Not so & common sense at the ship buffet

[john watson]

I tend to notice many of the senior/older generations like to graze as they wander the buffet. They will take something, eat it, and keep walking and get something else.

 

Using tongs to put something on your plate, sticking your fingers in your mouth, and then grabbing another pair of tongs is a party foul no matter how you slice it.

 

Now I always have a napkin in hand to use tongs.

 

People ARE pigs. :eek::eek:

 

The guy I mentioned in the YouTube video was pretty young.

 

Regards John

[john watson]

The guy I mentioned in the YouTube video was pretty young.

 

Regards John

 

Royal Princess Grand Mediterranean Voyage just licks his fingers at 13.38 then goes off to next place.

 

Regards John

[Flatbush Flyer]

I tend to notice many of the senior/older generations like to graze as they wander the buffet. They will take something, eat it, and keep walking and get something else.

 

 

 

Using tongs to put something on your plate, sticking your fingers in your mouth, and then grabbing another pair of tongs is a party foul no matter how you slice it.

 

 

 

Now I always have a napkin in hand to use tongs.

 

 

 

People ARE pigs. :eek::eek:

 

 

Maybe not all people but, certainly, some have really bad manners that include unhygienic practices that no "sneeze guard" can prevent.

In the ongoing larger CC discussions about "which cruise line/ship should we choose...," sometimes the smaller differences really add up. For example, regardless of how great an itinerary or how good a "deal," there's no way I'd step foot on a cruise ship that does not have an extremely restrictive smoking policy or does have mediocre food - and especially if its casual dining venue (i.e., the buffet) isn't staffed by serving personnel).

Edited September 6, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[WoodsDrive]

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.

 

I try to avoid buffets because I take medication that weakens my immune system. I still have to touch door handles and such. The difference is that I wash my hands often and avoid touching my face. If I go to a buffet, get my food using utensils others have touched, and getting food that may have been cross contaminated, my previous hand washing is useless. Instead, if I am seated, place my order, and wash my hands after handling the menu, my food has been handled by staff who are required to (and I trust to follow) proper procedures.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Now I always have a napkin in hand to use tongs.

 

People ARE pigs. :eek::eek:

 

I once saw someone take a serviette off the pile, and I am sure that their fingers touched the second one one the pile. Filthy behaviour. You're being unfairly abusive to pigs, here - you would never see a pig do that.

[JawjaFatBoy]

I work in a prison every day with some of the worst practitioners of personal hygiene you can imagine. I also get to be in close contact with Hepatitis, HIV, Lice, Scabies and numerous other wonderful germs and diseases. I do wash my hands regularly and try not to handle door handles or knobs any more than necessary, but I'm not going to give myself an ulcer worrying over it. Trust me when I say that the buffet line ranks way down on my list of stuff to worry about.

[BillOh]

I agree with the above. We are the same. We refuse to live in a bubble.

 

There is a common sense middle of the road. It there is an outbreak on the ship, your best using some avoidance techniquest.

[luddite]

I work in a prison every day with some of the worst practitioners of personal hygiene you can imagine. I also get to be in close contact with Hepatitis, HIV, Lice, Scabies and numerous other wonderful germs and diseases. I do wash my hands regularly and try not to handle door handles or knobs any more than necessary, but I'm not going to give myself an ulcer worrying over it. Trust me when I say that the buffet line ranks way down on my list of stuff to worry about.

 

You go to prison every day? :eek:

[JawjaFatBoy]

You go to prison every day? :eek:

 

Well, I do get days off!:rolleyes:

 

But yes, I do spend at least 40-50 hours a week there. Trust me, once you've had to remove a mental health inmate from a cell that said inmate has "painted" with a combination of blood, urine and crap, worrying about germs on the buffet just doesn't rank very high any more!

[swedish weave]

I believe in frequent hand washing, and common sense hygeine, but I also think germophobia can be as debilitating as the disease itself.

 

If you never allow yourself to be exposed to some of the germs, you never give your body the opportunity to develop resistance.

 

All the comments about other people's habits are interesting, but in the real world, I may be the one spreading the noro virus and I don't even know I am doing it. Also, I may not get sick even if I spread the virus.

 

I do not fear contact with other human beings.

[GUT2407]

I believe in frequent hand washing, and common sense hygeine, but I also think germophobia can be as debilitating as the disease itself.

 

If you never allow yourself to be exposed to some of the germs, you never give your body the opportunity to develop resistance.

 

All the comments about other people's habits are interesting, but in the real world, I may be the one spreading the noro virus and I don't even know I am doing it. Also, I may not get sick even if I spread the virus.

 

I do not fear contact with other human beings.

 

 

^^^THis

 

I really wonder why some people cruise if they are so terrified, let alone how they survive in the REAL WORLD.

 

Now I wash my hands I use sanitiser but I certainly don't go the extremes many report.

 

I wonder how they get on doing up their belts. I wonder if their hands ever come anywhere near their belts once they are out of the toilets.

[jgpdx]

^^^THis

 

I really wonder why some people cruise if they are so terrified, let alone how they survive in the REAL WORLD.

 

Now I wash my hands I use sanitiser but I certainly don't go the extremes many report.

 

I wonder how they get on doing up their belts. I wonder if their hands ever come anywhere near their belts once they are out of the toilets.

 

I agree. Good basic hygiene practices just like on land, but without becoming phobic. If I am that fearful, what is the point of travelling?

[GUT2407]

I agree. Good basic hygiene practices just like on land, but without becoming phobic. If I am that fearful, what is the point of travelling?

 

 

I am probably a tad more conscientious on a cruise than at home.

 

At home I wash my hand and use sanitiser when I need to clean but no washroom around, at sea I wash and use sanitiser, but like you the day I start going to the extremes some report they resort to 'll just stay home in my bubble.

[iancal]

It is one of the reasons that we avoid buffets..most especially on cruise ships. We found the older folks on HAL to be the worst offenders. Pawing through fruit, biscuits, fruit. If we go to the buffet we typically only take food from the buffet stations where we are sere by an attendant vs. self serve.

[swedish weave]

It is one of the reasons that we avoid buffets..most especially on cruise ships. We found the older folks on HAL to be the worst offenders. Pawing through fruit, biscuits, fruit. If we go to the buffet we typically only take food from the buffet stations where we are sere by an attendant vs. self serve.

 

If the ship has a certain number of noro cases, all buffet items are served by attendants. That is one of the control procedures dictated by the CDC.

[Cuizer2]

I tend to notice many of the senior/older generations like to graze as they wander the buffet. They will take something, eat it, and keep walking and get something else.

 

Using tongs to put something on your plate, sticking your fingers in your mouth, and then grabbing another pair of tongs is a party foul no matter how you slice it.

 

Now I always have a napkin in hand to use tongs.

 

People ARE pigs. :eek::eek:

 

[jgpdx]

 

That is the most orderly and sedate buffet I have seen in years:D

[cbr663]

I try to avoid buffets because I take medication that weakens my immune system. I still have to touch door handles and such. The difference is that I wash my hands often and avoid touching my face. If I go to a buffet, get my food using utensils others have touched, and getting food that may have been cross contaminated, my previous hand washing is useless. Instead, if I am seated, place my order, and wash my hands after handling the menu, my food has been handled by staff who are required to (and I trust to follow) proper procedures.

 

Interesting comments. I wonder though have you ever had the experience of working in a large, commercial kitchen?

 

Consider that even when seated, someone took your utensils from the dishwasher and threw them in a large plastic container. Someone else pick up each one to sort. Someone else may have handled each piece to polish and then someone else picked up what they needed to set up the table that you are sitting at. And let's not forget that we often see utensils being removed by wait staff and placed again on tables all the time. Same thing with the wine glass that you may drinking out of or the plate that you are eating off. Finally, cross contamination of food in the kitchen occurs on a regular basis. ( and do you really think that if the wait staff are bringing you an item that say is plated stood up and it should tumble over that they go back to the kitchen to grab another plate or that they simply use their hands to right the item?).

[WoodsDrive]

Interesting comments. I wonder though have you ever had the experience of working in a large, commercial kitchen?

 

Consider that even when seated, someone took your utensils from the dishwasher and threw them in a large plastic container. Someone else pick up each one to sort. Someone else may have handled each piece to polish and then someone else picked up what they needed to set up the table that you are sitting at. And let's not forget that we often see utensils being removed by wait staff and placed again on tables all the time. Same thing with the wine glass that you may drinking out of or the plate that you are eating off. Finally, cross contamination of food in the kitchen occurs on a regular basis. ( and do you really think that if the wait staff are bringing you an item that say is plated stood up and it should tumble over that they go back to the kitchen to grab another plate or that they simply use their hands to right the item?).

 

Actually, I worked in the kitchen of my college. I minimize risk by avoiding buffets, but won't let my condition keep me from living life. I chose the lesser evil and try not to worry.

[train460]

I am amazed on the level of fear that people have about the every day exposure to germs. I am not the cleanest person, I do wash my hands after visiting the restroom but then forget to use a paper towel to open the door.

however I am rarely ever sick, 52 yrs old. Now I had a coworker years ago that was a major germ-a-phobe. He was always washing his hands, disinfecting everything. And he was always sick. colds, flue, etc.

My opinion is that his immune system was never challenged so any little thing put him down. And no, him being sick was not the reason on becoming a fanatic about his cleaning routine. He said he has always been that way.

again my 02

michael

[Tudorcruisers]

It was kids mainly on our recent Summit cruise August 30th that were not good at the buffet as they had no parents with them to see what they were doing!!! we also noticed so many passengers going into the buffet without using the sanitiser at the entrance. I understand some may have been in restroom, washed their hands and then used tissue to open the door but I don't think it was the case with all of them. Bring back the staff member standing there trying to remind passengers.

[BillOh]

It was kids mainly on our recent Summit cruise August 30th that were not good at the buffet as they had no parents with them to see what they were doing!!!

 

I've seen that in a lot of buffets, but I had a big laugh on Jewel of the Seas back in 2012. One night they had ribs in the buffet and they were pretty good. I watched at the attendant put out a new tray of them. There was a kid, probably about 12 years old in front of me. The kid was well behaved and was doing a good job at the buffet till he came to the ribs. He would pick one up and all the meat would slide off the bone before he could get it to his plate. I watched him D-bone the entire tray and then give up and walk away. Since I saw he didnt' touch any of the actual meat by hand and I didn't want to wait, I took some of the pieces he d-boned.