I Always Suspected that Spinach Was Bad For You

I admit that when I first heard news of the e-coli tainted spinach, I giggled. The NPR anchor just sounded so serious when he (or she, I can't remember) informed the listening audience that there would be an upcoming story on spinach that was terrorizing the nation.

But, e-coli is a terrorizing disease, and deadly. 187 people have gotten sick from it, at least one has died (2 other deaths are suspected). The FDA banned the sale of all fresh spinach until they figured out the source.

Turns out the bad spinach was all from California, but it's affecting spinach growers everywhere.

The Washington Post reports on spinach growers in Maryland. Even though their spinach was never contaminated, people are terrified and they are concerned that they will be unable to sell their crops. (In fact, Evil HR Lady stood behind two women in the company cafeteria last week who were debating purchasing soup. The soup had spinach it, so they decided not to "take the risk." I did, however, because I know that 1. cooking kills e-coli and 2. no way did my company pay extra for fresh spinach to put in the soup. The spinach was definitely not part of the recall.)

And so, now time for my point. You work hard, you follow the rules, you do a good job, and someone else in a different company can mess something up that causes you financial devastation. Isn't that a cheery message to start your Tuesday with?

So, advice today from Evil HR Lady is the same advice the Boy Scouts give: Be Prepared. For what? Anything.

And go eat spinach grown in Maryland. It's healthy and tasty, and here's a fabulous recipe using it. Curried Chicken-Coconut Soup.