Friday 8 August 2014

Chickens part 2

Oh what a palaver, as Sarina said. Who would have thought that a simple observation, and yes it is my simplistic way of looking at things, would have created such a kerfuffle. Yes it was a silly response to the news article, but that's me, I chill. It started my day with a smile when I read all the advice on how to buy, keep, prepare, cook, and eat chicken, to minimize the risk of food poisoning, when all the time the most obvious answer was to not eat it at all. It was staring me in the face, a simple answer to a problem. The fact that the article talked about chicken was neither here nor there, it could have been contaminated broccoli, beans, or cauliflower. My answer would have still been the same, don't eat it. Anon sort of got it, he/she mentioned dropping a cabbage in a sewer, not looking for ways of washing it and cooking it to a high temperature. Contaminated cabbage would get binned. Simple common sense solution.

Jim, N. Yorks made me laugh, he took it in the good spirit it was intended. Jim, you carry on eating chicken, go the long way round and follow all the guidelines for minimizing any gastric problems with good hygiene, preparing, cooking etc, and you will be fine. I will take the short cut and not eat it.

The whole point of the post was not to get your knickers in a twist over something of which you have no control over. The article gave a percentage of possible contaminated birds, which made it sound like a lottery as to whether you had a clean or dirty bird in your shopping trolley.That to me sounded ludicrous, why would you want to take that chance? It wasn't about vegetarian versus carnivores, it wasn't a debate about the life and death of a farm animal from birth to plate. You chose to take it in that direction.

I apply the principle of common sense obvious solutions to most things in my life. I try not to over complicate issues, try not to worry myself silly over things that are beyond my control and I cannot change. I have a 'what will be will be', attitude now. I've done with worrying, been there, done that. Spent may years campaigning for women's equality in the work place, and I'm pleased to say that attitudes did change and I like to think I did my bit. I put myself in the front line with the media, as an example of a woman able to do a job generally thought of as a mans job. Although I was confident enough to speak my mind when I was unfairly treated, I realized that the best way of going about things was not to get my knickers in a twist, but to channel all my energies into doing the job well.

I don't need to get on a soap box now, because I have a more laid back attitude. Because I see things in a simplistic way, all I need to do is make choices that are right for me. I've done with stress. Sometimes it rears it's ugly head, but in the main it is short lived as I boot it out. I can do without complications. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the world, but I can't change them so nothing would be gained by spitting feathers and sending my blood pressure through the roof. As is often said, you can't change other people, but you can change yourself.

So, I'll let the young ones do the campaigning from now on, this old bird is content to withdraw from the battlefields, and get on with living a simple life. Got to think of the old ticker.

Thank you for your comments, they are wanted and are read.

See you soon.  

25 comments:

  1. hi hun, OMG! I have just gone back and read the comments to your post. Your *no nonsense* approach is what I would have expected from you - I didn't think that you were preaching or sending any message or being controversial you were just being you.Which is what we love and why we read your blog! I love that it inspired so many comments and interesting points of view :) *hugs* Sue P.S Update on hubbie taking info into his boss for using Buildbase scraps for the charity (forgot the name having a loopy moment!*grin*) - still on his desk despite nagging :( unfortunately it has to go through his boss to goto head office. Will keep on it though :)

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  2. One of the boys has decided he no longer wants to eat chicken as he helps looks after our free range lovely ladies. He was sat there quite smugly when his chicken eating brother heard the news about contaminated chicken. Looks like I have two veggie on my side now so Veggies 3 Non veggies 2 in this house. I'm getting there!

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  3. I think individual people can make all the difference. I never want to shrug my shoulders and leave it to others - its a selfish attitude to say that I don't want things to cause me a heart attack/blood pressure. Don't just bumble along.

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    1. You wouldn't like me very much. I have high blood pressure and a heart condition and have worked very hard to change my personality from a Type A to the place that I am now. I choose my battles wisely, and do rather a lot of shrugging my shoulders, though today I fought a battle for my daughter and her 4 flatmates and won; it affected her,so indirectly affected me, so I chose to fight it.
      'Selfish' for leaving other battles to other people? If I don't look after myself, who will? I don't think my husband and children would appreciate me killing myself through not being 'selfish', by stressing about things and trying to change the world - my Dad did that and died of a massive heart attack aged 55. My Mum definitely wishes he'd been a lot more 'selfish' than he was, as do I, as does my husband, as do my children, as does every person who loved him.

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    2. Agree completely. Pick your battles, some are not worth fighting and will only shorten your life .

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  4. And this is why I read your blog everyday. You are a wise woman.

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  5. I agree with you. We are still eating some meat but are doing well on our reduction of diners with meat in them. Altho we are still eating meat, I am refraining from buying any chicken. It is a dirty bird! My goal is 4 meatless dinners per week. Once I attain that we will go for 5 a week. This is both for health and for finances.

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  6. Just had a look. ha you got everyone talking. Simple is best and I know what you meant. I do love this blog x

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  7. You're so right about not getting your knickers in a twist about things you are powerless to change. This is NOT the same as shrugging your shoulders and leaving it to others.

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  8. Well if it's selfish to think about stress levels and your heart ,count me in , I'm selfish as well :) I sometimes think as I get older if I'm still stressing and getting upset, what was it all for ? That I didn't learn anything ? Like you Ilona I was a big worrier and it did affect my health . Not anymore ..... I might add all this talk and the comments about dirty birds has put me off chicken not that that bothers me just saying :)

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  9. Grandma Grif called it GCS... Good Common Sense. :-) That dear woman lived to be 100!!! We had a similar chicken issue in the US with the biggest poultry company, Foster Farms. Recall after recall for contamination. I simply stopped buying Foster Farms chicken. Or any chicken outside of that from local farms. Since it costs more, I buy less. When the US had media reports of meat processing plants adding "pink slime" (a protein additive) to ground beef, I stopped buying ground beef. And sometimes it's a GOOD thing when an industry gets bad press in the media, because it essentially forces change. We vote with our dollars or pounds. Just GCS. I'm not likely to lose any sleep over what anyone else eats or doesn't eat. Since I'm the "cook" for six people, I have enough to worry about with what I feed us. LOL!

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  10. I hadn't heard that word "kerfuffle", but it is a good description of frustration, etc. In any case, I'm a meat eater, respect those who are not, and don't try to change anyone. I love my veggiess as well, and both the chicken and the veggies get some attention before I cook them. We recently had looked at booking a trip that included a long plane ride and a lot of time at sea, and I could feel my stress level rising. By the time we were scheduled to leave, I would have been in a real kerfuffle, so we cancelled out. No stress at this point in life!

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  11. Who knew chickens would cause such a debate. lol

    X x

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  12. Well put, Ilona!! I have scaled my meat consumption down to just once a week, but let DB carry on enjoying his meaty meals whenever possible. I`ve made my choice to aid my weight loss, and now shall continue with it for financial reasons, too. Everyone has a choice to live the way they see fit. As long as we know the facts about what we consume there should be no debate about why we don`t eat certain things, but others do so based on their priorities and choices. Let people live the way they see fit is my moto. I`m not getting my knickers in a twist over DB eating more meat than me. His choice and his life. Tolerance rules in my home.

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  13. Well said Ilona,
    I love to read your blog and the comments every day.
    Pam in TX.

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  14. I love reading your blog. Being the same age (well a year younger) so probably had a very similar English upbringing in the 1950, s. Ive recently retired and after clearing out work clothes, redecorating, planning a budget. I thought...now what?
    Then I found your blog fantastic! You really inspire me to get up and get going. I wasnt having a go with my 'cats cant be veggies' comment. My dad was a butcher in the 50s and 60s and that was his stock answer to cat owner vegetarians who made comments about
    his job! When I look at your lovely cobbled up meals from what you have in, it so insires me to do the same. I did buy a bag of sweetcorn and a bag of broadbeans from farm foods £1 each(I dont ha
    ve a garden ) there is a waiting list for them around here. I have asked some lucky enough to have one if they need any help but no. I have been having my own concoctions very filling and cheap. Good for thewaistline too. So hopefully no offence taken as it wasnt meant to get any drawers in a twist.

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  15. One of life's great principles. Don't waste time, energy and emotions on things over which you have no control. Still trying to get that straight in my lifestyle. Some of us are just born that way - but I still work at it.

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  16. Ilona, I totally agree with your attitude about stress and looking out for yourself and your health. Over the past few years I worked myself into a tizzy many times over a particular issue here in the U.S., but I am now trying to "let things go" and just take life as it comes.

    What I love about your blog is your focus on the simple pleasures of life and your upbeat attitude.

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  17. Reading easily between the lines of your thoughts yesterday and it was easy to see the spirit in which you wrote. One thing you certainly are NOT is judgmental!!!!

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  18. It is selfish to look after your own well being at 65! -lol. When I am 65 I will be the most selfish person since time began - olympic standard!. Please keep being selfish. We want your blog to continue for years to come. This is the reason I look at your blog every day. It makes me chuckle. Debbie x.

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  19. Loved your blog about chickens and all the comments it generated. I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when I purchased a new lipstick.I posted on Facebook about my frustration in getting the packaging open - it was like I wanted to rob a bank. All except one person launched into comments about wearing makeup, etc. The only person who understood what the topic was about was a dear 17 year old girl. Egads!

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    1. LOL that is hilarious! Thanks for making me laugh xx

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  20. Except I don't think it is a matter of simple choices and live and let live. Simply because the choices some people make leads to death. You don't need to kill creatures in order to live yourself, so I don't; it is as simple as that. People who eat meat are responsible for countless and needless animal deaths just for a few hours of sustained life for themselves before they need to cull another animal and then another. It is really awful really. Not to mention putting dead things in your mouth. Dead things that have been that way for days as well. Yuck. So choices made by people are not equal. Some people choose death and others life.

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  21. p.s. so yes I am judgemental. How do we choose the good and bad things to do in life if all are equal and we don't 'judge' them?

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  22. Excellent post.

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