LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS AND MY CHINESE NEW YEAR CUISINE

Let me begin with the more serious news story.  Should you be concerned about the Coronavirus epidemic and begin wearing a mask?  No, unless you're visiting someone who has the ailment.

Should governments take every precaution?  Absolutely.  China has undertaken steps that wouldn't be done in the USA.  They don't deserve the blame they're getting.  At last check, 46 million living in and near Wuhan were in lockdown.  All this occurring during the Chinese New Year when people are driven to return to their roots where they grew up.  Train stations are normally in utter chaos during this two-week period.

Heard also about the 6,000 or so stuck on a  Carnival cruise ship Costa Smerelda at Civitavecchia near Rome?  A Chinese couple became ill.  Early news indicate that the coronavirus was not the reason.  Is this an overreaction?

Are those extra international airport precautions necessary?  Sure, but they might be largely ineffective, for the virus has an incubation period of up to two weeks.  The World Health Organization actually recommends against testing travelers.

While a pandemic approaching the Spanish Flu of a century ago will not repeat itself, mutation worries knowledgeable people.  And, incidentally, that major killer involved  the H1N1 swine influenza virus that we last saw in 2009.  But H1N1 is not the coronavirus, which is what caused SARS in 2003.

Almost 20 years ago 10% of those who got the illness died.  This time, the fatality rate appears to affect about 2%, so there is something different.  Conversely, this current coronavirus has already exceeded what happened in 2003, and has only begun.

While H1N1 is highly contagious, the coronavirus can only be transmitted by direct contact.  This virus is similar to the one that caused SARS and MERS, but yet is not the same.  Some common colds are also linked to a type of coronavirus.

On an airplane, the ventilation system should not be, as such, a carrier.  Wouldn't hurt to bring along a mask, though.  If you're seated close to anyone who is coughing, you might want to wear it, even though the odds are minuscule that this person will have the coronavirus.

There are various conspiracy theories on how this coronavirus became active, starting with a stolen military biological virus being purposefully released.  All false, except in 2003, the SARS outbreak was traced to a civet cat.  This is that animal which ingests coffee beans and craps with bean intact, which is processed as the most expensive coffee sold, Kopi Luwak.  Buy from Amazon.com for $26/100 grams, which is less than a quarter pound.  The brewed coffee is safe.  And, anyway, this product comes from Indonesia.  The Chinese civet cat was probably originally infected by a bat.

The latest statistics show 7800 confirmed cases, with 170 reported deaths, holding at 2%.  Wuhan is about 500 miles west of Shanghai.

 I wouldn't travel to China today, but other locations should be okay.  I'm leaving for Thailand in two weeks.

Hawaii had a bubonic plague epidemic 120 years ago.   A ship arrived from Asia with a dead crew member who was diagnosed with the ailment.  No one was allowed to leave the boat.  However, Chinatown was adjacent, and at least one rat escaped, bubonic plague struck and that part of Honolulu was first locked down, then torched.  The effort was a disaster, as the controlled burning effort spread to 38 acres.

Well, enough of all that for now.  Also related to China, let me share with you my final two Chinese New Year meals.  On Monday, 15 Craigside featured a Chinese New Year lunch:

The hit of the feast was that brown liquid in the wine glass.  I tried to find a special Chinese wine that is served on important occasions.  They heat that brown wine and pour it into a glass with ling hing mui, a Chinese plum preservative.  Well, I could not find that liquor, so I bought a Chinese brandy.  The wine, actually, has a funny taste that does not agree with me, while the brandy was like cognac, and tasted much better for this, or any, celebration.

My final Chinese meal required stopping by Duck Lee in the Makai Marketplace.  These restaurants always have their duck and roast pork hanging in the window.  One wonders about how sanitary that is, and you got to worry about the wooden cutting board, which I've never seen them ever wash:

I ordered cold ginger chicken, roast pork and chow fun.  Of course, I needed an enhancement step, frying the pork in some olive oil to have it crispier, and frying some Japanese wagyu beef fat, to which I added the chow fun and a lot more vegetables.

Quite a sequence of Chinese dishes in a five-day period.  I began with Peking Duck, went on to Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and followed with a fabulous duck soup with dried abalone.

It might seem blasphemous to be eating so well while people are dying from the coronavirus.  However, we continue to drive even though 1,250,000 (3,287/day) annually die in traffic accidents.  The 170 coronavirus casualties could easily rise to a thousand and more.  However, the standard flu which now and then afflicts us annually kills up to 640,000 (1750/day).  I feel fortunate to be alive today, and hope to continue on in my current state of euphoria.  I will not let any coronavirus or the impeachment process unduly trouble me.  Have a great day!  On this note, let me end with J.J. Pantano, who stunned America's Got Talent judges this week.  You got to see that.  He is 7 years old.