Telling her not to let her child touch all the food?

[aaronslands]

I'm currently on holiday and this morning went down for breakfast
It's a buffet breakfast.
I'm stood behind a lady and her daughter (probably 6 ) and she's walking around touching the sausages then she touched the bacon
The mum is saying "oh do you want that?"
The daughter says no and she walks on (leaving the food she touched )
After the 5th time she did it
I said "excuse me ,I don't mean to sound rude but it's not very hygienic to let her touch food if she's not going to put it on her plate-it's a bit off putting for other people"

She looked at me -said nothing and kept walking

Was I in the wrong?

Ugh. That kid might not have washed her hands after using the toilet, before putting her germ-ridden hands all over food other people are going to eat. Yuck yuck yuck.

Well yes it is it's usually help yourself on hotplates

Arrrgh @phos you are bringing back an old memory.

Work celebration, can't remember what, but small office of about 10 staff, we all brought dishes to share.

One of my colleagues had the misfortune to suffer from a skin condition that gave her hands a terrible, weeping rash. Not psoriasis, but something similar like dermatitis. One of the dishes was a rice salad. There were plenty of serving spoons available - but this colleague put her hands into the bowl & grabbed a handful of salad to put on her plate.

Cue a round of Stealth Competitive Undereating ...

I have a 6 year old and she definitely wouldn't do this, they'd know not to, at 3 even they would follow instructions of "don't touch the food".

No doubt as this is mumsnet someone will be along to say maybe she has a condition where touching food can't be controlled and you definitely can't tell her to stop as she has a condition. You must accept the filthy sausages 😄.

Fucking hell , I would have lost my shit, honestly I can't stand that , rude bad mannered and a waste of food
I'd have asked if I could have some fresh from the kitchen and tell the staff what she allowed her child to do whilst pointing her out to them
Probably an over reaction but it's the one thing I'd shout about

ew that's grim. But yes, learnt behaviour.

You were not wrong.

My DD has additional needs.

We were at the buffet in Butlins and I was walking her round to see what she fancied.

I turned my back for one second to pick up some tongs and turned back to see her licking slices of cheese on a tray.

I was mortified. I told her off because despite the problems she has with impulse control she was old enough to know it was wrong.

I took the whole tray to staff.

MORTIFED.

YADNBU

If it was me i'd have asked the staff to have a word though
<coward>

I would have said something too.
Yesterday, at the till in Iceland, I struggled to get a plastic bag to open so I could start packing, and I could sense that the lady behind was in a rush by her sighing etc. She said 'give it 'ere, I'll do it' 'It needs to be wet' and she licked her fingers and then opened the bag and gave it to me! She probably thought she was being helpful. I felt quite sick.

I would also find it worrying that the food wasn't very hot.

I would also have challenged the "parent"

I would have put the food on the child’s plate. You touch it, you eat it or go hungry.

They weren't necessarily on hot plates, quite a number of hotels I've stayed at have kept their buffet food in metal dishes under lamps, never piping hot, sometimes barely warm

Bleughhh, how rank! 😖Honestly, some people are just disgusting.

As a parent I would be horrified if my kid did that and would tell them off immediately! When my DC was a toddler I always dished for them at a buffet, and once they we're old enough to dish for themselves, they knew to always use a spoon/tongs (certainly by 6/7!).

I'd discreetly let the staff know to keep an eye on them, as clearly the parent doesn't think hygiene is a priority.

I think this is an obvious YANBU

Well done OP for saying something

You did the right thing

They weren't on hot plates
As the other poster said the items were barely warm
The only thing hot were the fried eggs and omelettes as they were prepared whilst you were there.

That is vile.
Disgusting behaviour.

Ugh. That's hideous.

It's triggered a buffet memory for me. At a funeral, I saw a woman open up a sandwich, lick it and say "Ugh, that's marge that is", refold it and put it back.

YANBU

And did everyone a good turn by saying something

This is why I always arrive at the buffet first! Some people are just grim, and as a PP said, sometimes the parents do this themselves as well.

The only thing hot were the fried eggs and omelettes as they were prepared whilst you were there.

Sounds like the best deal!

Trust me, the staff don’t want to parent other people’s grotty children and open themselves to a load of abuse if they dare tell someone’s little snowflake off!

Years since I've been, but the 'Ice Cream Factory' in Pizza Hut used to be very bad for this sort of behaviour.

Not unreasonable at all. I would also have reported to staff.

You were not in the wrong!

That is so gross and one of the reasons we never go to buffet restaurants or eat in them on holiday!

I mean stuff like this happens, kids are kids but why can’t people parent them! At the very least the mum should have apologised and told her daughter not to do it again.

I saw a woman in Sainsburys knock an unwrapped loaf off the display onto the wet, dirty floor (it was a very rainy day), pick it up and put it back on the shelf. I informed the staff member who removed it.
Was in Lidl one day, saw a scruffy looking person was picking up all the bread rolls in turn, squeezing them and throwing them back. Revolting. I guess it happens all the time. Who knows what has happened to the food before you get there?
Very occasionally I will buy something if I see it taken out of the oven and placed on the shelf. Otherwise no.