Saw something disgusting in supermarket

yerushamama

Thu, May 30 2019, 11:54 pm

I agree that these things are gross, but some points to ponder-
-As Fox pointed out, sampling is the norm in some cultures
-I have been in restrooms that have a sign saying that toilet paper should be put in trash, not toilet (sewage system issues, I guess)
-do you not wash the fruit before using it at home? I understand not being willing to buy foods that others have touched if they don't get washed at home, but I wash all produce before using it - generally with soap, so I don't understand the "EEWW" factor on that one, any more than on loose fruits. The gezel is a separate issue.

amother

Scarlet

Thu, May 30 2019, 11:56 pm

Whoever thinks all the food companies, and restaurants are that sanitary, is mistaken. They dont always have government inspectors.

Having said that, I never ever buy anything sold loose. Theres a slight less chance of dirty hands touching the food, but no guarantee.

Israeli_C

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:01 am

yerushamama wrote:

-As Fox pointed out, sampling is the norm in some cultures

This. In the bakeries where I live there are signs saying not to 'taste' before paying for it. Lots of people (especially old people) don't listen...

isrmss91

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:09 am

amother [ Seashell ] wrote:

I once went into a bagel store and the sushi guy had a terrible cold. his nose was literally d.r.I.p.p.I.n.g into the sushi roll. I was so grossed out I just ran for my life lol

Saw this happen in a pizza store. The server had a really runny nose, sneezing, coughing I was buying pizza for the kids, but got so grossed out. I still get nauseous remembering it. Can never eat pizza from that store ever again...

oliveoil

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:26 am

amother [ Brown ] wrote:

I don't get it. Stores really allow customers to sample grapes abmnd cherries from bags? What happens when another person buys that bag? It's already been eaten from. It's just disgusting!

Yes, many stores do.

Do you not wash your fruit and veg before you eat it? Think about how many hands have been on all your produce. Everythign sold loose - apples, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers - people pick them up, handle them, put them down, choose another, etc.

Not to mention all the people who have handled them before that (on the farm, packing them up, unpacking them, putting them on the shelves, rearranging them... etc.)

As for the grapes and cherries, you know someone picked them right? And someone bagged them too. That's at least two pairs of hands that you have no idea where else they might have been.

DrMom

Fri, May 31 2019, 6:00 am

In many open markets in Europe, shoppers have to point to the items they want and the clerk bags it for them. In Italy, shoppers must use disposable gloves to handle produce.

At first I thought that's a bit extreme, but stories like this make me reconsider.

Raisin

Fri, May 31 2019, 6:02 am

Am I the only person worried that someone with a walnut allergy might eat those olives?

Yes, this type of thing is gross, but unless this woman was contagious with measles or similar, human beings are pretty resilient.

I would totally eat a challah that dropped on the floor. Maybe not serve it to someone else, but I would eat it.

DrMom

Fri, May 31 2019, 6:08 am

Fox wrote:

If the woman was actually Chinese -- as opposed to, say, Japanese or Korean -- it makes a huge difference to the story.

China is known for having very, very different public hygiene norms than most Western countries and even many Asian countries. In fact, Western tourists to China talk about first being revolted and eventually getting used to how things are done. David Sedaris wrote hilariously about the acceptance curve when it comes to these cultural differences.

So if the woman was truly Chinese, I'd cut her some slack. Doesn't mean it's okay or that you shouldn't be bothered by it; simply that she might not have realized she was doing would be considered not just impolite but seriously gross in the U.S.

As for horror stories from expensive restaurants, yup! Years ago I had a friend who worked as a waiter in such an establishment; he had plenty of those tales. I still like to eat out. I'm willing to forgive a lot if someone else does the shopping and cooking. But I inwardly roll my eyes at people who claim to be ultra-fastidious in one breath and then talk about their favorite restaurants in the next.

Totally off topic, but Davis Sedaris is hilarious.

amother

Scarlet

Fri, May 31 2019, 9:10 am

Theres more than one issue with buying loose items.

I remember someone telling me that they wouldnt buy loose nuts in Oh Nuts, because its guaranteed that there were hands touching the nuts. They said they buy prepacked nuts in the plastic containers in KRM.

She said theres other benefits in buying prepacked.

The stores that sell loose items, refill the large containers regularly, and you can be sure old nuts are in the large containers when they add new nuts, so youre getting a mixxture of old and new nuts. In KRM each packages is dated, so the age of all the nuts in the package is more reliable.

The nuts also stay fresher (and bug and rodent free) in the store, in closed packages.

amother

Brown

Fri, May 31 2019, 10:09 am

Oliveoil, of course we wash our fruit! I'm not talking about loose fruit like apples & oranges. I'm talking about bagged food like grapes and cherries. Do stores really allow people to take off grapes of a bunch?? And then others buy that bunch of grapes or bag of cherries that had already been eaten from? That's disgusting. And many times packages fruit have a set price per package, they don't go by weight. So whoever buys from the fruit that was eaten from gets less for their money.

sky

Fri, May 31 2019, 10:13 am

amother [ Brown ] wrote:

In my stores bags of cherries and grapes stillsell by weight.

And yes of course I always wash cherries and grapes (in soap due to bugs - especially grapes - at a minimum most kashrut agencies say they need to be washed in small seperate bunches before eating ). I would never eat any fruit without washing.

The guys who picked it and packaged it touched it. As did birds and bugs and dirt.

I have s friend who washed all pickles and olives - even fresh cold packaged - I used to make fun of her. But now maybe not.

amother

Aqua

Fri, May 31 2019, 11:29 am

Hello - wake up and smell the coffee!!!!
This is what goes on in every restaurant, commercial kitchen, catering business etc.
What you don't know can't hurt you, so we blissfully eat out...

amother

Coral

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:07 pm

Ewwww!!

I was once by a pizza shop and the guy who was making the pizza was throwing the dough in the air to stretch it, the he used the dough to wipe the sweat off his forehead!
I was there with my mom, and she said the germs die in the hot oven...

tichellady

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:11 pm

OutATowner wrote:

I think her point was that it is not exclusively a frum person thing, which she is specifying because it happened in a frum store.
And yuck!!

You know a Chinese person could be Jewish and frum

tichellady

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:13 pm

Simple1 wrote:

There's also the additional concern of "treify" hands. (But yuck either way.)

That’s really not a halakhic issue at all. It’s definitely bittul. But I agree it’s not a nice thing to do in the US

amother

Brown

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:15 pm

Omg amother coral, that is so so disgusting! I'm literally gagging through this! Oh my!
I was at busy takeout in Brooklyn one Friday afternoon. While standing in line, I spotted a mouse scurrying around the tables! I pointed it out to a worker, he casually picked up the mouse and told me to stay quiet and not tell anyone or scream! Omg! Puke

It was years ago when I was a young teen, otherwise I would've said something.

tichellady

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:17 pm

amother [ Pearl ] wrote:

I used to buy liver pieces every week in a specific store. One week there wasn't any on the shelf. While I was looking for a worker to ask if they had more I met my brother. When I told him what I was looking for he took me to the back room where they had a big box of liver pieces. He stuck his bare hands in and made me a tray of liver, and had the worker wrap it and weigh it for me. He said he always does this, like this he can pick the pieces of liver that he likes best.

Ironically he is the pickiest in my family, he won't eat anyone's homemade food except for immediate family members. But this he had no problem with Confused

That was the last time I ever bought liver in that store, which is really sad because they have the best liver in town!

I don’t understand the issue. Why did this upset you?

amother

Sienna

Fri, May 31 2019, 12:24 pm

Fox wrote:

It makes a HUGE difference to the story only if the point of the post was to ask for feedback on whether the person sticking her hands into the food is culturally unaware, or just yucky.

But that wasn't the point of the story.