Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Chickened Out

[Another article from my "Weird and Wacky Local News File." This story, which ran earlier this year in our local paper, had my germ-a-phobe Spidey senses in major overload. So if you're not eating breakfast, enjoy the wackiness.]



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Theft: On Sept. 8, a resident of Madison Boulevard was inside her home when she heard a knock at her door. She went to the door and upon looking outside, she saw her neighbor running through the yard with her three bags of frozen chicken. The woman had placed the chicken on the front porch to let them thaw. Deputy Scott P. was dispatched to the scene, but the neighbor already had left in her car. As Deputy P. spoke with the victim, the suspect drove back home. The deputy confronted the 23-year-old woman, but she denied stealing the chicken.

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[For the record, I have had bacteria "on the brain" lately. Last night I helped my Littlest One upload photos of her science project. You haven't lived until you've seen what millions of Staphylococci bacteria look like, given a tasty environment and free reign to grow with abandon, then magnified 18 million times. I saw, up close and personal, pictures of 16 different petri dishes filled with the most disgusting specimens of bacteria collected from a variety of common everyday surfaces, all of which I will never be able to touch again. Ick. . .





But I digress. Back to the original point . . . thawing chicken on a porch?! Okay, obviously the victim has never seen a single episode of Dateline where they show you how quickly microbes develop on unrefridgerated thawing food. Maybe she never helped her Littlest One photograph, upload, edit, and identify 16 slides of petri dishes filled with all sorts of deadly bacteria lurking on every surface imaginable. Maybe she never read the warning label on raw chicken which clearly states in large, foreboding letters, "Do not thaw at room temperature." I'm pretty sure a porch counts as "room temperature." And room temperature on a porch in the middle of September in Georgia is bacteria heaven, especially for raw chicken.

And for that matter, why on earth did the thief knock on the victim's door before fleeing the scene with the thawing loot? I know that criminals are typically not the smartest bulbs in the pack; but come on, if this would-be thief was up to no good, what was she thinking? Could it be that she is a fair-minded criminal who likes to give her victims a fighting chance before taking off with the stolen goods? Perhaps it was a just practical joke gone horribly wrong. Or maybe she was just a good Samaritan trying to avert an all but certain gastrointestinal crisis for her neighbor. ~cn]
FYI~The article is here.

16 comments:

Charmingdesigns said...

Yeah Yeah..thats it...she didn't want the woman to get sick.lololol

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

I agree she was trying to help her not to be sick. LOL...m..,.

Doreen Frost said...

ewwwww...who would thaw meat on their front porch!!!! that's just gross!

Be careful with that bacteria!!! WOW.

Hugs,
Doreen

Sarah and Jack said...

People are still far too "old school" about food safety for my liking. Thawing chicken on the porch is precisely why I have a very difficult time eating at pot luck functions. GAG.

Lori said...

there's never a dull moment in your little corner of Georgia is there? LOL:)

Tipper said...

If I was going to steal the chicken-I'd made sure it was cooked and ready to eat first!

Gina said...

eeek,.... I hope you are having a happy new year so far!

FarmHouse Style said...

People never cease to amaze me! If the culprit eats the chicken then maybe the law of Natural Consequences will teach her a lesson.

Hope you have a great weekend and do try and stay away from the petri dishes :-)

Rhonda

Anonymous said...

Or maybe she took them to sell on eBay.

Suzanne U.

Unknown said...

EWWWWWW!!! LOL!! What a great mom you are!! We just grew mold on bread for last year's science project...I don't think I'll suggest growing bacteria!!:o)

Suzanne said...

Ick, indeed! I'm not sure I could handle that Science project...you ARE a good Mom! :)
As for the chicken stealer, I'm sure she was just trying to be a good neighbor and save the family from food poisoning, right?
....feeling a little optimistic and generous today! lol!

BittersweetPunkin said...

...and then I recall the story of my MIL telling me she used to be able to leave my DH in his bassinet as a Baby out in the front yard "on a lovely day" while he was sleeping and go about her housework......

...maybe not germy but where's the common sense?

Back Through Time said...

What a story! LOL!! I love your blog:-)
Michelle

Tina Marie the Willow Witch said...

Hi, Cathy. I wanted to check out your site after you visited mine to check out our twin backgrounds!:) Love you little figurines.... so cute. Have a great day!

Tina Marie the Willow Witch said...

Hi, Cathy. I wanted to check out your site after you visited mine to check out our twin backgrounds!:) Love you little figurines.... so cute. Have a great day!

Tina Marie the Willow Witch said...

Hi, Cathy. I wanted to check out your site after you visited mine to check out our twin backgrounds!:) Love you little figurines.... so cute. Have a great day!