Food irradiation is one of those topics which drives my more "alternative" friends crazy. They go livid, as if they would glow in the dark after eating the stuff, their brain cells would turn to mush and they'd vote Republican. I'm not at all sure I understand that.

This came to mind as I have been running a lot of dried food through the microwave. I eat dried vegetable soup mix when backpacking. Mixed with beef or chicken broth it is a wonderful part of a meal. It's light, filling and the salty taste is welcome. And maybe the salt helps prevent that urge to pee during the night. I am much more comfortable telling my body when to get up rather than it telling me.

And I like steel cut oatmeal. Just love it, especially made with grape or raspberry juice instead of milk. On the trail Crystal Lite is a sort of substitute. Put half a cup of that stuff into a cup container, add juice or water, and in the AM there's a no-fuss breakfast.

As I'm planning on taking some of my own food to Kilimanjaro, and I'm also planning the 1,000 mile trek I couldn't finish last year, I'm stocking up on those foods prior to breaking things down to send to resupply points. Once when I opened a container of veggies that had been stored for quite a while and there was evidence of a critter or two having been active. There was a web, and cocoon, and that sort of thing. I don't mind the critters so much, they'd be good for protein, but they can ruin food after a while. So I arrived at the solution of microwaving the containers after I've transferred the stuff from the plastic bags from the stores. I figure anything with water in it is fair game.

And I realized while it's not irratiating food, it's nearly the same thing. And I can't see the problem with it.

Here's a synopsis of research on the topic, done by Idaho State University, and here is an objection to the process.

I'm awfully happy fire was controlled and the wheel was invented before I came along. I'm sure they would have raised one helluva fuss over those. The spear would have had to be pried out of my cold, dead hand because it never would have been warm.

Arf