Baking Two: Culinary Chronicles, Capers & Canards

Last year, my family and I went to Golden Corral for my dad's birthday dinner. We were like barbarians, pacing up and down the isles of the buffet, scooping up whatever food item caught our eye. Knowing my mom, she chose all the healthy items for her plate: broccoli, green beans, and a delicious creamy spinach dip. We devoured our food within minutes, and even went back to the buffet for seconds, or in my dad's case, fifths. For the rest of the night everything was fine, but 2 days later my mom started having some strange symptoms. She had a sore throat, trouble swallowing, nausea, vomiting, and a high fever. We thought back on what my mom had eaten the past few days, and remembered that she had chosen a creamy spinach side at Golden Corral 2 nights ago that no one else in the family had even considered trying. Looking back on it now, I think the food borne illness my mom was infected with was Streptococcus A, considering this illness is transmitted from people to people contact, and we were at a buffet style restaurant. If an infected person at the restaurant accidentally coughed or sneezed on that spinach dip, my mom, and anyone else who ate it, could be easily have been infected with the disease. Sure, the food at Golden Corral is delicious, but we have learned from our mistakes and will never go back to that restaurant again.
Lydia B.