re: Food irradiation
Deep down your friends are conservatives. ;-)
Seriously my only concern would be the packaging when irradiating your food. The last thing one wants is a breakdown of packaging molecules contaminating your food.
Good luck on your adventure, I envy you.
PS. Ditto on the oatmeal, a favorite of mine is to add frozen blackberries for the last minute of cooking instead of adding milk when done.
