"Yeah but I'm betting all manner of four leggers crap in farm fields." G4 #42
Undoubtedly. Field sanitation for our migrant farm-workers is probably marginal at best. I don't know how they do it. But they seem to be amazingly productive workers.
Either way, there seems to be a rather dynamic, efficient (prompt?) ecology out there. Reductio ad absurdum: how many former friends have you had that are now dead due to consuming contaminated broccoli?
For whatever reason, that particular sub-category of risk seems to bear a very low probability of occurring.
"Semi related story. I remember being in a restaurant in Switzerland years ago - the first time I traveled to Europe - and being dumbfounded when some guy walks in with his dog, sits down and orders dinner. Didn't seem to bother anyone - just me (and I'm a dog owner)."
I'm more surprised that it was Switzerland than any other detail of the story. Superficially Switzerland seems like a nice place (safe, neat, clean). But they seem to have lots of weird laws. (no flushing the toilet after 11
M?!)
"Had that been a restaurant in NY the guy would've been tossed out of the place. I eventually decided that we Americans are just a bit too uptight about such things."
Animals can be unpredictable.
I had a friend that worked in a women's fashion's shop. There were a bunch of leather shoulder bags on display. A customer walked in with a dog, and the dog scent-marked the leather bags.
Turns out the leather bags were imported from lord knows where, and in that foreign land they treated the leather with livestock urine; and the dog just wanted in on the fun.
I prefer my dogs in packages of 10. Jenny-O Turkey dogs: excellent! They're low fat compared to the beef / pork alternative; and despite the fact that they're more healthful, cost about half as much.
"I usually don't eat it raw either. Lightly sautéed in olive oil with a little garlic is my preferred way to eat the broc."
I wouldn't jump off a cliff on this one. I don't do much of that specific kind of cooking.
Instead I tend to cook macaroni, angel hair pasta, etc.
I gather the standard is butter after cooking, to keep it from clumping, and flavor.
I've never used butter for that.
Instead I use salad dressing; usually Italian Robusto (name brand or house brand is fine).
I've never exposed it to as much heat as you may. But you might like to experiment with it.
And lately I've tried substituting Ranch, Blue Cheese, etc. I still like Italian Robusto (sometimes called "Zesty") the best; quick, easy, flavorful.
PS
One last about salad dressing for now:
Newman's Own (proceeds go to charity) sells many types of salad dressing.
Each of them is marked: "Refrigerate After Opening".
BUT !! Their vinaigrette is labeled: "Does Not Require Refrigeration". When I was building my house, before I had a kitchen or a refrigerator, that's the kind of dressing I used. [That was in Y2K, check the label]
Not bad.
