The Story of How I Left Miso-Marinated Meat at Room Temperature and Ate It
Chapter 1
Last night, I remembered that I had some pork loin marinated in miso that I had received as a souvenir about a week ago, so I decided to eat it. The expiration date was July 10th, so I thought I still had time and left it as it was. However, when I looked at the box again that day, it said, "Keep refrigerated, 5 degrees Celsius or below."
What! It was marinated in miso, so I had assumed it would be fine at room temperature and just left it in the corner of the room. Five days had already passed since then. I opened the box in a panic to find two packs, each containing five thick, magnificent slices of loin in a transparent vacuum seal.
It was definitely high-quality meat. I cut open the pack and brought it to my nose. It had a faint sour smell, but since it was miso-marinated, vacuum-packed, and the weather had been cool lately, I thought this sour smell might actually be a characteristic of high-quality meat, so I put the meat in a frying pan.
The meat was impressive and didn't curl up even when cooked. The fat was plump, too. It must have been very good meat. While cooking the meat over low heat, I searched for the product name on my smartphone and it came up immediately. It seems to be a famous product.
What! It's this expensive!? If that's the case, there's no way such high-quality meat would go bad in just five days!
I cooked it carefully over low heat to avoid burning it, but made sure it was thoroughly cooked, and served it with some side vegetables. I couldn't bear to eat such good meat just like that. I broke my abstinence from alcohol and opened a bottle of sake.
When I took a bite, it was sour, but delicious. When I asked my family member what they thought, they said it was delicious and tasted like the meat with plum miso I had made for them before.
I see, lately I had been marinating meat and fish in homemade plum vinegar or plum miso and grilling them. Given the season, I thought this miso-marinated loin might also contain plum vinegar, so I checked the ingredient list, but it didn't contain any plum. Even so, it was truly delicious. One piece wasn't enough, so I grilled and ate another. It must have been even more delicious if I had eaten it right after receiving it.
Chapter 2
After the meal, feeling pleasant from the faint buzz of the sake, I suddenly asked an AI.
"I left some miso-marinated pork loin that said 'Keep refrigerated, 5 degrees Celsius or below' at room temperature for five days. But when I grilled and ate it, it was a little sour, but very delicious..."
Then, an unexpected answer came back.
"Leaving raw meat that requires refrigeration at room temperature for five days is a dangerous situation that you should normally avoid at all costs. The sourness this time is highly likely to have been caused by the fermentation of the miso progressing, combined with the initial stages of decay as the meat's components began to change. Since you have already eaten it, I must say that you were in a very dangerous situation with a very high risk of food poisoning..."
My buzz vanished. I read on.
"Food poisoning bacteria love environments between 20°C and 40°C, which is close to human body temperature, and they multiply at an astonishing speed in this temperature range. Under good conditions, bacteria divide and double every 20 minutes. Mathematically, a single bacterium can multiply to hundreds of millions in half a day, and to an astronomical, unmeasurable number if left for five days (120 hours)..."
An astronomical number... b-but, it was miso-marinated, and I cooked it thoroughly...
"Miso contains salt, so it has some antibacterial properties. However, because it is combined with raw meat that is rich in moisture and nutrients, leaving it at room temperature for five days causes bacteria to multiply far beyond the limits of the miso's preservative effect. Also, people tend to think that it's okay because the bacteria will die if you grill it, but in the case of meat that has been left at room temperature for five days, you cannot make it safe just by cooking it. The most terrifying thing is that there are toxins that will never disappear, even if you cook it thoroughly."
B-but, it was vacuum-packed...
"Although vacuum packing can prevent the growth of some bacteria, it becomes the perfect breeding environment for other, even more dangerous bacteria (bacteria that dislike oxygen). Therefore, the danger of raw meat left at room temperature for five days remains the same even if it is vacuum-packed. In fact, it carries a higher risk of special and powerful food poisoning than regular meat."
W-what should I do... 💦
"Considering the nature of the food poisoning bacteria that should be most guarded against in this case (Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, etc.), if 24 hours pass after eating, the first stage is cleared, and if nothing happens for a maximum of 3 days (72 hours), you can be completely at ease for the time being. The incubation periods and specific guidelines for peace of mind for each bacterium are as follows."
Staphylococcus aureus (toxin type) Incubation period: 1 hour to 6 hours (average 3 hours) Characteristics: It acts very quickly. If the toxin of this bacterium is the cause, severe nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain will occur within a few hours of eating.
Clostridium perfringens (infection-toxin type) Incubation period: 6 hours to 18 hours (average 10 hours) Characteristics: A bacterium that loves 'oxygen-free environments' such as vacuum packs and curry. It mainly causes severe diarrhea and abdominal pain (vomiting and fever are rare).
Clostridium botulinum (toxin type) *Requires the most caution Incubation period: 12 hours to 36 hours (rarely several days to over a week) Characteristics: The most terrifying bacterium when vacuum packs are left at room temperature. Initial symptoms include nausea and vomiting, as well as neurological symptoms such as 'dizziness,' 'blurred vision (double vision),' 'difficulty seeing things,' 'difficulty speaking (slurred speech),' and 'lack of strength.'
Chapter 3
Oh no... It's been 30 minutes since I ate, and I don't have any symptoms yet. But maybe because I'm in shock, I feel like I have a stabbing pain in my stomach. As for the family member who ate the same thing, they are laughing while looking at a fan site for a Chinese actor on their smartphone. They don't understand the gravity of the situation. Having a delicate personality is a disadvantage. I feel like I'm waiting for the arrival of a powerful enemy.
Suddenly, the scene of the five-story pagoda from Bruce Lee's movie 'Game of Death' came to mind. I've entered the pagoda of food poisoning, and first I'm preparing for a battle with Staphylococcus aureus. Even if I clear that, a battle with Clostridium perfringens awaits on the floor above. And although the possibility is low, the final boss, Clostridium botulinum, is waiting on the top floor. Botulinum toxin is the strongest poison in history. If it appears, I definitely won't be able to win. Such an image is vividly coming to mind.
That's right, come to think of it, Hiroshi Matsuoka, who travels alone, said that in India, he takes the intestinal regulator 'The Guard' in advance as a countermeasure against food poisoning. I remembered I had bought 'The Guard' after hearing that, so I checked the medicine box and found it! The expiration date is still far off. It might not even be a comfort, but I take three tablets. It's unrelated, but I also take Ebios in case my physical strength is depleted in the battle.
Come to think of it, there should still be some brown sugar shochu left. Alcohol might disinfect my stomach. I take out the one-liter box pack from the back of the cupboard, pour it into a glass, and drink it. What, the taste is different! Is it rotten? No, shochu shouldn't rot. Could it be that my sense of taste is already being invaded by toxins? When I looked at the box again, it was the leftover white liquor from when I made plum wine. Calm down, calm down! When I looked closely, the pack of brown sugar shochu was right next to it.
Three hours have passed since I ate, and the night is getting late. I'm getting sleepy from being full and tired. Still, no abdominal pain or nausea. Maybe I'll be woken up by pain after I fall asleep. But wait. Come to think of it, what the AI says isn't necessarily true. It's usually exaggerated.
So I search normally with keywords like 'miso-marinated pork,' 'room temperature,' and 'left out.' There must be quite a few people who have carelessly done what I did.
There were, as expected. But at most, they left it out for three hours, or at longest, about a whole day. Even then, the posts are all about how they didn't eat it because it was dangerous. I left it for a full five days, and it's summer. I would be reassured if there was even one post saying, 'I ate it, but there was no problem,' but I can't find anyone like that.
Is this what loneliness is? My family member is in the same position, but they are still talking about some Chinese drama, and since I don't feel like we share this sense of loneliness, I feel even more lonely.
I have written several books about poisons and should have known about the dangers of food poisoning and anaerobic bacteria, but I was blinded by the high-quality meat and, without being able to use that knowledge at all, I happily gobbled up two whole pieces, which I also felt ashamed of. I checked the expiration date, so why did I overlook the words 'Keep refrigerated'? The letters are just too small.
"No. It's just aging. We're both aging and just becoming absent-minded," my family member says while looking at their smartphone.
Past midnight, like Bruce Lee entering the pagoda, I solemnly get into bed. All I can do is prepare myself and wait for the moment of truth. If possible, I hope the enemy doesn't come.
Final Chapter
I woke up once at dawn. It's faintly bright outside. My stomach doesn't hurt. There was no fever or nausea. More than six hours have already passed. The incubation period has passed. It seems the enemy didn't come. The scene of Bruce Lee sitting in the pagoda, meditating and waiting patiently for the enemy's attack, only for the night to break, light to shine into the hall, and the enemy finally not coming, floated before my eyes.
However, there is still a possibility that the second enemy, Clostridium perfringens, will come. The incubation period is 6 to 18 hours. As I write this, about 17 hours have passed, but there are no signs of the enemy appearing. There are no symptoms that suggest it. I can't let my guard down, but I think I'm mostly okay. As for the greatest threat, botulinum toxin, it is weak to heat, so it shouldn't be a problem in this case. I think I was lucky enough to get out of the five-story pagoda safely.
I wrote this, swallowing my pride, because I wanted to tell everyone to be very careful about food poisoning. Even if it is miso-marinated, and even if it is vacuum-packed, be sure to read the instructions, refrigerate it, and eat it within the expiration date. Even miso-marinated meat left at room temperature for many days can seem quite delicious and okay if the meat is good, so be careful. If you are unlucky, you will have to take on the battle in the five-story pagoda.