Tongs or no tongs?

[sandyj55]

Has anyone tried that airborne before and during a cruise? I've heard that will help a lot.

[MandD]

"I do not like when people use those drink containers to keep refilling them at the water/tea/ punch machines. Think about all the germs they are spreading that were on the bottles where they drink out of them!"

 

LLD--I just saw a program on TV in which they tested the nozzles of several public drinking fountains and some office water coolers. The fountains were all reasonably clean (germ free), but the water coolers were loaded with germs. Probably, they theorized, from people refilling plastic bottles they had drunk out of, just as you said.

[BuffaloGirl3]

Has anyone tried that airborne before and during a cruise? I've heard that will help a lot.

 

I've never tried it but I have a friend who swaers by it. I say take some - it can't hurt.

[krogerlady]

And of course, we all realistically expect the entire kitchen staff to use sanitizer, wash their hands frequently, and use gloves to handle our food, oh, yes, and wear hairnets too.....I guess its only reasonable to control what we can, and not worry about the rest.

[stunned]

I'm sorry, I understand where you all are coming from. BUT, in reality I think too many people are becoming germaphobics. Just think back to your childhoods, how many times did you pick up a piece of candy or some kind of food from the picnic grounds and eat it before your mother yelled not to? How many times have you eaten grapes or tomatoes or even sliced unpeeled fruits such as lemons at buffets not knowing if someone washed them before placing them on display? Do you know for sure that at the your favorite restaurant someone didn't sneeze on your plate before serving you? I do not not want to "catch" any diseases from anyone either, but in traveling a little common sense goes a long way, and not worrying about the little things brings more joy to vacations. Wash your hands, treat the buffet like your grandmother will be eating there next and then enjoy your cruise and let there be peace among all cruisers.

[krogerlady]

Stunned, that is exactly what I meant. I am probably the world's worst about even being cautious, and I am never sick, don't get colds, and other than aches and pains from aging...sigh....feel fine. I believe the body makes anitbodies on the skin when you run into a foreign bacteria...one you are not exposes to daily....and therefore, you stay healthy. If you are constantly washing the skin, it can not make the antibody for the next time you run into the germ. My pediatrician even told me that....most mothers bathe their babies way too much, and lose out on the natural ability to fight infection. Worked for me. I realized that is a way out there opinion, and no one is going to check it out....heaven forbid......but its worked in my life.

Jayne

[oceanbums]

Stunned and Krogerlady,

I feel the same way. I have worked in foodservice for 30 years, know what precautions to take and take them, but I don't go crazy with sanitizer or obsessing about what I might catch. I can't remember the last time I had the flu or a cold or a stomach bug. The fact that I am working in an elementary school has probably helped, too. After working with the kids for all these years, my immune system is pretty tough. Some exposure to germs is a good thing, helps build your immunity. (and you wouldn't believe some of the things the kids do with our salad bars:eek: we intervene when time allows)

[cruzinnluvinit]

If you only touch the cookie you are going to eat (children aren't usually able to do this because they have to look them all over lol) then I personally don't mind if you pick it up without tongs. I wouldn't recommend the little papers like at the grocery store because I can see the ship leaving a trail of them everywhere she goes.

[RetiredFL]

Having worked in "food service" going through college and beyond you would be surprised what goes on in kitchens of fine restaurants. The buffet is no worse and probably better.

I would give examples but it would gross everyone out.

Sufficed to say nothing is thrown out but recycled into something else and re-served.

Don't mention food inspectors. In one restaurant she would show up, they would serve her a steak and three martinis and she would sign off and go, having never seen the kitchen!

As my mother used to tell me as a child, "You have to eat a ton of dirt before you die, might as well start now." (I am still here and healthy)

[LarAndShar]

and........ if you see one of the bussers in buffet area clearing tables and then rolling up clean silverware to set new tables.... PLEASE say something!

 

ACK!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't mention food inspectors. In one restaurant she would show up, they would serve her a steak and three martinis and she would sign off and go, having never seen the kitchen!

)

 

Love it!!!

[CrossMyHeart]

Has anyone tried that airborne before and during a cruise? I've heard that will help a lot.

I watched a segment about Airborne on the news and they said it doesn't work at all. I'm sure you can do a google research on it, but anyway it's basically as helpful as a placebo.

 

I'm paranoid about germs and use sanitizers all the time. But I'm also paranoid about overusing sanitizers as they often create these "super germs".

[cassieroll]

I'm one of those weirdos that fears all this over sanitizing is going to create super resistant bugs. :eek:

[southbayer]

I've seen the grill guys on Princess starting putting the fries on your plate for you... I kinda like that better.

Okay, I'm going to be brave enough to ask for opinions on this. I've read a thread with someone complaining about people not using tongs to take cookies at the buffet lines. This seems like a reasonable complaint on the face of it, but let's think about it for a moment. Don't most people then eat the cookies with their hands instead of a knife and fork? So if you've used those same hands to take your cookie with tongs, aren't you then transferring the germs of the hundreds of other tong-using passengers ahead of you right onto your cookie when you pick it up to eat it?

 

I don't want to sound paranoid about germs and the whole issue sounds silly, but isn't the avoidance of ailments the reason we use tongs in the first place? It seems that cookies should be an exception to this rule due to the manner in which they are eaten. Gosh, now that I think about it, maybe dinner bread and rolls should be picked up by hand, as well. Or perhaps we should just avoid ANY buffet food that won't be eaten with a knife and fork, especially if we've been dishing up our own food with utensils touched by other passengers. I don't know about you, but I've never seen hand sanitizers at the tables of any Lido deck.

 

Of course the CDC probably has all sorts of statistics on how many people have gotten sick from handling cookie tongs. If not, surely someone will suggest a multi-million dollar government study of the problem.:rolleyes: