For the past few years, I’ve regularly eaten undercooked chicken. My parents (not to put them on blast) aren’t the best at properly cooking chicken. Over time, I’ve come to accept my chicken pink. Last August, I realized the potential my chicken-eating habits possessed; I could be the cure to Salmonella. I bravely decided to sacrifice my body in the name of science. 

Throughout my raw chicken journey, I’ve faced doubts and concerns about the medical risks. Dying of Salmonella is extremely rare; only less than 1% of people infected die from the bacteria. Out of 1.35 million yearly cases, only around 420 result in death. Most commonly, people who are babies, elderly, or pregnant. In case you haven’t noticed, I am none of those things. Therefore, I am the perfect candidate to contract Salmonella.

My plan was to grow immunity by gradually eating more and more undercooked chicken. Eventually, I even ate it raw. Several months and multiple food poisonings later, I’ve decided to halt my research. 

This hopefully temporary pause has occurred for many reasons,  mostly due to my realization that Salmonella is harder to become immune to than previously thought. Also, because raw chicken tastes gross. Imagine eating something all wet and jiggly, but it’s chicken-flavored and leaves a weird taste in your mouth. I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Does this mean I will now only consume perfectly cooked chicken? No. I’m not a quitter. I continue to eat medium rare chicken, but I will hold back on eating it raw until later in time, when I’ve built up more of an immunity and don’t have to worry about completing work while having Salmonella.