The gradualist approach has also worked with the Bride, farmgirl by origin, who when we married went well done, or medium-well if she was feeling wild, but 20 years later does eat a lot of medium meat. Not even sure she realizes it all the time, and I know that early on, in the mutual improvement phase of our relationship, when I pushed her, she pushed back just as hard.

It is not worth fighting, IMO, so long as one can eat meat cooked to one's preference. Why try to dictate how someone else eats?

As to the right way to cook pasta - how provinicial! A brief story, please indulge me. Back in the mid-90's I had occasion to do a lot of business in Grand Rapids, and was none too pleased with my food options. I knew I was really in trouble when someone took me the the Italian place in town, "they even make their own pasta!!" and in the little store in front they were selling that wonderful homemade pasta two ways, raw or cooked.

No surprise, they overcooked the hell out of the pasta I ordered, and I never went back.

Now, who is going to arrange the outing to sample:

meat bloody and red, uncooked, you cut into it and the red corpuscles just flow out, the germs from the cow's intestinal tract are ready to infest your colons

.

Makes my mouth water Cause if it ain't a group outing, I am pretty sure I can bring only one colon to the infection party.

Speaking of infection, does anyone want to argue with Bill Daley's food handling tips in the Wednesday Trib? I disagree with quite a few, tho I do admit to some knowingly dangerous food safety habits (Motto: If you avoid all nasty intestinal flora, you are just asking for trouble; or, better a little infection every week, than a nasty infection once a decade.). Of particular interest was the suggestion that one should not wash chicken because the danger from splashing bacteria around was greater than the benefit gained. I have two problems with this. First, it assumes I cannot clean the kitchen or my hands. Second, it assumes you are going to cook the hell out of the chicken, since that is the only form of bacterial control you are allowing yourself.

I also admit to defrosting meat at room temperature quite often, but, of course, I then wash it...

dicksond wrote:Speaking of infection, does anyone want to argue with Bill Daley's food handling tips in the Wednesday Trib? I disagree with quite a few, tho I do admit to some knowingly dangerous food safety habits (Motto: If you avoid all nasty intestinal flora, you are just asking for trouble; or, better a little infection every week, than a nasty infection once a decade.). Of particular interest was the suggestion that one should not wash chicken because the danger from splashing bacteria around was greater than the benefit gained. I have two problems with this. First, it assumes I cannot clean the kitchen or my hands. Second, it assumes you are going to cook the hell out of the chicken, since that is the only form of bacterial control you are allowing yourself.

The "don't clean the chicken" thing rund counter to everything that I learned in the sanitarian classes that I attended sponsored by the licensing authorites in Michigan and New York.

There were several other things that did not look right ...