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?

As someone who handles food as part of their job- yes, you should be bothered if they touch their headhair.
If you follow food hygiene guidelines then you shouldn't have your hands near for head/face/mouth while handling food. Or handles money then food. The risk may be fairly low, but the issue is bacteria from your body eg staphylococcus aureus being transferred onto your food.
The hair itself is just manky rather than a contamination issue as such.
Sadly people (who should know bwcasue it is their job) are terrible about recognising cross contamination.

And to anothe poster- those vans should all have a mobile handwashing unit inside.

I'm absolutely with you on this but, unfortunately, it is my problem. If it were that big a danger, more people would be dropping like flies. The fact of the matter is, they are not. I can't eat out because I know how gross people are. I used to be a waitress and I was the only one I the place who left the sink wet after taking a piss. That, and many other things I saw there, didn't help. In fact, it might be the cause because I was never bothered before then. Made it frigging difficult when I've been in hospital. Living on two pots of yogurt a day wasn't great for recovery, I can tell you. I had to sign myself out before I starved to death. People say, you'd eat it if you were starving. Not always!

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.

Thank you... you so made me smile!

I think that I would be pretty disgusted by seeing this too.
I actively avoid buying food out if possible.
If I do "have to", then I try and switch off that anxiety path, else if I didn't, I'd prob be sick.
Also I do try to employ the thought that I'm likely not gong to die from such things.
It's really not easy, and I don't think I'm a particularly sensitive person either.

I've got no practical answers, I do try to psyche myself up into accepting these things happen, and probably worse things happen behind the scenes that you can't see.... it gets worse, doesn't it?

Us humans can be pretty unbelievable 🤮

I would have turned away and gone hungry rather than buy anything to eat from there. I wonder what the opinion would be of someone who trains catering staff in hygiene practices?
People saying you’re unlikely to be infected by eating something served to you this way! They just don’t get it. Probably, the same ones who tell arachnophobes that (big,hairy house) spider won’t hurt them!

I’ve noticed that too. One thing I hear regularly, is people (Warning: stop reading now if you’re sensitive about bodily fluids), snorting up a glob of phlegm. It happens when I’m in shops, walking down the street etc. 🤢

Totally with you on this, also people that serve food with huge long painted nails, recently out to eat, lady brought plate to table her thumb nail was in my meal, i refused to eat it, this really grosses me out especially after doing courses of what harbours in nails and on hands from not washing correctly.

I think a big issue is there is a lack of training nowadays. I was a silver-service waitress as a teenager under a scary Sicilian maitre d’. It was a mediocre hotel but he took pride in his work and made sure we were a professional team. As another poster recognised, younger workers now don’t have the same sort of guidance and service generally is dire. It doesn’t enter their mind not to touch their face, hair, money etc before preparing food.

One of my teen DC works in a restaurant and his colleagues just don’t seem to understand how they should interact with customers. They are miserable as sin, don’t get the concept of welcoming people or making small talk and because of this the place is devoid of atmosphere. The management needs to sort it out but they just treat the youngsters as a never-ending supply of serfs. They pay them peanuts but also fail to value them.

We were served recently at the local Wagamama by a lad with the most gross dirty long fingernails I’ve ever seen! Why has no one told him to sort it out?! I think society in general is to blame as people are too scared to call out bad practices and we are instilling in our children the right of self expression at the expense of community cohesion and proper behaviours.

What happened to customer is king?!

My pet hate is when people cough into their hand or blow their nose into a rapidly wittering tissue and do nothing about washing their hands.

I once refused an order in Burger King because the man making my kids’ burgers pinched his nose in the way you would with a tissue, but without the tissue 🤢.

This is why I’m in therapy… it used to not bother me but now if our school has a “stay and play” session I’m the parent stood with their hands in their pockets watching my DS play with the building blocks and puzzles, etc… I do normally manage to have a word with myself and play with him before the end of the session but then it’s hand sanitizer as soon as I get back to the car, massive handwash when I get home - I’ve even been know to get changed and shove my clothes in the wash if I had to sit on the floor or even a chair… it’s so bad.

@PrimatePantaloons

hand sanitising and a good hand wash when home is normal in that kind of situation.
most of us would do that
give yourself a break 💐