Was I rude?? QM2 TA Oct 27

We just came back home from our TA crossing today.

It was our second crossing in this year and we enjoyed it as much as the first time. We were happily surprised that some (3) crew members remember us from June! :D Overall, we had a very lovely time on the QM2 and looking forward to sail with her as soon as possible. :D

I would like to share this small incident happened in the Kings Court with you.

I was at the buffet where the salad/cake were located. I was lining up to get a plate. This British woman in front of me touched the middle of the plate with her whole palm :eek: She didn't get that plate and went away to get another plate. Then I said: 'You touched the plate. I can't believe it.'

She said she wanted to test the temperature of the plate and said I was rude and I should keep my opinion to myself. (I talked in a normal tone.) I told her it's not my opinion but it's just a statement. At this time, both of our husbands joined in. My husband explained to her about the virus...etc. Then they called my husband a silly man.

I was rude and my husband was a silly man.:mad:

We were speechless. :confused:

We just came back home from our TA crossing today.

It was our second crossing in this year and we enjoyed it as much as the first time. We were happily surprised that some (3) crew members remember us from June! :D Overall, we had a very lovely time on the QM2 and looking forward to sail with her as soon as possible. :D

 

I would like to share this small incident happened in the Kings Court with you.

I was at the buffet where the salad/cake were located. I was lining up to get a plate. This British woman in front of me touched the middle of the plate with her whole palm :eek: She didn't get that plate and went away to get another plate. Then I said: 'You touched the plate. I can't believe it.'

She said she wanted to test the temperature of the plate and said I was rude and I should keep my opinion to myself. (I talked in a normal tone.) I told her it's not my opinion but it's just a statement. At this time, both of our husbands joined in. My husband explained to her about the virus...etc. Then they called my husband a silly man.

 

I was rude and my husband was a silly man.:mad:

 

We were speechless. :confused:

Did you leave the dirty plate for another passenger to take?

I was rude and my husband was a silly man.:mad:

They were ignorant!

We should all know the health risks.

On my last cruise, one night in the ballroom one of the women told me of the bad diarrhoea her room-mate had (and that she'd had to get a second cabin as it was too bad for her to stay there) and as she spoke she reached over and touched me. Now, it might have been food poisoning but it might have been norovirus. That touch was NOT appropriate.

I think if I did something unhygenic like that, and someone called me on it, I would be embarassed and probably retort back to you - but then I would go away and realise what I had done was unhygenic and not do it again.

I did a similar thing at a hotel buffet. A man picked up a roll, examined it, then out it back on the buffet. I picked it up and put it back on his plate. :eek: I suspect it didnt even occur to him that what he had done was really icky. (As was what I did in response) He just shuffled off with the now very touched roll on his plate.

I think if I did something unhygenic like that, and someone called me on it, I would be embarassed and probably retort back to you - but then I would go away and realise what I had done was unhygenic and not do it again.

 

I did a similar thing at a hotel buffet. A man picked up a roll, examined it, then out it back on the buffet. I picked it up and put it back on his plate. :eek: I suspect it didnt even occur to him that what he had done was really icky. (As was what I did in response) He just shuffled off with the now very touched roll on his plate.

Having a catering company..I can't begin to tell tell you some of the horror stories..Best one was a company CFO who kept sticking his fingers into the buffet to "taste" the food I told him to stop doing that! The HR person said.."Yes he's a real pig & does this all the time!"I told him I'd "call him out on it" in front of everyone, if he kept at it. The threat of embarassment worked.I'd rather lose a client, than risk 200 people getting sick from this pig!

You certainly were not rude and they were, myself and partner always use a napkin when lifting plates at the buffet, also only lifting a plate a few down as we have also noticed, 'people touching plates' and by the way we also ask the staff to remove the contaminated ones. I freak out especially if its the people you see leaving the public toilets area not washing their hands and touching things. Gross. #Good for you.

It boggles my brain to imagine that an adult would put her palm on a plate and then think it was acceptable to put it back for someone else to use. :eek: You were not rude.

BTW, be sure to post some pictures on the Fashion forum.:)

You weren't rude. They are neanderthals.

Unbelievably gross.... What adult in this world would think that was ok! I hope you removed the plate from the buffet.

There used to be a gloved staff person at the head of the buffet queue to hand you your plate. Keeping the plates away from the queue is a good idea. :)

I think most cruisers can tell similar stories.

I once saw a guy deliberately (and it had to be deliberate) wipe his hand across a plate. I picked up the plate and handed it to one of the chefs.there are some seriously weird folk around.

It would be helpful if the plates could be base up in the racks, and if cold plates could always be with the cold buffet and hot with the hot, though I do realise the difficult logistics of this.

In one way I am happier when there are Noro precautions being taken and self service is suspended. But then a big load is on the staff who are always so good in buffets.

David.

I was on a ship not too long ago, Crystal Serenity I think, where I overheard a US Health inspector telling the buffet person plates were supposed to be base up, exactly as balf says. Yes, it would make a stack of plates difficult for the buffet person to pick up, but it doesn't sound like an impossible problem to solve.

At least on a TA, you don't have to worry about people who've been contaminated with who-knows-what on shore, touching handrails and elevator call buttons.

We were speechless.

I usually am when I witness behaviour like that.

Attack the messenger: she didn't have any defense for her boneheaded action.

Makes me want to bring my own dishes from home to use.

I think the various buffet stations should have a staff person handing out dishes of some type of dispenser that does not allow touching other plates. I wonder if I could invent that and make enough for a World Cruise??

The best idea is to stack them upside down, anyone handing you a plate has to touch it and has touched others etc etc. Even if he is wearing white gloves.

i would just give the plate to staff. i doubt anything can be done to change their bad habits so avoid the HBO drama with them. no sense ruining your meal.

So many people can be self absorbed and clueless. It's a pity that the lady whom touched the plate had no idea as to what her filthy behavior could result in. And then not to graciously accept the reasoning her actions were uncouth is the truly sad part. The OP had the proper response, but you can only throw a person a life buoy, you can't make them grab it.

Makes me want to bring my own dishes from home to use.

 

I think the various buffet stations should have a staff person handing out dishes of some type of dispenser that does not allow touching other plates. I wonder if I could invent that and make enough for a World Cruise??

bring your dishes sounds like a good idea, the plastic ones. In School buffet at lunch time , the Students are given styrofoam trays, with compartments for

different foods. Clean,disposable. Styrofoam trays may be the solution here.

I should copyright* my idea. :cool:

I once watched an elderly woman in line ahead of me at a hotel's breakfast buffet pick up a Boston cream doughnut with her bare hands, despite there being tongs there on the plate, stick her thumb directly into the chocolate glaze and then place the doughnut back on the plate. As she was looking to make another choice, I held out the tongs to her and said pointedly, "You ARE taking that doughnut you just stuck your finger in, aren't you?" She gave me the dirtiest look and ran away from the buffet. Needless to say, I used to tongs to throw the doughnut out. What a waste of a good doughnut!

You'd think someone with her "experience" would know better. She looked like someone's sweet little granny!

KK

Some years ago, on a Seabourn cruise, my brother and I were at breakfast when he spotted a passenger pick up a Danish pastry, take a bite out of it, decide he didn't like it, and then put it back with the other pastries on the dish.

We immediately informed a member of staff who removed the dish.

these bad manner posts are a riot...disgusting but funny.:D:eek:

Did you leave the dirty plate for another passenger to take?

At the end the woman took that plate and left it aside.

Actually, there were staffs handing out plates, trays and cutlery from some of the hot food stations in the busier period. But not at the cold food/dessert stations.

Thanks for sharing all your experiences.

It's really sad how ignorant some people are. God blessed them a long and healthy life. ;)

At the end the woman took that plate and left it aside.

 

So then she wasn't all that bad. She took the plate that she put her hands on.

why didn't tell the whole story? :rolleyes: