Recalls and Regrets

Farmers like Larry Schultz run their small free-range organic chicken farms so that consumers like me can have (in Larry's words) "peace of mind." Consumers like me don't mind paying a few dollars more per dozen eggs than we would for an agribusiness carton. Roughly 31 cents per egg is a bargain when the eggs are tastier and healthier than their mass produced peers. And hens who live like Larry's birds purportedly have a better quality of life than enslaved agrichickens who plop out eggs in their dark, cramped, smelly quarters.

But, as other notable farmers (Pa Ingalls, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) proclaimed, "Nothing is sure but death and taxes." Even free-range organic eggs are at risk for salmonella.

I heard about the latest egg recall about twelve hours after consuming one of Larry's possibly tainted eggs. Little did I know that my egg entree would have me wrestling with the devil for the next 72 hours. I am Queen of the Power of Suggestion. Following news of the recall, I was certain I was about to experience the slow, agonizing depths of salmonella poisoning. I spent the next three days waiting for the onset, and popping Tums.

Nothing happened. I didn't experience pain or anguish or any of the horrible symptoms I've read about. I wasn't hospitalized for dehydration.  I didn't die. I didn't lose any pounds from lack of eating, and in fact gained a bit of weight as I ate more at each meal, just in case it was my last.

For now, I am recovering not from salmonella but from fear. I'll be off eggs for a while, but once I'm back on I'll continue purchasing from Larry. Peace of mind eventually trumps fear.