Old MacDonald had a farm

This whole BSE thing is driving me nuts. Alton Brown has some pointed things to say about it. As nearly as I can tell the recall and quarantines are absolutely unnecessary. BSE is not a bacteria or a virus and not easily spread from one mammal to another. Since the incubation period is so very long, we don't really know a lot for certain, but it seems unlikely that eating the muscle meat, even from an infected cow, would be dangerous. It's a disease of the central nervous system and it appears the only way you can get it is to consume that part of an infected animal. I won't be eating oxtail soup anytime soon, but I'd think muscle cuts would be perfectly safe. Of course, I shocked my mother-in-law deeply by eating beef on our trip to the UK in 1999. I suppose ground beef could be risky unless you grind it yourself or get from someone you know you can trust. Otherwise I just find it hard to get excited about the whole thing.

Comments

[Liz]

thanks for pointing out Alton's diatribe (as usual, right on).

[Mary Kay]

Welcome Liz! And you're welcome.

MKK

[Dave Trowbridge]

He's right about mad cow disease, but he lost me with the usual elitist crap about "cancerous creep of Walmart." I have never shopped at Walmart, but on the other hand, I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with wanting more for less, esp. if you're responsible for a family with an income that puts you in one of the lower quintiles. Walmart is a godsend for such people.