597058 Tue Feb 17 16:40:05 -0800 2009 74 29 Not About Food 0 4426590 What is it with casual dining places. I'm not talking Jack in the Box or Taco Bell that have dedicated cashiers, but rather those neighborhood delis and pizza joints that have one person behind the counter. Don't the owners teach their employees to WASH THEIR HANDS?? It's happened to me recently at a couple of pizza places and a sandwich shop. At the sandwich place, the girl took my money, and then started making my sandwich!! I said, will you please wash your hands first and you should have seen the look she gave me!! It's one thing if they slap on some gloves, but she didn't even bother. It happened to me at 2 pizza places recently. One, the owner was standing right there and when the guy started to touch my slices (at the workstation right next to the sink) I said something and the owner never once said a word. Does casual dining mean we take our chances with our health? Tue Feb 17 16:40:05 -0800 2009 80667 janetms383 1 4427026 I agree. It's gross. And I do say something if I like the place. If I'm not so crazy about them or they have a lot of nearby competition, I just don't return. Tue Feb 17 18:45:24 -0800 2009 4426590 13853 Leonardo 1 4427087 worse still is when they lick their fingers to open the brown bag. Totally bleh. Tue Feb 17 19:08:24 -0800 2009 4426590 22559 smartie 1 4427138 totally agree Tue Feb 17 19:25:23 -0800 2009 4426590 190807 ORLYFACTOR 1 4427258 Don't you, in the course of the transaction, touch your money then touch your food, without washing your hands? Tue Feb 17 20:08:24 -0800 2009 4426590 79880 xanadude 2 4427349 I, personally, carry wetnaps for just that reason. But, when possible will wash my hands prior to touching food, if I'm not using a knife and fork. I guess it just makes me wonder, if they are so careless about their hand sanitation, what else are they touching before they touch my food..... ew Tue Feb 17 20:42:13 -0800 2009 4427258 80667 janetms383 2 4427426 In my opinion that is not really an issue. The person at the shop is handling lots of food and lots of money from lots of different people throughout the day, the amount of bacteria transfered seems like it would be considerably more compared to one person touching a bit of money and their own food. Tue Feb 17 21:14:09 -0800 2009 4427258 236136 AndrewK512 2 4427802 No I do not touch money and then touch my food without washing my hands. That's why I carry Purel. Wed Feb 18 05:36:20 -0800 2009 4427258 13853 Leonardo 3 5079088 Guess what- Purel is not "washing your hands". Sun Oct 04 19:29:41 -0700 2009 4427802 105625 EWSflash 1 4427463 Must be a pizza place thing. Last week at this pizza place I see one guy takes out a wad of bills and hands it to the guy next to him who then starts counting the bills and puts them in his wallet and then immediately starts making an insalata Caprese salad and then takes a wad of salad with his bare hands to make a dinner salad. Tue Feb 17 21:35:56 -0800 2009 4426590 11914 monku 1 4427520 You know, there are some things in live that just aren't worth worrying about. For me, this is one of them. In fact, most of the hygiene "issues" that come up on this board qualify (for me!). If I was elderly, living AIDS or some other immunodeficiency I'm sure that would change. Tue Feb 17 22:11:33 -0800 2009 4426590 24055 Atahualpa 2 4427821 In theory, I understand what you're saying. I had a friend from Russia, who had travelled around the world, tell me Americans are "too clean". This comment stemmed from me asking her.... Don't you ever get sick eating foods and drinking water in different countries? A few germs can toughen up your system! But, having been raised with a Mom that always told me to wash my hands, I have trouble seeing less than sanitary behavior from food handlers. Wed Feb 18 05:55:39 -0800 2009 4427520 80667 janetms383 2 4428727 Agreed 100% Wed Feb 18 10:23:11 -0800 2009 4427520 111910 jgg13 2 4429195 I agree 100% as well. People are so germophobic here and there is just no good reason for it. How many people have you heard of who died because of handling money or a shopping cart handle, it's just over the top IMO. My sister washes her hands after handling a menu. 2 of my friends won't take out library books because of the "germs." I mean, it's just gone insane. Wed Feb 18 12:23:26 -0800 2009 4427520 19518 rockandroller1 3 4429231 I am with you, especially since people's 'rules' about what they accept as 'sanitary' are all over the place. Doesn't the server handle the folder that the check comes in? Do you think that it is EVER cleaned? What about the doors in the establishment? If these hothouse orchids knew what went on in even the best of kitchens they'd probably freak out. There are some things you just have to not think about and enjoy your meal. I'm not saying look away when a mouse walks by and simply remove the roach carcass from your salade nicoise, but come on people, calm the F down. Wed Feb 18 12:32:18 -0800 2009 4429195 24925 chow_gal 4 4431194 Totally agree. Unfortunately there are some people who have made their minds up and refuse to listen to voices of reason. Some of the best food in the world is, most likely, never experienced because of the preconceived notion, by the same people, that it's untouchable. Wed Feb 18 23:21:46 -0800 2009 4429231 239340 latindancer 5 4432443 I found it interesting that I will be in Asia and eat from a street cart and not worry about germs. Of course, I check the street cart out and go where I see a line of locals buying the food. When I'm shopping where I live, however, I expect hands that handle money do not handle my food. My expectations shift depending on where the food is being served and what is available to the cook/worker to keep things "clean". I have never been sick from food bought from a street vendor. Not so restaurants and sandwich shops in the Boston area. Anyway, I am not a germophobe and my son has eaten his share of dirt as a kid. : ) Try not to generalize those of us who want money handled apart from our food as "hothouse orchids", weirdos, or OCD sufferers. Thu Feb 19 10:15:54 -0800 2009 4431194 15131 three of us 6 4434003 If people properly educated themselves there'd find fewer reasons to be irrational when it comes to certain things. Instead of going to the source, in this case the Health Department, and thoroughly investigating like I did, they'd learn their concerns were, for the most part, unwarranted. Instead there are those who continue to buy into fears that just aren't there. Thu Feb 19 17:26:30 -0800 2009 4432443 239340 latindancer 6 4435143 "My expectations shift depending on where the food is being served and what is available to the cook/worker to keep things "clean"." OK. But does your stomach and intestinal tract also shift? This makes no sense. But at least you admit it. Fri Feb 20 06:31:15 -0800 2009 4432443 24925 chow_gal 4 5079082 chow gal, you are my hero today. Maybe for the whole damn week. Sun Oct 04 19:28:50 -0700 2009 4429231 105625 EWSflash 3 4429390 It's amazing how some people manage to ever leave their homes. I love this recent thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/572415 Wed Feb 18 13:11:02 -0800 2009 4429195 12045 gloriousfood 3 4431520 Agreed. People just end up getting sicker because their bodies don't develop resistance. It's okay for kids to go out side and get dirty and it's okay for us to come into contact with things that are not 100% sanitary and not go immediately to wash our hands. Purel and other anti-bacterial agents are still a lot less successful than soap and water anyway, so I don't get the Purel fanatics if soap and water are available. Thu Feb 19 06:17:20 -0800 2009 4429195 107671 queencru 3 5070566 I have no patience for that paranoia... it's completely absurd, and probably indicative of mild mental illness. Indeed, some research suggests that some of the health crises we face in the first world are based on our overadherence to hygiene, and the resultant lack of exposure to parasites. Wed Sep 30 15:42:34 -0700 2009 4429195 75881 vorpal 4 5072868 scientifically true, it's perfectly healthy thinking to dislike the thought of our foods exposed to dirt, grease, fecal matter, traces of cocaine, and all the other gifts one might find on a dollar bill. Thu Oct 01 12:57:12 -0700 2009 5070566 145096 sugartoof 4 5079096 Vorpal- Finally- somebody who echoes the way I feel, and your first sentence says it all. Sun Oct 04 19:37:11 -0700 2009 5070566 105625 EWSflash 2 4440274 i heartily agree. much ado about (next to) nothing. Sat Feb 21 19:03:53 -0800 2009 4427520 12603 ScubaSteve 2 4442957 Agreed! This stuff doesn't bother me, and I think that products like Purell can exacerbate the problem. Unless you're immunodeficient or have similar problems (handling a preemie, for example), I just don't think it's necessary to use that stuff all the time. I guess I'm an anti-germaphobe. ;) Sun Feb 22 21:22:21 -0800 2009 4427520 183643 sfumato 3 4450245 >>"...I think that products like Purell can exacerbate the problem." Purell needs to have a safety label like; "DO avoid excessive skin contact" IMHO. Alcohol can equally be absorbed through the skin and cause toxic effects. To be clear, it may be safe for OCCASIONAL USE, but it should never be used as a routine, such as every 5-10-15... minutes. Wed Feb 25 06:10:07 -0800 2009 4442957 60276 RShea78 4 4456893 "Alcohol can equally be absorbed through the skin and cause toxic effects." That's a new one to me. Do you have some information that shows this is true? Equal absorption to being ingested? I doubt that. I have the impression that what sfumato was referring to is creating "more" resistant bacteria due to Purell (and other similar kinds of products) killing most, but not all of the bacteria. And when the stronger ones survive they produce offspring that are more resistant to being eliminated. Fri Feb 27 05:42:47 -0800 2009 4450245 108169 Servorg 5 4456914 I believe Purell is made with denatured alcohol (highly toxic) like many products which are for external use and not meant to be consumed internally. Fri Feb 27 05:48:30 -0800 2009 4456893 11914 monku 6 4456919 Right. I was talking about skin absorption of alcohol (either type) and not suggesting anyone drink Purell. Thanks for clearing that up, monku. Fri Feb 27 05:50:59 -0800 2009 4456914 108169 Servorg 7 4456979 Servorg, I was agreeing with you. I never thought you meant "internal" consumption. Confirming that any skin abosorbtion of denatured alcohol would have toxic effects and that denatured alcohol is used in external use products so they won't be consumed internally. Fri Feb 27 06:15:01 -0800 2009 4456919 11914 monku 5 4461207 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15066739?dopt=Abstract Sat Feb 28 14:44:53 -0800 2009 4456893 79880 xanadude 6 4461272 "Alcohol can equally be absorbed through the skin and cause toxic effects." The question is "equally." Not whether some small amount gets absorbed. And when it comes to use by workers outside of the medical profession who are constantly sterilizing their hands with products like Purell, can enough alcohol be absorbed to cause "toxic" effects (as RShea78's post says). Sat Feb 28 15:18:28 -0800 2009 4461207 108169 Servorg 6 4461277 and the following http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17927841?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=1&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed states not toxic Sat Feb 28 15:20:46 -0800 2009 4461207 11290 jfood 7 4463129 They have to be on Gojo's payroll to conclude that. Sun Mar 01 11:43:05 -0800 2009 4461277 60276 RShea78 1 4429058 This is a big pet peeve of mine. If I see it, I won't accept the food. I'll ask the person to wash their hands or use a tissue (when it happens in a bakery). Wed Feb 18 11:49:05 -0800 2009 4426590 15131 three of us 2 4429382 This drives me crazy, especially at the meat counter. Also If the clerk rubs his/her hands through their hair and then touches my meat. I often make an excuse and walk away. A lot of the big markets don't require the butchers to wear rubber gloves. I've seen clerks and sandwich makers who are wearing gloves, touch the food and the money while wearing the gloves - what good does that do? I have reported these kind of things to the store managers and yet it still continues. I think they think that I am nuts .... well I am - because their practices make me NUTS. Wed Feb 18 13:08:07 -0800 2009 4429058 175667 Canthespam 3 4431976 Haha, I used to work at a restaurant where the busboy would always wash his hands with the gloves on. Even when the manager repeatedly told him to just put on new gloves, the pair that went on his hands in the beginning of the night were there at the end. At least he was washing his gloves though! Thu Feb 19 08:25:14 -0800 2009 4429382 22039 emmie 1 4429385 A restaurant is serving a wide range of people and owes it to their customers to maintain the highest hygiene standards possible. What any of use may choose to do in our home is totally different from the responsibility of the restaurant. Wed Feb 18 13:09:02 -0800 2009 4426590 111267 meatn3 2 4429523 meatn3, that is really my point here..... I'm a hand washer.. I have animals and I'm constantly touching them and then washing my hands. But it's my option. I believe a food handler has an obligation to do whatever is possible to provide me with a clean, wholesome product. Some people are just not fastidious in their own personal habits and it extends to their professional habits as well. Wed Feb 18 13:37:26 -0800 2009 4429385 80667 janetms383 1 4429621 I was just in a fast food restaurant. Went from my car to the rest room to wash my hands. Noticed a sign over the sink: All employees must wash their hands before returning to work. Reassuring. Not! The bathroom had a hot air dryer that was significantly impared from being effective. And guess what, the employee and customer than had to unlatch the locked door with their supposed clean hands. Having lived through infancy, adolescence, and most of my alloted adulthood; I find today, I'm only slightly less neurotic about germs than Howard Hughes ever was. Wed Feb 18 13:59:59 -0800 2009 4426590 184517 RedTop 1 4430891 This is not whether people are germophobes or not. This is about hygiene that is expected in a place where food is prepared/handled. This is also about common sense. Call your health dept. Whether you realize it or not they do take it into account if enough calls are made about a certain place. These places have to be inspected and a rating posted. Not all of these inspections are known about in advance so they're all squeaky clean and everyone is on their best behavior. Trust me on this. I worked for the FDA for quite a few years. If their rating is put into jeopardy, most of them change their minds about employees and cleanliness. Wed Feb 18 20:30:34 -0800 2009 4426590 235787 CadienBelle 2 4430981 Precisely in what capacity did you work "for the FDA for quite a few years"? And what connection does the FDA have with local restaurant inspections? As for food processing, that is done on the federal level by USDA not FDA, right? I know that USDA inspections are a joke. For example, for chicken processing, they visually inspect the bird as it swings by hanging from a hook! That's right you read correctly: visual inspection! No microscope, etc. Is this 2009 or 1609? Wed Feb 18 21:00:24 -0800 2009 4430891 13853 Leonardo 3 4431031 14 years and I worked my way up to the level I retired at, thank you! I could post my license, but I don't have to prove it. At different times FDA, FSIS, and ending my career at USDA. Poor choice of alphabets on my part, pardon me! I didn't know I would have to post them all to be believed! And evidently the place you saw the :chicken being visually inspected" did they do a prelim? They can't inspect them all so it's done at random. The in plant inspectors are supposed to be doing the inspecting. We just go behind them and check to make sure their job is being done. Wed Feb 18 21:19:09 -0800 2009 4430981 235787 CadienBelle 3 4440258 "Precisely in what capacity did you work "for the FDA for quite a few years"? And what connection does the FDA have with local restaurant inspections? As for food processing, that is done on the federal level by USDA not FDA, right?" http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/haccp.html In your ignorance you tried to make me look like a fool and a liar... I'm neither. This link should answer your questions. Sat Feb 21 18:53:18 -0800 2009 4430981 235787 CadienBelle 1 4440280 according to this its not a Big Deal: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1684553.htm Sat Feb 21 19:07:57 -0800 2009 4426590 12603 ScubaSteve 2 4442825 I personally don't care about people touching money and then my food, but I do wonder about this research and its application to the USA/Canada. Australian/NZ money has a plasticised quality to it, American money doesn't, would that make a difference due to the extra "absorbency" (for lack of a better term) of US currency? Sun Feb 22 20:08:31 -0800 2009 4440280 119378 kiwiFRUIT 1 4441910 Have you ever seen a commerical kitchen in action? Did you ever think of the hands that made that dough for the pizza? Maybe the money handling is a minor thing. Sun Feb 22 13:44:07 -0800 2009 4426590 147961 treb 2 4446298 That's not exactly a consoling answer. There's a difference between handling raw food which is then cooked, to handling cash transactions, telephones, door handles, etc. and then touching cooked food before it's served. Mon Feb 23 21:43:30 -0800 2009 4441910 145096 sugartoof 3 4447289 I understand what you're saying but, if you really think about 'all the possibilities'. I get more concerned about the non-cooked cold stuff, salads, bread etc. I also steer clear of buffets where little snotty fingers may have landed. Tue Feb 24 08:26:48 -0800 2009 4446298 149836 cstr 4 4449717 Sure, lots of stuff freaks me out, but the money thing is probably the most preventable , and most overt violation, at least in terms of aesthetics. Tue Feb 24 20:29:55 -0800 2009 4447289 145096 sugartoof 1 4450333 It humors me when I see the guy count money, clean and prepare food WITH gloves. Wed Feb 25 06:44:52 -0800 2009 4426590 98136 DarthEater 1 4455890 I just get amused every time one of these threads gets going. Forget about the money. What about waitstaff who clear a table of dirty dishes (maybe that have had snot, saliva, or who knows what blown all over them) and then turn around and serve the next table with food just out of the kitchen. How often do those hands get washed in between? Some places have busboys, but certainly not all. C'mon--this type of thing goes on all the time, and seldom does anyone get sick from it. If this type of thing were really a problem the human race would have died out long ago. Thu Feb 26 17:26:30 -0800 2009 4426590 10668 johnb 2 4456741 Okay so it takes a lot before unsanitary habits become a health risk, but it's a matter of being polite, and professional and not turning off customers. The fact that people have died as a result of unsanitary conduct in food service is not inconsequential, no matter how rare these cases may be. Also, who really likes their pizza crust to taste like a soiled $5 bill? Fri Feb 27 03:14:15 -0800 2009 4455890 145096 sugartoof 3 4456835 I absolutely agree with you. Mostly because you have put your finger right on the point. Actual harm to people is very rare, but it's not really the true health risk aspect that matters so much--it's what people witness with their own eyes and react to. Food service businesses should be professional and should adopt best practices. Not doing so doesn't present anywhere near the risk that some portray, but it does turn people off. Making customers happy and content is a big part of the business. Fri Feb 27 05:04:54 -0800 2009 4456741 10668 johnb 1 4456884 Noroviruses are very contagious which can be spread by person to person contact or by object to person. Read link where they recommend cleaning of casino chips and pens and pencils http://www.co.washoe.nv.us/health/ehs/nd.html CDC Information http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-foodhandlers.htm http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DVRD/REVB/GASTRO/norovirus-qa.htm Fri Feb 27 05:39:23 -0800 2009 4426590 11914 monku 2 4456954 Considering the basic starting point of this thread, I think the following statement of advice, taken straight from the CDC foodhandlers page linked just above, is highly amusing: "Food handlers who were recently sick can be given different duties in the restaurant so that they do not have to handle food (for example, working the cash register or hostessing)." Everyone may draw his own conclusions from that...... Fri Feb 27 06:04:45 -0800 2009 4456884 10668 johnb 1 4461013 In my twenties, I cashiered in a cafe one evening a week. While I was on the register, I asked my coworkers to retrieve food and pour milk and other drinks we stored in a cooler and portioned in glasses. Many of them took offense at being asked, as if I thought I was their boss. I'd explain that I really shouldn't handle food and money, but some continued to have an issue with it. I cannot tell you how much flak I took, and got a reputation for being snooty because of it. I persisted. If you'd seen the way money was handled before it got to me, you germ lovers would think twice. I've seen money come out of sweaty socks and bras and waistbands, been handled by licked fingers, and picked up off a filthy floor. You then want me to pour your child's glass of milk with my visibly dirty hands? If I was a mom, I'd think not. Sat Feb 28 13:20:56 -0800 2009 4426590 24126 amyzan 2 4485390 Gloves. Sun Mar 08 17:17:05 -0700 2009 4461013 98136 DarthEater 3 4486952 It was a cafeteria set up. If I had to pull on a fresh pair of gloves each time a customer wanted a drink (either a can, or one I had to pour from a larger container,) I would have gone through an entire box in one shift. My average customer count per eight hour shift was well over 400, the time I spent with each person, well you can imagine. It's also completely unfeasible from a time standpoint, to be either washing my hands or donning and doffing gloves each time, when I have a line of customers waiting to be rang up. The most frustrating part about all this is that we were staffed with a barista at every shift, and the barista also had a runner, who could have backed him/her up for these tasks. IMO, these people should have done all drinks, not just coffee. But, me I was seen as a stick in the works, because I cared about cleanliness. It was nutty. Mon Mar 09 08:31:44 -0700 2009 4485390 24126 amyzan 2 4485950 >>While I was on the register, I asked my coworkers to retrieve food and pour milk and other drinks we stored in a cooler and portioned in glasses. Many of them took offense at being asked, as if I thought I was their boss. I'd explain that I really shouldn't handle food and money, but some continued to have an issue with it. I cannot tell you how much flak I took, and got a reputation for being snooty because of it. I persisted.<< amyzan- In restaurants I worked in, you would likely be fired, because there is no excuse.(IMHO) Cashiers do not rule! Reguardless, your hands clean up just as well as theirs do. Sun Mar 08 20:31:04 -0700 2009 4461013 60276 RShea78 3 4486972 I don't understand what you're saying. I would've been fired because I asked other people to pour drinks when I had a line of customers snaking into the retail area from the cafeteria? IMO, my job was to ring those people up as quickly as possible, and it was the barista and his runner's job to get them their drinks. Different job descriptions. In fact, we weren't even paid out of the same team budget. The barista and runner worked for the kitchen, and I worked for the front end of the store. The front end wouldn't fire me as long as I was a good cashier. They didn't define my job as serving food. To clarify, I had no problem serving drinks when business was slow, and I had time to wash my hands between transactions. This was simply not true the majority of my shift each week, however. Mon Mar 09 08:36:44 -0700 2009 4485950 24126 amyzan 4 4487755 amyzan- Your original post sounded like you were making up your own rules, rather than following a strict job description. Then in a back twist you mentioned caned or poured drinks, (RE: DarthEater) of which can be handled as you are. I mean cans are nasty anyway and as long as the poured drinks have a handle or dispenser, that shouldn't be an issue. IMHO- having clean hands is a must when handling the edible portion of the food. Understanding that tongs, wrapper, handles, bases, scoops,spoons, etc., are used whenever not so clean hands are needed to get the job done. Mon Mar 09 11:58:35 -0700 2009 4486972 60276 RShea78 5 4496063 I mentioned the cans and poured drinks in my OP. It's the second sentence. I don't see what's not clear about my OP. I think you were perhaps just assuming that I was the problem, not that I was actually one of the few employees trying to follow the rules as they'd been given. These were the rules we all learned in ServSafe classes, which we were required to take before the first day of work. As I said, I only did this when I simply didn't have time to wash my hands, as I was perfectly happy to pitch in on serving customers when I didn't have a line and could wash up. Unfortunately, that wasn't very often. I think most of the other employees were accustomed to inefficient cashiers who didn't care if they had 50 people in line, they moved no faster. I didn't want people's food getting cold while they waited to pay. Wed Mar 11 17:48:06 -0700 2009 4487755 24126 amyzan 1 4467702 no doubt... totally agree Mon Mar 02 18:07:22 -0800 2009 4426590 170499 kiiess 2 4498226 This American obsession with a germless society is a direct result of decades of incessant, multi-media marketing campaigns by companies such as Kimberly Clarke, Reckitt Benckiser (makers of Lysol), Dow Chemical, et. al. They start by creating an atmosphere of fear -- such as the television commercial depicting a toddler reaching for a telephone receiver literally crawling with exaggerated-looking "germs" (they look more like multi-colored caterpillars and worms, like something one might see after digesting LSD or psychedelic mushrooms) -- then convince potential consumers that their products will remedy the so-called problem. What we're seeing these days -- this irrational fear of ever-present "germs" and the plethora of products designed to kill them -- is due to the continual expansion of awareness of so-called problems by the corporate entities mentioned above. We've gone from Vanish(tm) toilet cleaning product -- a worthwhile concoction, toilets can indeed be filthy -- to antibacterial hand-wipe stations in the grocery store aisles. What's deplorable about this situation is that: 1) many people now have irrational fears of germs, to the point of obsession/compulsion; 2) the chemical products designed to quell these largely inconsequential fears are adding to an already polluted planet, and; 3) "germs" are becoming increasingly resistant and adaptable, while our resistance weakens. Would you like fries with that? -cb- Thu Mar 12 11:19:27 -0700 2009 4467702 113190 CucumberBoy 3 4524426 CucumberBoy, if I could, I'd buy you a drink. Fri Mar 20 21:46:40 -0700 2009 4498226 24055 Atahualpa 4 4527705 Just don't put your finger in it... ;) Sun Mar 22 12:38:43 -0700 2009 4524426 64003 bulavinaka 5 5079151 Ha! If it has enough alcohol gel on it, maybe it's safe... Sun Oct 04 20:13:21 -0700 2009 4527705 105625 EWSflash 3 4527649 THANK YOU. Amen. Sun Mar 22 12:19:06 -0700 2009 4498226 183643 sfumato 1 4538751 Actually, one thing I wonder is whether you can catch viruses this way, as opposed to bacteria. I mean, I'm not exactly worried about getting some kind of weird bacterial condition, but the common cold is a lot more prevalent and this would be a really lame way to come down with it. Wed Mar 25 18:41:49 -0700 2009 4426590 11816 Agent 510 2 4538834 "I mean, I'm not exactly worried about getting some kind of weird bacterial condition" Yeah. After all, what's a little flesh eating bacteria between friends? ;-D> Wed Mar 25 19:05:05 -0700 2009 4538751 108169 Servorg 1 4538986 I can see how this might bother people. I used to be a bank teller for a couple years, and money can be very nasty. I had a co-worker who got a rash from handling money, which was why we always had hand sanitizer and wet wipes. The dirt and grime from handling it gets gross after an hour or two. Fast food money (or any money) would come in with bugs in it, blood, etc. With that said, I can also see why this might not bother people if it's just a cashier at a fast food place who only touches money occasionally.. it seems everyone uses debit and credit cards anymore. Wed Mar 25 19:59:37 -0700 2009 4426590 144298 Erinmck 1 5073256 I frequent a fast food sandwich place and love the fact that the food preppers put on plastic gloves before handling the food. OTOH, I literally lose sleep over worrying about all that plastic going into the landfill. And even though I religiously wash my hands at home before handling food, I also allow family pets to scamper all over the counters and dishrack whenever the spirit moves them. If it's not one thing, it's another! Thu Oct 01 16:19:09 -0700 2009 4426590 1099762 CookieWeasel