PEANUT GALLERY

Sunday, March 15. 2009

There’s been a national scandal here involving a peanut processing factory that was so unregulated that salmonella got into the supply and sickened many. The carnivores who don’t eat peanuts (like Rudy) got awful smug about it until herbivores (like Dad) reminded them that the prey that they eat consume the product.
As an insectivore I eat pretty far down on the food chain, but I do know that’s not a guarantee of safety. The bugs that make up my diet eat either smaller bugs or flora, but they in turn rely on our water supply. We’re all interconnected. In a sense, the Circle of Life can accumulate a lot of dirt unless it’s cleaned up regularly.
I’ve been coming home on weekends during my college career, partly to tend to Hare-Link’s tech and also to help Dad and Kell by looking after Coney. Coney’s getting older, though, and doesn’t seem to need as much attention. She and Francis play in yard a lot, and Coney’s reputation keeps both of them safe. I end up mainly websurfing on my laptop.
Today's question: Humans are omnivorous, I know, so how do you keep your food supply safe, considering that you pretty much eat nearly everything?

Posted by Lindesfarne at 12:40 | Comments (24) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

We've got a variety of methods for keeping our food safe from infection (pasteurization, sanitary handling conditions, good-ole soap and water). Of course, there are times when problems occur, so we have another system to rely on: lawsuits. The fear of losing millions, if not billions, persuades food distributors to keep their conditions clean and sterile. And if they do slip up, either accidentally or deliberately, then they pay for their error.

#1 Jim on 2009-03-15 13:12 (Reply)

How do they cope with an inability to produce offspring? The same as any human infertile couple. Actual mating? Again, I know some humans that I wonder about (vastly different sizes) but if they're happy, that's all I need to know.

#1.1 Robin on 2009-03-16 19:53 (Reply)

We've had a similar problem here. Last I read, over 30 different products have been recalled.

As for Coney, I'm sure your glad you don't have to be as attentive as you used to be. I used to watch my three nephews on occation when they were rug rats and I was soooo glad when they got older.

OK, I got a question (my first, I think). As you know, we've been reading about life in Domain for some time. One of the issues that've been covered is inter-species relationships. From a sociological standpoint, I all for it, however, from a biological standpoint, I can see where this could be a problem down the line.

Consider: Woft mates with rabbit, producing omnivorous rabbit, grows up and mates with buzzard, producing a flightless buzzard with furry wings, and so on and so on... What long-term effect might this have on DNA stability?

Another angle: Given the physiological differences of the various species, and mating being one of the stronger instincts, no doubt there's going to be instances where mating would be quite difficult, if not impossible. For example, a snake with a mongoose fall in love (which we saw depicted at one of the Inter-species Support Group gatherings). How will they cope with the physical inability to mate, which means no off-spring. The emotional and psychological issues this may cause could be severe.

Just something I've been wondering about.

#2 Mortar on 2009-03-15 13:23 (Reply)

We have government inspections and regulations to ensure safety. Of course, they don't always work, as for example our version of the peanut butter salmonella outbreak.
Talking about outbreaks, my question for you: I just saw a documentary of the Black Death of 1348-1352 on the History Channel. Did you have a similar Pandemic? It killed almost half the human race and changed the face of society forever. It was even more momentuous than the Fall of Rome or the World Wars.

#3 Thomas Mazanec (Link) on 2009-03-15 13:29 (Reply)

The black death actually killed about a third of the population of Europe. Still a devastating number, but a far cry from half of the human race.

#3.1 agentsmith on 2010-05-28 00:32 (Reply)

I think government regulations, as we know them, came into being with the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. Unfortunetly, we still have incidents, like the peanut factory here that went bad. A more common incident is when a fast food worker catches hepititas (sp) and forgets to regularly wash his/her hands.

Still, humans have a tougher gut than many animals. Apes, and even cats, are more vulnerable to food poisoning.

#4 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2009-03-15 14:04 (Reply)

Well, that's twice I've been ahead of the curve, if only slightly. I guessed that the Rabbit Council would sell the dirt from their digging and I mentioned the salmonella problem (and how it might impact carnivores on your side) a few weeks ago.

Jim has it right as to the means of keeping our food supply safe. He did miss expiration dates for various food products. No matter how good your sterilization and packing methods, they will fail over time. There is a government agency called the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which has the task of assuring that our food supply is safe. However, they have been underfunded to the point that their ability to do their job is undermined. Also, there have been allegations of political interference that prevent them from doing their job effectively.

In our peanut/salmonella problem, it appears as though the head of the company felt that he had enough political clout to get away with his actions. Bluntly, I hope that he's held on charges of murder for the people who died. There seems to be evidence that he was aware for quite some time of the problem and allowed it to continue. If so, he should be punished to the full extent of the law... for each case.

#5 CharlieG on 2009-03-15 14:10 (Reply)

Yes, our history recalls the pandemic that occured in the 14th century. Rats and fleas are quite sensitive about discussing it.

#6 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-03-15 15:17 (Reply)

Interesting. I suppose that was how it spread within areas, true, but personally, I'd be more inclined to blame the Mongol Empire for spread than a given species, at least on the human side. Over here, the disease began somewhere in Asia during the reign of the Mongols and spread along their empire. Once they were nearing European areas, it caught up to one of their armies, and they decided that they were going to catapult the bodies of those that died of the disease over to a group they were invading at the time. And then we started to run around trying to escape, which just spread the disease more...

In that sense, over here, we humans were just as responsible for it as rodents and fleas, and given the number of similarities between our worlds, I wouldn't be shocked if the situation were similar over there.

#6.1 Koronak on 2009-03-15 16:23 (Reply)

Hello Lindesfarne (and everyone else.) I just recently discovered the existence of your world on the internet, and as a scientist like yourself, I find your side of the portals as fascinating as you seem to find ours.

Your question seems to have been pretty thoroughly answered, though no one has mentioned that, sadly, there are many people in our world who do not have access to clean food or water. Many of these people live in our world's poorest countries, where governments cannot or do not regulate the quality of food. In more developed countries, government oversight and fear of damage to both wallet and reputation keeps most (store-bought or restaurant) food clean. Since we as a species will eat almost anything, the science of sanitization has always been in demand, and in the last few centuries we've made a lot of progress in keeping food clean.

I have all sorts of questions about your world that I hope you'll be willing to answer, though in fairness to you I'll try to limit myself to a few for now.

- What are lifespans like in your world? It seems that some species in your world mirror ours, like mayflies. However, the average life span of a wolf in our world is 10-20 years, and a rabbit 7-12; your parents are of course much older than that. Does life expectancy for most animals in your world come close to the human average of 65-70? Also, there are some animals here that can live for much longer than humans - do you have any species that enjoy an unusually long lifespan?

- As an insectivore you eat mostly small insects, but your friends Tammy and Ray are closer in size to your mammalian friends. Are certain species of insects (much) larger than others, or do certain members of a given species simply grow larger than others, or is there some other mechanic at work? Does this also occur in groups other than insects?

- What is considered an "inter-species relationship" in your world? For example, Fiona's biological parents are different species of fox, Rudy's biological parents were two different types of canids, you and Fenton share a diet but are of different families, and your father and Kell are, of course, a carnivore and an herbivore.

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm very curious. I'm sure it's driving you nuts to have to limit yourself to one question a week =P

#7 Tim on 2009-03-15 19:54 (Reply)

Can't reply to the first two (I'm human myself), but from what's been said, it seems that, on the third one, out-of-diet relationships are the taboo, not out of species. So herbivore-herbivore would be accepted, while herbivore-carnivore, etc, not so much.

#7.1 Koronak on 2009-03-15 21:02 (Reply)

Here, everything is based on one's diet. While things are changing, it's still what defines us.

#8 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-03-15 21:58 (Reply)

Yeah, what about Tim's question, how come there are normal insects that are tiny, like our insects, and insects like Tammy and Ray are much larger, what's up with that?

#9 Jumanji Shishioh (Link) on 2009-03-16 00:04 (Reply)

I'm not sure how to answer the question about insect size. I do recall, though, that you humans aren't seeing a video transmission of my life (Whew!) but an artistic interpretation that comes via a webcomic.

#10 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-03-16 00:21 (Reply)

I am sure it is a relief to you that folks are not getting to see you 24/7. Of course, based on your sleeping habits, those who aren't nocturnal (by nature or choice) would only get to see you asleep in bed. Then again, some might not consider that a bad thing. In any case, it think we can safely assume that, since it is a web-comic and not a web-cam, folks are only going to see something if it is (a) an important event or (b) it is funny.

#10.1 Patch O'Black on 2009-03-19 14:07 (Reply)

As others have mentioned, we have product inspections... I guess they just weren't keeping a close enough eye on the whole mess over here either.

Also, something's been nagging at my mind as of late, and I'm curious, are you familiar with the Redwall book series, or the author Brian Jacques, by any chance? I'm an avid reader on this side of the portal and I was wondering if it was there as well, or at least an equivalent.

#11 Siraj on 2009-03-16 02:52 (Reply)

If I may comment:

Are you referring, perhaps, to the series of historical novels set in the famous Redwall Abbey in Britain? As an avid reader of history, I must say they are rather well written (though what survives of the original Chronicles is dry stuff indeed).

Though some (particularly conservative groups within the Carnivore Church) may object to the species prejudice depicted therein, the series does reflect fairly accurately the attitudes in the early Medieval society it depicts; and Jacques manages to breathe life into what would otherwise be dull, textbook study to modern youth.

By the way, how is Redwall generally portrayed on the Human side? I'm rather curious to know....

#11.1 Lucius Appaloosius on 2009-03-17 20:40 (Reply)

That would be the one, yes...

... and to quote the TVTropes site on this side of the portal, "All Vermin Are Evil" and "Redemption Equals Death", for two.

I will say that Gingivere is one of my favorite characters, if it's any consolation.

#11.1.1 Siraj on 2009-03-18 12:26 (Reply)

I never read the books, but have seen a number of the 'toons, which I thought were excellent.

#11.2 Mortar on 2009-03-22 15:50 (Reply)

I just read a strange story on the Internet.

About a Kell Wolf.

Yes, his, (HIS,) real name.

And the guy is an idiot, from what I've read.
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-hunter-safety-instructor-orders-obama-voters-from-class/article/3351042?custom_click=headlines_widget

#12 Archae on 2009-03-16 03:03 (Reply)

Just so you know, Lindesfarne, humans almost never eat hedgehogs. The only case I know of involved desperation.

#13 Classic Steve (Link) on 2009-03-16 16:11 (Reply)

Evening. Over here the issue has been blurred by raucous finger-pointing. One of our plants was in Georgia, and the facility was inspected during that period. Evidently the state inspectors missed issues like gaps around overhead air conditioning and signs of water damage. The plant also had samples that tests positive for salmonella, but did hold the product until an outside lab decided the samples were "safe." Until just a few years ago no one knew that peanut butter could even be contaminated by salmonella, and so we didn't have rigorous inspections like we do for meat.

A bill has been introduced in our Congress to transfer food inspections from the FDA to a new agency, the Food Safety Administration. The idea is to have unified Federal inspections rather than a hodgepodge of state regulations. While it sounds like a good idea, there's some worry that small food producers will not be able to afford to comply with the regulations. There's even some worry that the regulations would extend to home gardens.

#14 Harry on 2009-03-16 21:24 (Reply)

Hello again,

well since everyone's talked about the basics of keeping food safe (basically don't cut raw veggies where raw meat was cut, cook thoroughly, wash your hands and food well, keep food refrigerated, ect) I thought I'd mention something important about our diets.

While biologically we are omnivores, depending on beliefs or how you were raised tends to determine what you will consider OK to eat. For example, I live in North America where eating beef is considered OK. But if you go to India, cattle are considered holy and you'll get some mean looks asking for a hamburger. In some countries eating insects is very common and accepted as everyday food, while back here it tends to be considered gross in general. Then there are some religions that state when you can and cannot eat certain foods for various reasons.

Then there are the various personal choice diets. Things such as vegetarianism, where people limit (or cut out completely) what animal products they will consume. This can be for any number of reasons ranging from they just don't like the taste to belief in an animals right to live. There are also other diets where people cut out other kinds of foods such as anything with carbs or processed sugars (This tends to be what is called Atkins or south beach here).

One more important thing is food allergies. Yes, technically as a species we can eat anything we want. But as individuals we can be born with or develop allergies to different kinds of foods. I for one knew a family where they were all violently allergic to any pork product. My own mother is unable to drink cows milk because she is allergic to the protein found in that product. These allergies can vary in how sever it may be. Some will break out in a rash, others will become ill, and some can even die due to something like the airways becoming constricted. How many foods, if any, can vary from person to person. There was a news story (I will post the link at the bottom although I don't know if you can see it there) about one boy who was allergic to so many things he could only eat five things in the entire world!

I guess what my little talk boils down to is that humans probably have just as diverse diet as your side does. WE just tend to avoid road kill.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23414474-details/The+boy+who+is+allergic+to+almost+EVERY+food/article.do

#15 Librarypages on 2009-03-17 17:51 (Reply)

Almost everything? HA!!!
Humans can (and some of us do) eat ABSOLUTELY everything that isn't directly poisonous. Cars, planes, bicycles, insects, fossils, carnivores, herbivores, plankton... You name it, someone's scoffed it.

Oh, and poison, we can get used to that over time too xD

#16 Alan Fox on 2009-03-18 04:54 (Reply)

Add Comment

Name
Email
Homepage
In reply to
Comment	Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (word), underscore are made via _word_. Standard emoticons like :-) and ;-) are converted to images. E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly. Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above:
	Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry
Submitted comments will be subject to moderation before being displayed.