For the longest time I have had conversations with friends and family about food. Good and bad food and i am always surprised to find out that some of the people I have these conversations with HAVE NO IDEA what they are eating!! One of my friends had no idea what an egg was. My own father didn't know what a clam was, and after I told him the clams function in the aquatic society he never ate another one. In some cases you might not know what your eating because of other reasons. Like when you order a prime cut steak and for some unknown reason the restaurant will not serve it to you rare... I had this discussion at a steakhouse with friends a couple of weeks ago as I full speed ahead mowed through my rare Delmonico. Probably not the best choice of timing, but it reminded me! There is a substance in the food service field that you should be aware of called Transglutaminase. Or otherwise known as: Meat Glue.

When a steak gets carved up to serve there are scraps left. All good meat, which your mother would've made stew out of the next day. Meat glue, a mixture of chemicals blood and other that when activated by adding it to meat, yogurt, tofu and etc. can bond foods together. It's all good meat right? Well yes! BUT! While transporting and handling meat bacteria gets on the outside of the meat. which would normally be killed instantly by searing the outside of the meat with the cooking process. The inside of the meat of course remaining sterile. When meat is glued together those outside areas become the middle of the cut. Which now contain pathogens such as Clostridium Botulinum, Salmonella and E. coli.  If the steak is not cooked to well done, you risk getting ill. Have you been to a steakhouse lately and experienced stomach discomfort after? Makes you wonder doesn't it? Red meat is not the only worry here. Transglutaminase can be used for chicken, pork, fish... EVEN some cereals! Check the ingredients list for sure when you can! Our "Frankenfood has also gotten much worse as of lately. It seems That if you treat meat with carbon monoxide it will remain looking fresh and yummy for a really long time. Yes, Carbon Monoxide. The poisonous gas that we all have detectors in our homes for! Always look for the FDA sticker on your meat to avoid getting CO treated meat. I'll stop making you sick now but keep in mind what I've told you before you blindly shove that food into your mouth!

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