This morning I washed a nectarine to cut up for my breakfast. I put it under the tap, got it wet, and dried it on my kitchen towel. As I was washing it, it occurred to me that tap water wouldn't really remove GERMS. Imagine how many people have handled a piece of fruit: the person who picked it, the person who packed it, the market employee who unpacked it and any other shoppers who picked it up and put it down again. Yikes, that sounds like I should have washed it with rubbing alcohol!
The problem here is not germ ridden fruit. The problem is the cleaning industry's efforts to convince us that every surface is contaminated with dangerous bacteria and GERMS. Long ago, when I was growing up, Mr. Clean was one of a few products advertised as the antidote to dirt. Now the amount of products available to keep us from coming into contact with dirt and germs is staggering. Are we healthier now that hand sanitizers, kitchen counter sanitizers, and bathroom sanitizers crowd our cupboards? I think not.
The soap industry has instilled a false and irrational fear of germs and bacteria into the American public's psyche in order to sell cleaning products. For thousands of years humans have touched, ingested, and breathed in germs and bacteria and earth's population has continued to grow. All over the world people and bacteria live together with no significant side effects. Sure, some bacteria are definitely harmful but neither you nor I are likely to encounter them in our homes, at the market, or at the mall.
So I sliced and ate my nectarine, blissfully enjoying it's juicy sweetness.
There's a bottle of hand sanitizer in the ladies room of my office. Why? Is soap and water not enough anymore? Apparently not. And antibacterial soap is everywhere. I've read that it is not good to use in normal everyday life, so I try to avoid it. I don't buy it, but the majority of liquid soaps are antibacterial. Marketing has made everyone paranoid. But maybe the pendulum is swinging the other way. I have read a few articles about how parents should let their kids eat dirt and pet farm animals to strengthen their immune system, and I think people are starting to believe it. I remember when I was about 5 years old, the girl next door like to eat little pieces of dirt, grit really. I'll bet she's really healthy. Or she's got a stomach full of rocks. :D
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