UGH. I usually bring to work something to eat for breakfast – today, it was a ziplock baggy full of cereal. I ate it all. And then I looked down at the bag when there was only a tiny bit left – and there were all these little insects crawling through my cereal. Ewww. I’m sure I ate them. I told a colleague this and we think they were weevils (they look like little ants almost), in which case, she said it wasn’t as bad because when she was little in boarding school, they had them all the time in the food and they just told them to go ahead and eat them, there are too many to get out and they’re nutritious anyway. YUCK.
Apparently, when wheats/grains/rice get too warm, the bacteria that is naturally found on them makes it so that the little bugs can hatch. Or so someone tells me. Well, our kitchen is always warm because of the weather here and there's no A/C in that room. So am I always going to have this weevil problem? My other theory is that when something is opened, then a bug can easily get in and multiply. So keeping things air tight will keep the bugs away. I hope.
This all came on the heels of our deep freezer breaking down. Not sure if it was an electrical outlet that stopped working (which happens all the time), or if the change in electricity surges caused the freezer to go, or if the freezer (which is new) just stopped working. In any case, there was a lot of meat in there, cheese, and all sorts of food that gets really stinky once it is not frozen and goes bad. It was the most putrid smell that permeated our house all night. I couldn't even stay in the kitchen to throw out the food - after about 1 minute, I felt like vomitting. Luckily, our security guy threw it all out and cleaned out the freezer - don't know how he was able to stand it.
Apparently, when wheats/grains/rice get too warm, the bacteria that is naturally found on them makes it so that the little bugs can hatch. Or so someone tells me. Well, our kitchen is always warm because of the weather here and there's no A/C in that room. So am I always going to have this weevil problem? My other theory is that when something is opened, then a bug can easily get in and multiply. So keeping things air tight will keep the bugs away. I hope.
This all came on the heels of our deep freezer breaking down. Not sure if it was an electrical outlet that stopped working (which happens all the time), or if the change in electricity surges caused the freezer to go, or if the freezer (which is new) just stopped working. In any case, there was a lot of meat in there, cheese, and all sorts of food that gets really stinky once it is not frozen and goes bad. It was the most putrid smell that permeated our house all night. I couldn't even stay in the kitchen to throw out the food - after about 1 minute, I felt like vomitting. Luckily, our security guy threw it all out and cleaned out the freezer - don't know how he was able to stand it.
2 comments:
Unfortunately I think your friends are right. The eggs are already in the grain, and they hatch if given enough time (and warmth apparently). I got weevils quite a bit in Kenya. It wasn't even that warm where I lived, but I'd store some things for months and months, usually different kinds of flour. I spent many fond afternoons picking weevils out of millet flour when it would've cost me 25 cents to buy new flour. But there are starving children in Africa...
P.S. I've linked to your blog on mine - hope that's okay. Let me know if you want me to unlink you. http://mamakelele.blogspot.com. Hope all's well!
I store all my grains in the fridge... even the cat food. Although, I guess you can't do that at work and it sounds like it may not make a difference with your electricity situation. Its a choice, chance the bugs or pass on grains. I guess you will have to make a choice between the lessor of two weevils (that's right, I went there).
Anyhow, Tricia, what interesting experiences you are having. Although, not always up to the conveniences of the US, I think it is great that you are learning so much about life on the other side of the world.
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