Haunting Tales....From The Buffet Line

Don't let amazing buffet designs divert your attention
from the temperature your food should be served to you!
(cool watermelon design on one of the cruise buffets)

Thanks to my food microbiology class several years ago, buffets scare me like a teenage girl going through a haunted house. It may also be because I have had food poisoning on more than one occasion and it is no fun. I can look at blood and guts all day long, but seeing food with mold on it makes me want to shriek! It’s all about bacteria overgrowth here. Now that you know my phobia, you will giggle to learn that I just got off a cruise ship filled with buffets! There was so much food the entire week and much of it was indeed served buffet-style. My first shot at the buffet line, I said to myself, “OK, you can do this, Angela. All those stories you hear about foodborne illnesses on ships – it’s the exception to the rule.” So I boldly fill my plate with all kinds of food, including some grilled fish. I sat down at the table and began to eat. All the food was lukewarm at best. The grilled fish was cold! That’s it, I’m done. Stick a fork in me.


My food bacteria fear will one day cause me to bring a food thermometer with me to buffet lines – I can feel it coming. After all, the temperature danger zone (TDZ) is between 40-140 degrees, because this is the range in which most common bacteria love to grow. If you arrive at your holiday party without your handy temperature gauge (as most of us do!), make sure the foods that are normally in the refrigerator are actually cold and the foods that are supposed to be served hot, actually are hot. A good rule of thumb is to stay clear of any hot or cold food that has been sitting out longer than 2 hours. If you are entertaining this holiday season, do us bacteria phobes a favor and review the safe guidelines provided by the USDA.  The USDA provides an entire website devoted to food safety, so keep your family safe this year by reviewing their guidelines and techniques.

You may wonder how I survived my 5-day cruise. Well, I am happy to report that I survived all the buffets. If only I hadn’t eaten at the authentic Mexican restaurant in Veracruz! All of us got sick on that one. Thanks a bunch, Montezuma. Grrr.