NYT on Euro Sanitary Habits

When I saw the headline I thought this was some new radical spa therapy of that entailed being bathed in Rioja pomace and eating canned oysters.

Nice piece! I have never gotten on the germ-o-phobia bandwagon. As I read the article I thought about my childhood before disposable wipes were “a thing”. We lived well, we were all particularly healthy living on a farm. I’m sure we didn’t wash our hands every single time before we ate, I remember picking tomatoes off the vine, rubbing the dirt off on to my shorts, and eating it. And in Spain, it is as she explains, less worry even when there is bad news, you have friends close by. Some how sharing some glasses of wine and tapas with friends is a secret remedy for many woes. I suppose knowing as soon as I arrive I will be relentlessly pursued by our friends is part of my intense love for my life there.

Excessive microbe avoidance in infancy and childhood has been associated with increased risk of asthma and autoimmune diseases. We have met the enemy, and it is us!

Oh, the pathos! I liked the article, but not right when I wake up, please!

Thank you, Arv R, for sharing!

The book The Dirt on Clean by Katherine Ashenburg is a great history/social study of the fluctuating standards of “cleanliness” in Western Europe/America from the Greeks to today.

It is a great book, and I had to laugh a little bit at how fearful Americans have become of smelling bad, looking dirty, or catching diseases (usually lining someone’s pockets as a result).

It is a great toilet-read. :wink:

And to think about all the germs that are shared in the midnight hour…

Perhaps this is why the Pegau’s reject UC Davis approved cellar cleanliness practices.

Use of germicidal soaps have actually increased the incidence of resistant bacteria. Proper hand washing with regular old soap is the best practice.