Should I have said something about woman with manky arm in cafe?

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I took my DDs into a small Italian cafe/icecream parlour in my town yesterday. I left them sitting outside at a table and went in to order.

This is a tiny little place so you're right next to people at the counter where the icecream etc is.

A woman was talking to the young woman behind the till....they seemed to know one another. Woman customer was about 40, very well dressed and spoken. She was saying "So the doctor said it is a bacterial infection but it's improved...look"

And showed her forearm which was manky with infection...uncovered...bright red and pussy looking...the girl leaned over, very interested and I'm not sure but I think she touched the woman's arm near the patch of infection which was about 7 inches or so.

I was but for some reason couldn't think of anything to say! Later the male owner of the cafe came to sit with this arm woman outside near me and I got the feeling the woman was somehow connected to the owners...I should have walked out really...this manky arm right near all the spoons and stuff.

I just had to get this off my chest to see if I was being ott in being so grossed out!

She may have been a member of staff herself reporting into work after being signed off by the doctor.
She may have been showing her employers.
The girl serving would have basic health and hygiene cert and known to wash her hands regularly and when to be extra careful, so maybe she didn't even touch it.
How do you know she didn't wash her hands, didn't you then go outside to your dd? You saw the owner talking to this woman outside, so the girl in shop could have washed her hands then, maybe she hadn't served anyone after you before washing her hands.

Garlic I am not so rude to say anything to people with skin conditions. She was however advertising a BACTERIAL INFECTION. I know what psoriasis and other conditions look like thank you and I am far too well mannered to be so rude.
Poster I watched her touch the arm (pretty sure she did) and then turn to make my coffee!

To be honest, if she was behind a till, then she's handling money and should be washing hands or putting on gloves before any food prep, regardless of the arm thing.

Garlic is right though. A bacterial infection in an arm is surely unlikely to give food poisoning? DS1 had a hideous skin infection over his entire body when he was a baby. Obviously we washed hands, but in part that was to prevent him getting further infected through the inflamed skin. We weren't told to keep him away from anyone though. And it looked manky long after the infection had gone.

But yes I would expect her to be washing her hands regularly (especially handling money)

Saintly I wasn't worried about food poisoning! But about bacterial skin infecion!

Ahhh ... is this ebola related??

Er...no.

Op I think you're getting a hard time. Honestly if I saw a food server touching someone's arm where they had a bacterial infection I wouldn't want them then going straight on to serve me without first washing their hands. Who would??

I've worked in a few restaurants and it's really put me off eating out. One girl I used to work with would pick away absent mindedly at spots or flaky scalp. Vom

Personally I doubt I'd have said anything but would just have said I'd changed my mind and left

Ex-microbiologist here and I'd have been as grossed out as you op. I don't think it's appropriate to wave infected areas at people in public, particularly in a food preparation area!

Op I think you're getting a bit of a hard time. I can't imagine anyone would want someone serving them who they'd just witnessed touching someone's arm that has a skin infection. Regardless of whether they actually touched the wound or not. Without then washing their hands before serving them.

Personally I doubt I'd have said anything however I would have just changed my mind and left.

I've worked in restaurants for the last 20 years and some peoples personal hygiene is revolting. I worked with one girl who used to pick her scalp and inspect the scabs whilst on the shop floor.....vom She was totally unaware she was doing it. Another place I left because the chef had filthy fingernails and several different customers complained they'd witnessed him use the toilet then not wash his hands.

I suffer from excema and sometimes it can become infected. I always wear long sleeves to work when I have a flare up as I know it doesn't look nice and if I was the customer I wouldn't want me touching the food

arewethere and Zombie thank you! I also thought she should know better..,.it's not good form is it? To wave and attract attention to your infected arm in a place where food's prepped?

Oops dodgy wifi. Thought I'd lost first post

Indeed, I'd say it's rather poor form (although, as a Zombie, I am a martyr to dangling limbs).

Food prep areas don't have to wear gloves. As gloves can be kept on all day instead of being changed so there is the risk of cross contaminatuon and bacteria be passed etc.
whereas if the staff are not wearing gloves then they should be washing their hands regularly.