Swollen Foods

Gordon!

I finally have a question!

I just sat down to eat my pre-night-class dinner of yogurt and rice Chex and discovered a problem.  My yogurt is past the expiration date.  It tastes fine, so I'm eating it anyway.  I was wondering, though, what foods should I keep and what should I throw out after expiration?  I usually just gauge by the taste or the mold.  Are expiration dates for real or just stamped on everything to avoid lawsuits? 

Maybe this is not a good advice column question for you ( seems like something to ask Good Housekeeping magazine instead), but thought I'd send it anyway.

Yours- 

Timid Eater

Dear Barf Hunter,

Your grandparents would happily eat things  that you'd never think of and never get sick. They had, iron stomachs.  But if you tried to eat them now I think you'd puck for days. This does not mean you shouldn't eat food that is out of date.  Like any lifestyle change these things take time, your belly has flora and fauna to help process the off, rotten, murky foods we have traditionally consumed. It is well worth your time cultivate a nasty dirty relationship with food. --G