My hubby's birthday was this past Monday. When asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he quickly responded: meatloaf and mashed potatoes. He is a wonderfully easy-to-please man!
Now, meatloaf is a very simple meal to make. Grab a bowl, mix up egg, ground beef, bread crumbs, spices and onions. Put in loaf pan. Bake in oven. Voila! Yummy dinner and happy husband.
Oh, wait. I forgot about the E. coli. What is cooking with ground beef if you forget the absolute probability that you will be spreading E. coli everywhere?
Just wash your hands and the countertop, you might say.
My response: How many times? With what bacteria-killing chemical?
This should really be a simple task for me. I can cook well, but my germaphobia gets in the way of enjoying it. As a pre-requisite for nursing school, I took (and aced) microbiology. I know where bacteria and viruses can lurk, what illnesses they can cause and how susceptible to cleaning agents they are. Does it matter that my logical brain knows that a Clorox wipe will kill off any stray E. coli buggies that might land on my counter? Nope.
My OCD brain takes over and says, "Not only will the E. coli survive, it will invade your skin and clothes, make you sick and transfer itself onto the baby. Oh, and by the way, those Clorox wipes will leave traces on your skin that will poison the baby. So pick one: E. coli sickness or Clorox poisoning. Happy cooking!"
Luckily, my husband came to my rescue as a panic attack began to rise up. He sent me away to wash my hands in the bathroom while he washed the meatloaf mixing bowl. Then, he allowed me to wipe off the counters (only once) and then calmed me down when I realized that I had to hold the baby with chemically hands.
Amazingly, all three of us are still alive! No symptoms of E. coli or chemical poisoning to be noted.
I really do hate OCD. Such a ridiculously mean disorder.
Praise the LORD for a patient husband, a kid with a good immune system (knock on wood), and SSRIs that are safe during breastfeeding.
