To be grossed out by this?

[PrimatePantaloons]

On a family day out buying hot drinks/ snacks from a van. I’d got my drinks/ snacks already but spotted the woman who had just served me pluck a hair out of her face with her fingers nails, look at it and then flick it off in a random direction…

I am very overly sensitive to this sort of stuff/ borderline obsessive but this is mainstream gross isn’t it?

I see this sort of stuff all the time and don’t get stuff for myself when out and about, but sometimes I wonder what would happen if I asked people to wash their hands after I’ve seen them doing something like this?

The other day in Costa I saw a guy scratch the inside of his ear with his little finger and then put a lid on someone’s take away coffee without washing his hands? That’s gross too right?

I feel like my perspective is skewed because of my anxiety about this type of thing, which I am having therapy for. As part of this I’m trying to recalibrate what is/ is not acceptable.

The woman from today didn’t even try and hide it… she was chatting to the next customer in the queue whilst admiring this chin hair she had just pulled out and then literally just flicked it off. It could have landed anywhere. That is gross, yes?

Definitely not being unreasonable. Some people just do gross things, especially if they think nobody is looking. You only have to look at people in cars in traffic jams to boggle at how many of them are picking their noses.

Those people who serve food in vans - where do the wee and wash their hands?

I can understand the 'gross factor', but at the end of the day, no one is going to get contaminated by a hair or a brush of a finger that has touch an ear, so it's not something I can get worked up about.

Well - I doubt if touching a lid with a hand whose little finger has briefly been inside an ear is likely to transmit an actual infection. A chin hair I suppose might conceivably if someone ate it.
This behaviour is not pleasant or hygienic so I see why you call it 'gross', but it wouldn't disgust or worry me the way it does you.

Not unreasonable. It's absolutely grim.

My approach when I see things like this is to reconcile that it happens all the time, I have no control over it, and I'm probably not going to die. But it still absolutely grosses me out.

I was once escorted out of Subway for suggesting that the lady serving should change her gloves between handling one customer's money and then starting on the next customers sandwich. This was nearly twenty years ago but it still irks me. I have been boycotting Subway ever since.

YANBU

Not sure what is so gross about it. Is it that you think the hair went in uncovered food? Or is it just that she plucked it out with her fingers? Because it is surely then equally gross to touch your headhair, which a lot of people do constantly. And handling coins would be a lot more disgusting as so many people have handled them and there are likely to be fecal bacteria on them. But nobody seems to bat an eyelid at that.

I absolutely bat all of my eyelids at all of these things… in fact I wish I had more eyelids so that I could bat all of those as well.

Yes. I would totally be with you on the subway thing. I’m working on the reconciliation that you talk about as I used to be able to do it but have lost that ability st the moment… thanks though, it’s reassuring to know I’m not alone…

😂

@Startinganew32

surely you can see what’s gross about someone plucking out their hair and flicking it about or foraging about in the ear wax and then touching things people are buying?! It’s rank. Like people don’t need to be constantly touching their faces. It’s like people who always have their fingers in their mouths - grow up! No one wants traces of others saliva all over

I asked a girl to wash her hands before wrapping my fish supper .I had watched her scratch under her arm pits adjust her pants and then wipe her face and mouth.My take was if that's what I've seen what haven't I?.
Weirdly when I was younger I also worked in a chippy , the owners were very strict about where your hands went , either behind your back or on the counter .I also hate I've got gloves on so can touch everything. Just wash your hand regularly .
It's quite a bug bear tbh

Earwax yes, hair, not really. Most people constantly touch their faces subconsciously. Flicking away some hair isn’t that gross really. It’s not like picking your ears or nose where you get a substance on your fingers. Would you find it equally gross if someone realised they had an eyelash on their face and flicked it away with their fingers?

Fair enough. But there’s so many things people do: stroking their beards, biting their nails, wiping their noses, touching or running hands through their hair, touching their clothing that has been in contact with germy places like toilets, adjusting their earrings, touching their shoes when doing up shoelaces. All of which are equally or more gross than flicking away chin hair.

It is kind of gross in an icky way, but it's not something I could get worked up about. People are always going to be touching some part of themselves consciously or unconsciously throughout the day. Personally I'm very diligent when I'm working in that kind of role or serving food etc. generally, but I am aware that little germ transferals and contamination happens aaaaaalllll the time, and it's probably good for my immune system.

@Startinganew32

I don’t touch my face all the time.
and yes I’d feel the same if it was eyelash.

It’s not nice at all and it’s offputting, like finding a hair in your food. But, while I don’t want bits of someone’s body in/on my food, it’s unlikely to do any real harm. Coins are far more dirty than most people’s bodies and lots of things (maybe even coffee cups and lids) are made in dirty factories/travel in dirty vans/are stored in dirty cupboards. Unfortunately there was also probably more dirt under the lady’s finger nails than on her face or the hair she touched

I wouldn’t notice this happening, I think you are hyper focusing on things which don’t really matter due to your anxiety. This is a feature of anxiety for me but about something different.

What do you think is the consequence of someone touching their face and then serving you a snack and hot drink? Do you think human skin is really dirty and laden with bacteria that will contaminate and cause infection and disease? And that that bacteria can traverse plastic packaging that your snack and drink was served in?

@Startinganew32
people shouldn’t be doing ANY of that stuff if they’re serving food. It really is that simple!

The hair plucking was unnecessary and gross. The ear thing I can kind of understand. I occasionally work on a busy till and it's really, really hard not to scratch an itch 😂 I do try if my nose is itching or ear etc but it's really hard and sometimes a reflex to scratch it

Went to lidl yesterday and the man behind the bakery was coughing everywhere without a hand in sight.. I decided to swerve their offerings 😬

YANB to feel grossed, as you have better personal hygiene than these folk, as well as anxiety about it. i sympathise because I am the same. Someone serving food and drinks should be professional enough not to do what the woman did or the Costa guy did. In fact their employers should insist on good hand hygiene, and make them aware of unconscious tics.💐

Even those who claim not to give a shit would be put off by that surely?!

In a sandwich shop I asked a girl to wash her hands before making a sandwich as she was about to start just after handling coins at the till. She was outraged and refused to serve me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm with you OP. I wouldn't be able to eat the snacks I'd purchased from the van after that. I actually don't even like eating in other people's homes, or if a colleague brings something in that they've made. I know it's irrational (although there are some things that most people would consider gross) but I can't help it. It doesn't overly impact my life and I'm not young so I can't be arsed with therapy.

Yeah people shouldn’t do it but so many do. And those who claim not to touch their face probably do more than they think because most of the time it’s subconscious. Also fingernails, jewellery and stuff also harbour germs.