Hi Barb,

I'm on day 5, so I know it's still early, but I'm a little nervous that my starter might be possessed by evil spirits-- or at least some very bad bacteria. Maybe my starter has Corona Virus. I live in NYC, so I think that's a possibility.

Background info: I'm using tap water, but this city prides itself on having the best tap water in the world, so I refuse to believe that's a problem It's pretty cold in my apartment, definitely under 70 degrees. And I'm using 100% AP flour with no whole wheat flour at all. I had some nice bubbling action on days 2 and 3 and I have seen a decrease in bubbles since then, but after reading other comments, I'm not too concerned about that. The smell, on the other hand... I have no words to describe it other than a vomit-inducing, very bad, not good, vomit smell situation. Like, so bad. Every 12 hours I have to give myself a real pep talk before taking the lid off to feed this demon child of mine. So, so bad.

I've been reading through comments here and on other online forums and have seen a lot of posts about mildly unpleasant rotting fruit or vinegar smells that go away after a few days. Mine went from rotting fruit to what I'd imagine the 9th circle of hell smells like. I want to believe this situation could resolve on its own if I persevere. That being said, I'm down to throw it out if you think that's the right thing to do. I am not feeling great about being quarantined alone in a small apartment with what I believe might be Satan's Sourdough Starter.

Also, sorry for making you read this gross post. Thank you.

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