Clean Your Canned Food

A recent email from a friend prompted today's sharing of a potential health hazard which affects all of us.

Every fortnight or so I would visit the hypermarket to replenish provisions and other household items. Amongst the many foodstuff that we purchased are canned food and drinks, packets or boxes of cereals, bottled stuff like sauces and condiments which are packed in some form or other.


As soon as everything has been unloaded from the car, they are wiped with a damp cloth to rid the surface of any dust or grime. Furthermore, everyone in the family has been trained to wash the can or bottle before opening it.


As a matter of fact, the wiping is not limited to only foodstuff; all packages are cleaned, be they toilet rolls, tissue boxes, hand creams or shampoo bottles before they are stored!


Reading the following story makes it all the more valid to properly clean all packaging before storing and using the products. Better be safe than sorry!


A stock clerk was sent to clean up a storeroom in Maui , Hawaii .

When he got back, he was complaining that the storeroom was really filthy and that he had noticed dried mouse/rat droppings in some areas.
A couple of days later, he started to feel like he was coming down with a stomach flu, complained of sore joints and headaches, and began to vomit.

He went to bed and never really got up again. Within two days he was severely ill and weak. His blood sugar count was down to 66, and his face and eyeballs were yellow. He was rushed to the emergency at Pali-Momi, where he was diagnosed to be suffering from massive organ failure. He died shortly before midnight.

No one would have made the connection between his job and his death, had it not been for a doctor who specifically asked if he had been in a warehouse or exposed to dried rat/mouse droppings at any time. They said there is a virus (much like the Hanta virus) that lives in dried rat and mouse droppings.

Once dried, these droppings are like dust and can easily be breathed in or ingested if a person does not wear protective gear or fails to wash face and hands thoroughly .

An autopsy was performed on the clerk to verify the doctor's suspicions.

This is why it is extremely important to ALWAYS carefully rinse off the tops of canned sodas or foods, and to wipe off pasta packaging, cereal boxes, and so on.

Almost everything you buy in a supermarket was stored in a warehouse at one time or another, and stores themselves often have rodents.

Most of us remember to wash vegetables and fruits but never think of boxes and cans.

The ugly truth is, even the most modern, upper-class, super store has rats and mice. And their warehouse most assuredly does!

Whenever you buy any canned soft drink, please make sure that you wash the top with running water and soap or, if that is not available, drink with a straw.

The investigation of soda cans by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta discovered that the tops of soda cans can be encrusted with dried rat's urine, which is so toxic it can be lethal. Canned drinks and other foodstuffs are stored in warehouses and containers that are usually infested with rodents, and then they get transported to retail outlets without being properly cleaned.

Siew Pak Choy

The Chinese green vegetables are called choy. One of the most common choy is the pak choy which comes in a few varieties.


There's the white stem, the green stem or the baby which is my favorite. It's also know as siew pak choy which is much sweeter in taste and can be served whole.



Siew Pak Choy


400 gm siew pak choy
6 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1/2 tsp shredded ginger
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
small pot of boiling water

1. Clean the siew pak choy thoroughly.
2. Blanch the choy in the pot of boiling water and drain.
3. Put on serving plate.
   
4. Heat oil in the wok.
5. Fry the sliced garlic till golden brown and dish out.
6. Saute the shallots, ginger and chopped garlic till fragrant.
7. Add in the oyster sauce and a tbsp of water from the pot for a minute.
8. Dish out and place on top of siew pak choy.
9. Garnish with the sliced garlic and serve hot with rice.

Kitchen Fire

I never realized that a wet dishcloth can be a one size fits all lid to cover a fire in a pan! This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... Oil in a frying pan.



At the Fire-Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup of either creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

This is a powerful message----watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your whole family about this video.

It would make a great memorable addition to a lesson on fire safety. Thanks to Loh for sharing this article.

Kani Salad

Ever since we started taking the children to eat sushi in the Japanese restaurants, they have never forgotten their favorite salad called Kani Salad. It has become a regular feature of my light lunch menu especially after a late breakfast on a holiday.


The kani salad is healthy and is very easy to prepare. There is no cooking involved as we are eating everything fresh. You just need to peel and shred the carrot and cucumber with a shredder.


In fact I just made a big bowl of Kani salad as my contribution towards the recent potluck get-together at my brother's house. The kani salad is best served, salad-bar style to preserve the freshness and individual preference.

Kani Salad


1 cucumber
1 carrot
5 crab sticks
1 small lettuce
1 pkt Kelloggs cornflakes
mayonaise

1. Peel and shred the cucumber and carrot.
   
2. Wash the lettuce and slice leaves to smaller pieces.
3. Remove plastic wrappings and cut the crab sticks into thin strips.
4. Place the cucumber, carrot, crab sticks and lettuce on a plate.
5. Add the mayonaise.
6. Sprinkle some cornflakes on top.
7. Toss and serve.

ABC Soup

This is undoubtedly my children's favorite soup since they were toddlers. After drinking the soup, they would mash up the soft potatoes and season them with soy sauce. I prefer the carrots anytime. Sometimes I wonder why it's called ABC Soup, probably because it's as easy to make as ABC!


When I make this soup, I normally add in a small piece of char choy (榨菜) to mitigate the wind from the potato. (This advice was given by a Chinese acupuncturist long time ago) Otherwise I tend to get backaches after taking this soup.



ABC Soup


6 potatoes
3 carrots
2 tomatoes
2 onions
200 gm chicken bones
100 gm chicken fillet
1/2 pc char choy, preserved Szechuan vegetable
3 liters water
salt, pepper

1. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots to smaller sizes.
2. Quarter the tomatoes and onions.
3. Put all the ingredients into the pressure cooker with 1/2 tsp salt.
4. Boil over high heat till the second red indicator ring is visible.
5. Switch to very low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from fire.
7. Serve hot with a dash of pepper.