the EverReady Battery Company. The Ever Ready Battery Company got bombed during the war and very fortunately all the staff were gone as it was night time so no one lost their lives.

    Life in London

    Olive and her friend in London in WW2

    My Mother always said that she was in London working but did not see a lot of war going on. She maybe said that so that we, my sister and I, growing up would not think she had suffered. They all suffered severely especially with the bomb shelters being in the tube at any hour when the alarm sounded. Also, the lack of food and rationing books that had to be presented when purchasing food. Everything was for the war effort.

    Voluntary Work in the Red Cross

    Volunteers in the Red Cross

    What Were Your Opportunities?

    As for the opportunities, you were either a teacher, nurse or secretary. You were expected to marry young otherwise you were considered an “old maid” which many dreaded. If you were a member of the aristocracy, then you were expected to marry high up. No career was in the cards for you. That explains why volunteer work became popular with the aristocracy as they were appearing to do good for the lower classes. The class system existed in Great Britain at the time.

    Ladies Having Tea in London

    Life has changed for women since the events of World War II thankfully. It is not necessary to only get married or have just a few careers to choose from such as nurse or teacher. I am finding previous correspondence written by my mother which details what she and her friends were experiencing during and after the war. More to follow as I delve into the Beaver Log and other writings from this time!

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    6 Summer Food Safety Tips

    Summer Barbeque

    Even though the weather is not warm just yet, summer provides us with good times outdoors to enjoy family picnics, holidays and camping. As with all meals, food preparation is the key especially when family members and guests represent all age groups. Food poisoning can easily be prevented. Here are some tips for summer food safety.

    Foods To Avoid This Summer

    Raw Milk, Juices & Cheeses

    Raw Milk

    Raw milk is unpasteurized and can contain bacteria and viruses which cause food poisoning. Unpasteurized juices and cheeses are also unsafe. Stick to pasteurized products as the heat treatment of pasteurization destroys these disease-causing microbes.

    Raw Sprouts

    Raw sprouts should be avoided because the danger exists in the growing process. Many outbreaks have occurred in countries from sprout contamination mainly caused by the germination process where the seeds are sprouted in standing water which grows bacteria.

    Raw Sprouts

    Raw Oysters

    You’ve heard about raw oysters before! Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to shellfish have increased steadily due to global warming. Warmer water increases microbial growth, and filter feeders such as oysters pass the micro-organisms into their systems when they filter the water. Vibrio is one example of an illness caused from eating raw oysters.

    Raw Oysters

    Raw Flour

    Raw cookie dough treats are popular, but the flour is cooked before the dough is made. However, uncooked flour can spread bacteria such as E. coli. Outbreaks of food poisoning have occurred from eating raw cookie dough so it’s not a good idea to consume this.

    Raw Flour

    Raw Meats & Fish

    Sushi is great but must not sit out in the sun or in the Danger Zone for longer than 2 hours. As we are in a hot spell this summer, sushi must be consumed in a shorter period of time as the outside temperature when on a picnic or camping is higher than normal. Raw fish and raw meat contain bacteria. It’s not worth eating raw hamburger or partially cooked meat as bacteria is still present in the raw product. This can result in E. coli which causes kidney failure among other symptoms.

    Raw Meats

    The Best Tips for Safety

    It’s always best practice to wash your hands before, during and after food preparation.

    There are five steps for proper handwashing: wet hands, lather with soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, and dry. Many people forget or don’t scrub their hands for 20 seconds which allows their hands to remain contaminated. This then contaminates the foods they are preparing or serving.

    Handwashing

    Handwashing

    Watch The Danger Zone

    Courtesy of USDA

    Use a food thermometer to check menu items such as meats and fish when cooking. The thermometer must go in the center of the product and reach the appropriate temperature as shown on the chart.

    Be Safe

    Most importantly, remember that handwashing will be your best preventive tool. If you touch a platter of raw fruit after handling raw meats, you will then contaminate the raw fruit. Even condiments and bags of chips can help spread disease-causing organisms via cross-contamination. Children touching playground equipment in parks and backyards can allow microscopic amounts of bird droppings on hamburgers, hot dogs and other foods. It’s especially important when camping to wash hands correctly after playing outdoors and swimming in lakes or other waterways.

    If you follow these tips, you will have safe meal preparation this summer!

    Summer Picnic

    Source: Food Safety News July 2, 2022

    Foods to avoid this Independence Day and tips to avoid holiday food poisoning by Jonan Pilet
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    Historic Castle Series: Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

    Entrance to Eilean Donan Castle

    Eilean Donan’s History

    The name Eilean Donan means island of Donan. It was most likely named after the 6th century Irish Saint, Bishop Donan, who came to Scotland around 580 AD. There are several churches dedicated to Donan in the area and he could have formed a small cell or community on the island during the late 7th century.

    View from Castle

    The first fortified structure was built in the 13th century as a defensive measure, protecting the lands of Kintail between 800 & 1266 against the Vikings who controlled, raided and settled much of Northern Scotland and the Western Isles. From the mid 13th century on, the sea became the main highway with the power of the feuding clan chiefs in this “Sea Kingdom” of the Lord of the Isles. Eilean Donan offered the perfect defensive position.

    The castle has changed size over the centuries. The largest was the medieval castle, with towers and a curtain wall that encompassed nearly the entire island. The main keep stood on the island’s highest point. By the end of the 14th century, the castle area was reduced to a fifth of its original size. This was due to the number of men required to defend the castle. Canons were introduced by the 16th century on a hornwork firing platform added to the east wall.

    The Jacobite Risings in Scotland

    Outside Castle

    Eilean Donan also played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries which resulted in the castle’s destruction.

    In 1719 the castle was garrisoned by 46 Spanish soldiers who were supporting the Jacobites. They had established a magazine of gunpowder, and were awaiting the delivery of weapons and cannon from Spain. The English Government discovered the intended uprising and sent three heavily armed frigates The Flamborough, The Worcester, and The Enterprise to the area. The castle was bombarded for 3 days with limited success due to the enormous thick castle walls which were up to 14 feet thick in some places.

    Finally, Captain Herdman of The Enterprise sent his men ashore and overwhelmed the Spanish defenders. Following the surrender, the government troops discovered the magazine of 343 barrels of gunpowder which was then used to blow up what had remained from the bombardment.

    Eilean Donan

    For 200 years, the ruins of Eilean Donan lay neglected and abandoned. Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911. Along with his Clerk of Works, Farquar Macrae, he dedicated the next 20 years of his life to the reconstruction of Eilean Donan, restoring her to her former glory. The castle was rebuilt according to the surviving ground plan of earlier phases and was formally completed in the July of 1932.

    Eilean Donan Today

    Eilean Donan has starred in many films including:

    Bonnie Prince Charlie starring David Niven (1948)
    The Master of Ballantreee starring Errol Flynn (1953)
    The New Avengers (1976)
    Highlander (1986)
    Loch Ness (1996)
    James Bond – The World is Not Enough (1999)

    A more recent movie was Made of Honour, a romantic comedy from 2008 starring Patrick Dempsey & Michelle Monaghan.

    Wedding at Eileen Donan

    Besides movies, weddings are popular at the Castle. It’s well worth a visit if you are planning a trip to Scotland!

    Al and I in front of Castle
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