Horrified watching my aunt prepare today's lunch...

[user1477282676]

Just checking that I'm not being super sensitive! Was at MIL's today for lunch...Aunt was in charge of potatoes which were to be boiled and covered in garlic, butter and herbs.

Lovely.

Except...not.

I had to watch her as she put the butter etc in and using a selection of utensils, repeatedly lick them after she'd stirred the potatoes...and then plunge them into the potatoes again....good stir....back into the butter dish...more licking...back into the potatoes...then back into the butter...another good lick.

Boak.

She then, coughed into the pot for good measure.

This is a bit lighthearted by the way....she's not in her dotage or anything...60 years old and perfectly together...she knew I was sititng there watching.

I had been looking forward to a nice spud! I had to refuse them and eat meat and salad!

What gets INTO some people?

I totally agree with Pictish. And we will all be ingesting other things people's germs and poo particles all the time, there's nothing we can do about it. I work with scientists at a Uni (one of the best in the country) and although they have to be careful about cross contamination, the overwhelming majority find all this 'Ew, yuck, germs pass the antibac' shit pointless and ridiculous crap which will not reduce your chances of ingesting germs or getting sick. Unless you live in a sterilised cell you never will.

Hilarious, some of the very same people here who were horrified at the pyjama thread and the potential 'hygeine' issues

I don't recall making any comments about hygiene on that thread.

But I honestly would never lick my fingers after touching a supermarket trolley, or lick something which was then used to prepare food which was not then subsequently cooked, it is just minging!

The word minging is,for me, the most revolting thing in your list.

I have to tell my mil, that the cold meat (chicken/ham etc) she has brought out of the fridge for the millionth time (after defrosting) when we visit has turned green. Actually green. yet on the table it goes, for us all, kids included.

What is wrong with people who do this kind of thing? I go hungry a lot there.

That time someone double dipped a Dorito.

Who dips Doritos? Aren't they already flavored?

Double dipping a dorito is pretty grim personally speaking, but hardly as bad as coughing into the food is it? And or LICKING the spoon. I dont think the two are comparable.

Although...

theconversation.com/is-double-dipping-a-food-safety-problem-or-just-a-nasty-habit-51014

Germs can be killers. Not all obviously, but some are, that is an irrefutable fact. Its not girly, or ridiculous to have a realistic expectation of anyone who is preparing food for you, to at least attempt to remove any additional risk, however small, that their own lax behaviour in the kitchen could introduce.

If you want to lick the spoon, double dip or Scratch your arse then cut bread, then knock yourself out, as long as you are not risking the health of others by doing it.

I work with scientists at a Uni (one of the best in the country) and although they have to be careful about cross contamination, the overwhelming majority find all this 'Ew, yuck, germs pass the antibac' shit pointless and ridiculous crap which will not reduce your chances of ingesting germs or getting sick

Interesting. I work in the NHS, and the overwhelming majority of us take sensible precautions and use anti bac gel if we're not able to wash our hands to reduce our chances outside of work - and those of our patients inside of work - of ingesting germs or getting sick. We also manage to do that without resorting to calling it pointless and ridiculous crap.

Or squealing like girls. Now that is pointless, ridiculous (and sexist) crap.

chenjin, there's a big difference between working somewhere you know people are actively sick and everyday life. You're never going to be able to protect against catching illnesses, unless you go around disinfecting every door handle before you touch it. You're simply on a hiding to nothing because the overwhelming majority of people aren't doing it. Really you're just slightly reducing the chances of other people getting your germs. So yes, in terms of not 'getting germs' or protecting yourself from illness you're pissing in the wind unless you are somewhere which has active cross contamination prevention. You can spend all day slathering yourself in anti-bac, it's not going to protect you from holding a rail on a bus someone who hasn't washed their hands held. We all get germs and we all get sick.

My post is not just about work or never catching illnesses as I clearly stated - "the overwhelming majority of us take sensible precautions and use anti bac gel if we're not able to wash our hands to reduce our chances outside of work...".

However, it's not a "hiding to nothing" to practise basic hand hygiene, what an odd thing to claim - lots more info on here if you're not sure how and when to do it.

That's just revolting.

Clean tea spoon all the way here. We have 60 billion of them, a few in the course of making a meal is nothing to wash up.

If I'm not in a sexual relationship with you, I don't want your saliva. Thanks.

...oh and the nippers are ok too...little point in hoping to avoid their saliva 😖😁

My 8 year old has just read the OP and said
GROSS!
I asked dh who works in a very large kitchen. He said no way would he do this. Though he said there is someone there who's careless about these things and dh is always reminding him to wash his hands etc though dh is a co-worker, not his boss.

This is disgusting. You have enzymes in your saliva that begin the digestive process.

That's why when you eat food and contaminate it, you are introducing enzymes that kick start the digestive process and the food starts looking runny.....no chance I would be eating from someone who is double dipping. Just couldn't.

Ugh that is disgusting I would not have eaten it either.

No. They use spoons kept on a driver for that.

A good chef always tastes the food they are preparing

Tasting is fine with a clean spoon

In sandwich shops where they handle money and then make sandwiches without washing their hands always makes me feel slightly sick.

Id never dream of licking and putting back in- yuk! I once got my friends mother and her over for an early dinner even though I hadn't invited her- not bothered about that, but she then proceeded to lift the lifs from the saucepans and licking her lips with anticipation. Bearing in mind this woman has bushy unruly hair also. She took a large spoon from the drawer and dipped and licked constantly oohing as she did so. Now my children were having to also eat the same food and they were 8 and 9! They looked at me as if to say 'stop her'. I had to throw a load into a bowl and hand it to her. Terrible manners.

It is not a nice cooking habit to lick a spoon you are using to stir food with. Unlikely to kill the food recipient but still bad manners and a bit dirty.

We were at a family gathering last week and my SIL had put out humus and flat breads. I was about to go over and try when I saw FIL tripe dipping!!!
Yuk! And he wasn't being careful about it.....lips were definitely around that flatbread, then back for more!

I steered clear.
I've noticed MIL licking her fingers a lot too....and talking with her mouth open whilst eating....and little food specs spraying out! They are generally really clean people and their house is immaculate but think I'm only going to eat their food now if it's been well boiled!!

triple dipping not tripe dipping

I really wouldn't care about it, honestly. I think along the lines of other posters who have said we all ingest germs in various ways all the time. And it's not like trace amounts of saliva are going to change the taste of the food in any way.

How would you feel about your DP (who you presumably snog and thus exchange saliva with) doing the same thing with food s/he was making for the two of you?