I know this is creepy, but...?

Question

Say you go to a nice restaurant and they serve you a beautifully prepared plate of food. Do you ever think about how often the chef touched your food while he was lovingly arranging it on the plate? (I know they often wear gloves, but not always.)Even if he washed his hands, what if he had just gone to the bathroom? I know this question is kind of gross, just wondering if anyone else thinks about strange things like I do.

Answer 1

I worked at a restaraunt long ago.
The pizza chef luigi yes luigi used to pick his nose and wipe on the bottom part of his apron while making the pizza s the dough used to get him plugged up he would say.Best friggin pizza in town....really.I made my own.Also the dishwasher was crazy if the silverware was dropped after cleaned a good wipe with a dirty rag shined it up nice for him.I only go to good rated restaraunts still doesnt mean a thing.You just kinda got to not think about it.Its just like thinking of the process of getting the food from the field to the stove.

Answer 2

i run a bistro in a club, and my staff and myself NEVER handle any food without wearing gloves. I think they are the best thing, because it takes away the worry of your staff washing their hands properly.
I have worked in the restaurant industry all my life and I have seen things that would curl your toes!!!
In Australia, we have regular visits from the health inspector and that is a good thing. Just imagine if we didn't.
When I go out to dinner, I always wonder how the food is prepared. I try to choose food that can't be tampered with much. A steak gets thrown on the hot plate and what can anyone do to tomato and lettuce?
I don't ever buy mornay or braised type dishes, or anything that involves a lot of fiddling with. I don't like buffets because of what other customers do when they are serving themselves. Again, curl your toes!
If a restaurant has a grubby looking dining area, don't eat there. It will be worse behind the scenes. The workers should also look clean and well groomed.
a really busy restaurant is a good sign. They have turnover. They are not left with food stuff they have to try to get rid of and not waste. Also, they have a good reputation.

Answer 3

Yes, I do sometimes think of such topic as well. But, realistically, if we were to worry about such things - we might as well not get out of bed in the morning.
I know that the things you described in your question DO happen but I would think that it is pretty rare and when it happens, how would we ever know? Anyway, most food and plates etc that are in the kitchen are usually in an environment (hot) where bacteria won't survive for too long, so we can take some comfort in that fact.
Every good restaurant want to keep customers so I would think that they would not want any bad publicity from food poisoning or even bad press from customer complaining of bad hygiene practices. So I am sure they would want their staff to always keep their hands clean.

Someone answered a similar question on Yahoo! Answers a little while back and suggested a good point. Check the restaurant's toilets. You can usually tell how hygiene-conscious the place is by the state of their toilets.

Answer 4

Rubbish. I love all the pious "No cooks/chefs/waiters ever mess with your food".

I've worked in the food industry long enough to know one thing:

RESPECT YOUR FOOD WORKER.

While working in fast food, cooks would listen to hear how the customer ordered his food. If he was rude, or obnoxious or treated the order taker with disrespect (name calling, swearing, etc), he would get a "little something extra" with his meal.

The other rule of eating out: NEVER send your food back. That's where cooks scratch their balls and touch your food, or dribble a phlegm patty on your entre.

Cooks are busy, rushed, and often overworked. The last thing they want to see is your plate again, with the accusation that "he didn't do it right".

There are PLENTY of reasons to worry if you're a jerk at a restaurant.

On the other hand, if you're polite, patient and cool, most food service workers will bend over backwards to make sure your visit is a pleasant one.

Answer 5

When dining out, there will always be the possibility of someone preparing your food in a manner you would not otherwise do yourself.. There is always a gamble when eating out. Have you ever considered that almost everything we eat is either prepared in a kitchen or factory by some other person we may not normally trust touching our food, before we get to it? The FDA actually allows in some products a certain percentage of larvae, maggots, and other bacteria in all our processed foods. We all have our own set of standards, unfortunately it is not a uniform one that every person in the world follows!

Answer 6

I know wat u mean but here in Australia...im pretty sure chefs here dont use gloves as they could get seriously burnt if the gloves catch fire. I think a well trained chef and staff would take that thing VERY seriously. I used to waitress and we used to wash our hands 50 times a night. I think u can feel confident with a good restaurant...just try to keep clear of the dodgy looking ones. Look around and see if u can see grubbiness in the eating area. If it's not spotless...dont eat there. :)

Answer 7

I have been in food service for over 20 years and not all restaurants are dirty, and I have NEVER used the 5 second rule at work...only at home. If you are paranoid about this sort of thing then don't eat out.

Answer 8

Do you eat your food after you wash your hands? Even if you had just gone to the bathroom? I would be more worried that he spit in it because he was mad at you, or he dripped sweat in it like the guy did on the episode of "Hell's Kitchen" Ewwww.
Maybe you should just stay at home. and eat cereal.

Answer 9

I have been in the biz for almost 20 years
and I can tell you from personal experience, that no one does stuff to your food on purpose. Ever. We take pride in our work.
If you are compulsive about this type of thing, then maybe you should just stay home and cook !!

Answer 10

yes, this sick girl came right out of the bathroom stall and straight to the condiments counter at a mc d's in stamford conn. (Did I say all of that?) I told the manager and she said, "oh, she isn't handling the food, but she would take care of it." Nasty. Thats why I go to one restaurant where I can watch them prep and cook the food. My favorite pizza and beer joint.