To be fuming with DD's Guide leader?

[Classroomblues]

I am absolutely fuming right now. Dd2 has just got back from a camping holiday with her Guide group. She didn't look particularly great when I picked her up and it turns out she's been unwell with food poisoning and they didn't call me. What's upset me even more is it was caused by incredibly poor hygiene measures.
The cooked chicken yesterday. Dd2 apparently told the leader she isn't allowed to touch raw chicken at home and the leader said "well you're not at home now".

The hand washing was a BOWL of soapy water. Not even any actual soap or running water. Surely anyone knows this is not good hygiene?
Dd said their camp was so far from the toilet block that she had to crouch outside her tent in the middle of the night with an upset stomach etc. :(
She asked the leaders if they would call me this morning and they refused as we were collecting them this evening anyway. AIBU to be upset/ angry? I don't know if I'm more upset or angry right now.

Lets blame the child now shall we? Who brought her up to be paranoid about handling chicken and probably frightened of the dark and or going to the outdoor toilets? Poor girl it sounds like she's been helicoptered out of having a normal childhood to me.

Oh and I read recent research that suggested that being too clean makes people sick.

I wasn't helicoptered as a child. I didn't like going to toilets in the middle of the night in a strange camp site. But I did it. Because i would have been totally mortified to poo outside my own tent.

I remember in one of Gerald Durrell's books that he wrote about a woman who said to him: "Oh, I've always been afraid of snakes. It runs in the family. My mother was just the same."

I don't touch raw chicken either OP and neither do my DDS- both who cook a lot. I always open the packet with a knife then use a fork to get it out and put it in the pan or then cut it up. I then thoroughly wash everything in hot soapy water.

I don't think that's bonkers it's just common sense!

I'm not the same with other meats as it's well known other meats don't carry as much risk of food poisoning.

morall You did it because you weren't helicoptered as a child as you said, I was referring to the OP's parenting style.

There have been a number of references to dd licking her fingers. I have no idea where that came from as I certainly didn't say that- she didn't lick her fingers...

I haven't done anything yet. Dd still has an upset stomach, I have messaged a few of the other mums to see if their dds have been ill too as like a few people said, I only have DD's version.

Also, my dd is not helicoptered! She is allowed to cook and does so frequently (I have no issues with her touching raw meat except chicken - that's how I was brought up!).

So you don't cook whole chickens then?

I am amazed at the number of people who think the only prep needed for chicken is to open a packet and lift it with a fork into a grill or pan.
I'm also rembering 70s guide camp with chemical loos, burnt fish fingers with Cadburys smash...
And no one was ever sick or needed parents phoned - not that phoning would have been very possible with just a payphone several miles walk away...

They think that is the only preparation needed because they obviously are not doing anything at all fancy with the chicken. I stuff chicken, wrap it in prosciutto, and lots of other things that mean you have to use your hands.

I do but wear disposable gloves to get the chicken out and baste it etc

I don't touch raw chicken either OP and neither do my DDS- both who cook a lot. I always open the packet with a knife then use a fork to get it out and put it in the pan or then cut it up. I then thoroughly wash everything in hot soapy water.

I don't think that's bonkers it's just common sense!

Nope, it's bonkers.

I also do lovely stuffed chicken breasts which I wrap in prosciutto but I wear gloves to touch it all!!

Do you wear sterile medical gloves?

No one is saying chicken is Semtex - the point I was making is that it's a foodstuff well known for harbouring salmonella and campylobacter. If you're going to let inexperienced children handle raw chicken then you should at least insist on a thorough, effective hand washing regime.

That said, I don't think the OP DD has food poisoning. It doesn't sound severe enough.

You wear gloves?! For gods sake, stop this silly behaviour because it will be passed on to your DD without fail. Chicken is just meat, grab it, chop it, wash hands, cook it. Why the huge fuss? I joint chicken, I bone chicken, I do all sorts of things with chicken and I've never had an upset tummy.

How do you know your DD didn't lick her fingers? People lick their fingers invountarily and unless you were watching her all the time, you can't say she didn't lick her fingers.

I think Guide leaders taking groups on camp are stupendous and it doesn't half get my goat that parents will complain about absolutely anything and find someone to blame. Oh dear, my DD is a bit poorly, who can I blame...

OP you should be thanking them for taking care of your DD not being petty and criticising them. And now you are ringing round desperately trying to find other ill children so you can really have a go at them. Bonkers.

I asked if you use sterile medical gloves, because if you don't, using gloves is less safe than effective hand washing.

Utterly mad to be using gloves, passing on these stupid ways to the kids.

As I said upthread unless you burn a chicken to charcoal you're going to have it's bacteria in your body when you eat it !!!!!! No amount of gloves will stop that !!!!!!

This is totally mad.

Yes AuntyMag10 I agree with you.

What concerns me, is people not understanding food hygiene so doing things like wearing disposable gloves to handle chicken, which unless they are medically sterile, is more dangerous than simply washing your hands.
OP I think you would benefit from a food hygiene course.

Like another poster upthread my son recently did a scout camp where he helped with skinning butchering and roasting a rabbit. Not something we generally do at home ;) but he got stuck in :)

My kids love camp. Sadly our guides don't seem to camp so DD2 hasn't had the experience although they have a new guide leader so maybe next year...

I think Guides are pampered with toilets, however near or far. My son is in the Scouts and they have no toilets on camp. They have to dig their own latrines and use them with a bit of tarpaulin on poles for privacy!
It goes without saying they have no running water, hot or cold!

Isn't it really difficult to take disposable gloves off without pinging bacteria all over the place?