Not so & common sense at the ship buffet

Since my wife and I had weight loss surgery, we rarely find ourselves at the buffet, and when we do its usually on a cruise ship. If there ever is a place people are on automatic pilot and not using all their common sense it may be on a vacation.

When I hit my first cruise buffet, I thought I knew common sense rules for hygene at buffets, but if I was guilty of anything it was, grabbing and using the tongs to get french fries and then dropping the tongs back in the bin. Of course looking back, its common sense my hands touched teh tongs and now are sitting on the food. Of course the cruise lines frequently don't help this by having a dedicated place to put the tongs other than against the side of the bin.

Royal Caribbean has this ridiculous habit of giving these huge tongs to try and get a single slice of cheese out of a big stack. Not easy to do!

What things do you see that people should know better, but don't. Or they forget. I was at a Chinese Buffet this weekend and I saw a guy turn his head to sneeze into his hand and then grabbed the next ladle to get his food. :eek:. Even Me, Mr Slow2catch on, knows to sneeze into your arm or sleeve!

I think everyone knows these days to bring a new plate to the line each time.

Since my wife and I had weight loss surgery, we rarely find ourselves at the buffet, and when we do its usually on a cruise ship. If there ever is a place people are on automatic pilot and not using all their common sense it may be on a vacation.

 

When I hit my first cruise buffet, I thought I knew common sense rules for hygene at buffets, but if I was guilty of anything it was, grabbing and using the tongs to get french fries and then dropping the tongs back in the bin. Of course looking back, its common sense my hands touched teh tongs and now are sitting on the food. Of course the cruise lines frequently don't help this by having a dedicated place to put the tongs other than against the side of the bin.

 

Royal Caribbean has this ridiculous habit of giving these huge tongs to try and get a single slice of cheese out of a big stack. Not easy to do!

 

 

What things do you see that people should know better, but don't. Or they forget. I was at a Chinese Buffet this weekend and I saw a guy turn his head to sneeze into his hand and then grabbed the next ladle to get his food. :eek:. Even Me, Mr Slow2catch on, knows to sneeze into your arm or sleeve!

 

I think everyone knows these days to bring a new plate to the line each time.

If I watched the people around me get their food at the buffet I probably wouldn't eat there:eek:.

People are pigs and do not know how to behave.

Best thing to do is eschew a meal from the hog trough.

Solution - use the main dining room

If I watched the people around me get their food at the buffet I probably wouldn't eat there:eek:.

True, I really don't worry about it too much, but try to keep in mind so I do as much as I can.

I have worked in the food industry for close to 30 years....I won't eat in the buffet

Not because the food workers are unsafe, but because kids don't know better and just aren't monitored well

I watched a kid pick up an apple in my produce section at the grocery store, lick it and then put it back.

I have earned food handling permits in 3 different states and many different counties, all of them say avoid buffets like the plague

You only have to experience a ship with NOROvirus to see all the opportunities to catch someone elses illnesses. For example, the ship we were on with NORO didn't have any condiments at the tables. If you wanted salt or pepper on your meal, you waited for condiment person to come by and apply it on your meal for you. No drinking cups or glasses were set out either for risk of touching other glasses while you grabbed your own.

We haven't even got to the food stations yet. The safer way to distribute food is for the ship personell to hand each item via a spoon or tongs. But that requires a lot of personell during a time where cruise lines are cutting back on their food service personell.

Celebrity is introducing their new buffet service style of providing plates and baskets of meals ready for pickup. For example a plate of eggs and bacon or roasted pork or beef on a bed of rice or noodles. A lot of folks like the idea, but the disadvantages are cold food sitting too long and wasted food that wasn't desired with the rest of the meal. They have also wrapped each slice of bread so they aren't contaminated. That works pretty well, but the line tends to be long while passenter read what each slice is.

In the long run, going to the dining room is the safer way to eat. However, we have experienced extremely slow breakfast and lunch dining room service on both the Celebrity and RCL the last two years. Cruise lines are cutting back on staff, so even the dining rooms can be a challenge. Give yourself plenty of time if you are following a schedule.

Lately we have been ordering more room service, but that has it's own challenges. I think the best suggestion is to just not watch the other people and assume the best.

Burt

Before I go to the salad bar, I get a few paper napkins and when I use the tongs, I handle them with the clean paper napkins. I will not touch 'community' serving pieces.

Since my wife and I had weight loss surgery, we rarely find ourselves at the buffet, and when we do its usually on a cruise ship. If there ever is a place people are on automatic pilot and not using all their common sense it may be on a vacation.

 

When I hit my first cruise buffet, I thought I knew common sense rules for hygene at buffets, but if I was guilty of anything it was, grabbing and using the tongs to get french fries and then dropping the tongs back in the bin. Of course looking back, its common sense my hands touched teh tongs and now are sitting on the food. Of course the cruise lines frequently don't help this by having a dedicated place to put the tongs other than against the side of the bin.

 

Royal Caribbean has this ridiculous habit of giving these huge tongs to try and get a single slice of cheese out of a big stack. Not easy to do!

 

 

What things do you see that people should know better, but don't. Or they forget. I was at a Chinese Buffet this weekend and I saw a guy turn his head to sneeze into his hand and then grabbed the next ladle to get his food. :eek:. Even Me, Mr Slow2catch on, knows to sneeze into your arm or sleeve!

 

I think everyone knows these days to bring a new plate to the line each time.

I stood behind a woman who was having a hard time getting a slice of French toast because she kept reaching for the slice in back and getting burned by the heat lamp that her hand was now under. I had no such trouble because I took the piece in front. And yes, both of use were using the tongs.

Before I go to the salad bar, I get a few paper napkins and when I use the tongs, I handle them with the clean paper napkins. I will not touch 'community' serving pieces.

 

Just curious...do you touch door handles (any)? How about hand rails? Elevator buttons? Money? Merchandise you are considering as a purchase? Do you inhale without the use of a mask?

There are many, many ways to come into contact with germs and become sick. I am not saying you should not take sensible percautions but I can assure you...sooner or later, something will kill you.

Since my wife and I had weight loss surgery, we rarely find ourselves at the buffet, and when we do its usually on a cruise ship. If there ever is a place people are on automatic pilot and not using all their common sense it may be on a vacation.

 

When I hit my first cruise buffet, I thought I knew common sense rules for hygene at buffets, but if I was guilty of anything it was, grabbing and using the tongs to get french fries and then dropping the tongs back in the bin. Of course looking back, its common sense my hands touched teh tongs and now are sitting on the food. Of course the cruise lines frequently don't help this by having a dedicated place to put the tongs other than against the side of the bin.

 

Royal Caribbean has this ridiculous habit of giving these huge tongs to try and get a single slice of cheese out of a big stack. Not easy to do!

 

 

What things do you see that people should know better, but don't. Or they forget. I was at a Chinese Buffet this weekend and I saw a guy turn his head to sneeze into his hand and then grabbed the next ladle to get his food. :eek:. Even Me, Mr Slow2catch on, knows to sneeze into your arm or sleeve!

 

I think everyone knows these days to bring a new plate to the line each time.

Unfortunately not everyone knows this:mad:

On my Oasis cruise this past February a young lady walked up to a very large, fresh (there was only about two spoonfuls gone out of it) bowl of paella with her dirty plate. She proceeded to take a large spoonful and tap the serving spoon twice on her dirty plate!:eek:

The server was facing the other way and helping another person. A supervisor was standing nearby but also looking the other way. I proceeded to let the supervisor know about what I had just witnessed and he had the server discard the bowl of paella immediately. What a waste!:(

Some people should stay home.:rolleyes:

I think everyone knows these days to bring a new plate to the line each time.

In my opinion this IS the problem. Not that everyone one doesn't know to bring a new plate to the line each time (in fact not everyone does know this rule), but rather that too many people assume that everyone else knows ALL the rules.

Not everybody uses the sanitizers at the entrance to the buffet. Why not? that's what it's there for and as for eating peanuts placed on the bar UGH!!! I have seen people go to the loo, not wash their hands afterwards and start eating the peanuts and my hubby has witnessed the same in the gents. Men are the worse offenders for not washing their hands after going to the loo.

Not everybody uses the sanitizers at the entrance to the buffet. Why not? that's what it's there for and as for eating peanuts placed on the bar UGH!!! I have seen people go to the loo, not wash their hands afterwards and start eating the peanuts and my hubby has witnessed the same in the gents. Men are the worse offenders for not washing their hands after going to the loo.

Mmm.

Are you sure about that?

......... I proceeded to let the supervisor know about what I had just witnessed and he had the server discard the bowl of paella immediately. What a waste!:(

 

Some people should stay home.:rolleyes:

Hi,

I hope that the paella got discarded - and yes 'what a waste' ...... but I did wonder when I witnessed something similar on previous cruises, if the food actually gets discarded ? or just removed from our view and shows up later ?:

One cruise : I was siting at the counter facing the food serving line. I was not watching much what people did or did not do when getting the food, but some things did catch my eye every so often:

Young boy - maybe 10 years old, came to the area where a bowl with fresh cut fruit was standing ( meloms, cantalope, grapes + other ). He used the provided utencil to put some of the fruit on his plate ( plate looked empty - I am not sure if it was used or not), he looked at what he had on his/the plate and evidently did not want some of the items, grabbed some of the fruit with his hand and put it back in the serving bowl.

A server was standing close by but was not looking ..... I got his attention .... he looked saw the boy mowing the fruit with his hands. Boy got his plate and walked away.

Server removed the bowl with fruit and replaced with another one.

How many times something like that happens ? Do they discard' this quetionable food ?

Another time I saw a lady choosing a kiwi - she must have hadled about 10 before she found one that she liked ...... yes I did report that because I wanted one, they removed the bowl with kiwis and broght me one from the back ( that was a Caffee). Did I get a fresh one or one that somody hadled before ?

Just curious...do you touch door handles (any)? How about hand rails? Elevator buttons? Money? Merchandise you are considering as a purchase? Do you inhale without the use of a mask?

 

There are many, many ways to come into contact with germs and become sick. I am not saying you should not take sensible percautions but I can assure you...sooner or later, something will kill you.

Common sense tells us all that we cannot avoid all germs but it also tells me that all the places I can protect myself help. None of us travel around in a bubble but awareness and caution in the possible areas are a benefit.

Men are the worse offenders for not washing their hands after going to the loo.

How do you know that? Hmm, maybe I don't want to know.

Burt

Mmm.

 

Are you sure about that?

Quite sure.. according to hubby there are not many men who wash their hands before leaving the loo after doing a #1

Buffet is the area to pick up bugs

That's why self service is stopped with noro outbreaks

I mostly avoid buffet

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There was a recent study done in some Toronto-area hospitals. The worst source of contamination was- the elevator call buttons!

And people still go trooping off the ship in ports, merrily contaminating themselves with who-knows-what. I shudder to think what I'm picking up, walking near the gangway after a port stop.

Quite sure.. according to hubby there are not many men who wash their hands before leaving the loo after doing a #1

Ah well, it must be true then. ;)

Ah well, it must be true then. ;)

If it's on the Internet, it MUST be true.

if it's on the internet, it must be true.

lol :d:d

Royal Caribbean has this ridiculous habit of giving these huge tongs to try and get a single slice of cheese out of a big stack. Not easy to do!

Agree! Those HUGE tongs make it almost impossible to get a single slice of cheese. :rolleyes:

LuLu

Before I go to the salad bar, I get a few paper napkins and when I use the tongs, I handle them with the clean paper napkins.

Sounds reasonable but I don't recall ever having seen a paper napkin on RCI or Princess. They use cloth napkins.