Be Afraid! (of pancake mix, among other things)

I got an email from my cousin that started out like this -

"This is TRUE--Check it out!"

Well, it's sort of like true. In a way, at any rate.

"http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp

Subject: Warning-Pancake/Cake Mix

Hi everyone,

A student at HBHS had pancakes this week and it almost became fatal.

His Mom (registered nurse) made him pancakes, dropped him off at school and headed to play tennis. She never takes her cell phone on the court but did this time and her son called to say he was having trouble breathing. She told him to go to the nurse immediately and proceeded to call school and alert the nurse

HELLO! Apparently THIS is the real problem with giving children cell phones. It's not the potential brain tumors - it's that they will call Mom when they should be going directly to the school nurse.

"Hi Mom! Can't breath! What should I do?"
"I dunno honey! How's science class going?"
Besides, do people really make pancakes on a weekday?

Here's more from the email:

"Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores."

Apparently there's SOMETHING in these mixes killing off these teens and young adults (Snopes says so, so I imagine it's at least partially true), but it shouldn't be yeast. Or if there IS yeast in the pancakes and cake mixes, it's wasted, 'cause last I heard, neither pancakes nor cake required yeast in order to rise.

It's not enough that we have to be afraid of parking lots (poison perfume samples, etc. )and air (yes, the little air bottles you spray to clean your computer key boards can also kill you, or so say the emails). Now we have to be afraid of pancake mix too.

I mean, just for the record, I already WAS afraid of pancake mix, not to mention cake mix. But that was because of the TASTE, not the imaginary yeast. And because God only knows what all they put in there when really all you need for delicious pancakes is flour, eggs, sugar, butter, baking powder, and some milk.

Me, I was afraid of the stuff that's in there on purpose, not the stuff that grew in accidentally. But apparently pancake mix isn't as chock-full-o-preservatives as one might fear.

So anyway, now that I've done my part to raise the general anxiety level about pancake mix, I thought I'd finish up by offering this comforting thought, "At least respect for the sanctity of marriage is alive and well."See?!?! Don't you feel better now?