home .Featured, Antimicrobials and Resistance, Buildings, Microbiology of the Built Environment, News A true must read: amazing essay by Tal Addaby “Less Disinfectant, More Rioja”

A true must read: amazing essay by Tal Addaby “Less Disinfectant, More Rioja”

There is a wonderfully essay by Tal Abbady coming out in tomorrow’s New York Times (and available online now).

A few years in Spain, and my mother’s last days, helped me see the futility of a sterilized life.

Source: Less Disinfectant, More Rioja 

The essay is about many things, including differences between cultures (pun intended by me), her mother, her life, fear and freedom.  The fear part includes a focus on fear of germs.  She includes discussion of people who try to sterilize the world around them – their hands – surfaces – and every bit of their lives.  I don’t want to spoil the essay, but just want to really suggest that everyone reads it.  And I love the ending

When fears of a contaminated-armrest death creep up, just contemplate the many millions of microbes that sheathe any human body. Most, but not all, are quite friendly.

 



 

For a related (though nowhere near as well written) post I wrote about how germophobia has gone crazy see Studying — not wantonly killing — the microbes around us and the rise of the “microbiology of the built environment”

One thought on “A true must read: amazing essay by Tal Addaby “Less Disinfectant, More Rioja”

  1. Some responses from Twitter:

    Good story. Good writing. Good message. https://t.co/WLbAhuckC5— Tools of Science (@ToolsOfScience) April 4, 2016

    @phylogenomics Using bleach to clean floors is quite common in ES. But no real germophobia. @nytimes— darked (@darked) April 4, 2016

    I'm a big fan of Rioja and it is so interesting to consider cultural aspects of germophobia. https://t.co/sAceTPDFKf— Holly Ganz (@hollyhganz) April 4, 2016

    On antimicrobial fear and wine and why we should indulge in more of the latter. https://t.co/vnmwvsyu0V— Joseph McPhee (@JoeBMcPhee) April 3, 2016

    Beautiful NYT re paranoia about bacteria https://t.co/HgKwMNeUQq Mediterranean joie de vivre includes coexistence & bleach @phylogenomics— Victor de Lorenzo (@vdlorenzo_CNB) April 3, 2016

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