Finger Lickin Good

[warthog2608]

This is really one of my major pet peeves!  I hold my tray in my left hand, use the right to handle the tongs and don't touch the tray. Then on the way to sit down I go by the sanitizer station and get a big dollop of sani and re-sani my hands when I sit down.  It seems so many people have no concept of what they are doing and subconsciously lick their fingers.  

I like they way Don the Youtuber describes this situation. I'd like to see someone lick their fingers with Don in line behind them, lol.

[beshears]

I have not read any of the responses, but this is what I do. I ALWAYS carry wet wipes with me. So if someone else is handling the SAME fork/spoon/ladle as I would be doing, BEFORE I eat, I always use the wet wipe and wipe my hands good before touching any of my food or silverware.

[G&T Cruisers]

This is one of my pet peeves on our last cruise we saw this over and over people licking there fingers and eating at the buffet.

We always sanitize or wash our hands before going into the buffet and sanitize exiting 

[555]

With all of those finger lickers at the buffet no one has seemed to call them out for it. Everyone watches but no one says a word.😄

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, 555 said:

With all of those finger lickers at the buffet no one has seemed to call them out for it. Everyone watches but no one says a word.😄

 

The last thing I want to do is get in a confrontation with someone while I am on vacation!

[Lady Arwen]

What everyone needs to realize is that the germs from a person’s hand contaminates the serving utensils that touches the food, which is now contaminated. You can wash YOUR  hands, use wipes, wash down the table, the tray, the floor and bring your own cutlery and napkin.  It doesn’t matter, because the food you are eating is full of germs because of cross contamination from that person who did not wash their hands.  Bacteria and germs travel quickly from one host to another.

 

The only way to prevent this from happening is for each and every person in the buffet, passengers and crew alike, to wash their hands thoroughly before touching anything, especially serving utensils and trays.  Very difficult to monitor everyone.  The other alternative is to switch to food being served by crew and not allowing passengers to touch anything except the tray they’re using.  Salt, pepper, sugar and all condiments should be individually packed, not in communal dispensers.  Cutlery should be wrapped completely in a napkin and not exposed.

 

HAL has been doing it the right way for years.  Does it take longer to get through the buffet line?  Maybe a little.  However, those few minutes are worth the sacrifice to know your food is relatively germ free.

[onetimearoundtheworld]

And all those people not washing their hands / licking their fingers and not using gloves or sanitize after getting their plate and sitting down are probably on average not getting more sick on a cruise than those that do. 

 

Licking fingers is still gross though

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

I would be totally happy to have buffet food served to me because I’m reassured that the staff have better hygiene than the passengers and are only one person handling the tongs.

 

the should change all the ships to this as part of a dry dock upgrade.

 

I do wish more staff would be at the entrances with sanitiser and asking everyone to use it. We saw this at the entrance to the MDR but not the Buffet which makes no sense from a risk level perspective

[HotRoot]

35 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

What everyone needs to realize is that the germs from a person’s hand contaminates the serving utensils that touches the food, which is now contaminated. You can wash YOUR  hands, use wipes, wash down the table, the tray, the floor and bring your own cutlery and napkin.  It doesn’t matter, because the food you are eating is full of germs because of cross contamination from that person who did not wash their hands.  Bacteria and germs travel quickly from one host to another.

 

The only way to prevent this from happening is for each and every person in the buffet, passengers and crew alike, to wash their hands thoroughly before touching anything, especially serving utensils and trays.  Very difficult to monitor everyone.  The other alternative is to switch to food being served by crew and not allowing passengers to touch anything except the tray they’re using.  Salt, pepper, sugar and all condiments should be individually packed, not in communal dispensers.  Cutlery should be wrapped completely in a napkin and not exposed.

 

HAL has been doing it the right way for years.  Does it take longer to get through the buffet line?  Maybe a little.  However, those few minutes are worth the sacrifice to know your food is relatively germ free.

Where do they have trays in the buffet?  I missed them.

[Cruisemeister2002]

What makes people so dirty ? Is it really too much to expect people to observe a modicum of cleanliness when eating. Do what you wish in your own home, but don't expect others to put up with dirty habits. In some ways it doesn't surprise me as even in foodstores/supermarkets hygiene isn't taught properly to staff. Frozen goods are left in shopping isles because someone is told it's time for their break so allowing food to defrost. Whenever I take anything from a freezer compartment I always make sure that the contents are not all stuck together. A sure sign they have thawed and then been refrozen. At catering college food hygiene was my favourite subject. Place cooked meats above uncooked in your fridge. Buy something you already have in your larder place the old where it can be used first before the new. Most of food handling is common sense. Sadly some seem short of it.          

[555]

24 minutes ago, HotRoot said:

Where do they have trays in the buffet?  I missed them.

Another cruise line, not Princess. 

[555]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The last thing I want to do is get in a confrontation with someone while I am on vacation!

Why not tell a crew member and let them handle it. 

[voljeep]

40 minutes ago, HotRoot said:

Where do they have trays in the buffet?  I missed them.

kept the tray from room service and took that to the buffet...

[fedexretiree]

While we are talking about disgusting things here I should have also mentioned in my thread ......please dont poop in the pool either!

This actually happened on this cruise.

 Not sure how it could happen but it did.  

 Even the comic mentioned it at his show.

 I never ever swim in a public pool for many reasons but this topped the list!

[Cruisemeister2002]

18 minutes ago, fedexretiree said:

While we are talking about disgusting things here I should have also mentioned in my thread ......please dont poop in the pool either!

This actually happened on this cruise.

 Not sure how it could happen but it did.  

 Even the comic mentioned it at his show.

 I never ever swim in a public pool for many reasons but this topped the list!

Don't know if you ever heard this one but in the UK we had a spate of restaurants having an area where you were allowed to smoke. This wasn't a completely separate room divided by doors, just an area in the main restaurant. Sir Paul McCartney said "Having a smoking area in a restaurant is like having a peeing area in a swimming pool"

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

Where do they have trays in the buffet?  I missed them.

Shows how long I’ve not visited the buffet.  I believe trays were eliminated quite some time ago.  My bad.  

[susancruzs]

I don't use the buffet area, just isn't appealing to me.  I can get something to eat at the IC easier and nowhere near as crowded.  I've never been a fan of buffets, as well as fast food chains. 

 

Don't eat that way at home so why would I on vacation?  I see so much food waste, people taking way too much then not eating it.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, 555 said:

With all of those finger lickers at the buffet no one has seemed to call them out for it. Everyone watches but no one says a word.😄

Actually on our cruise las month we did tell someone they shouldn’t do that and were told they  were only touching things they were going to take a to mind our own business. 

[555]

Just now, memoak said:

Actually on our cruise las month we did tell someone they shouldn’t do that and were told they  were only touching things they were going to take a to mind our own business. 

I'm sure they got the message and I still would have notified a crew member. They would probably at least replaced a lot of the serving spoons. 

We saw a teen kid drop a cookie one time & he picked it up only to throw it back on the tray. I told a crew member & they dumped the whole lot. 

[Kay S]

4 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

 

 

HAL has been doing it the right way for years.  Does it take longer to get through the buffet line?  Maybe a little.  However, those few minutes are worth the sacrifice to know your food is relatively germ free.

I agree.  I don't visit the buffet every day, but I like the assurances that someone in front of me hasn't been touching my food.  

[memoak]

3 hours ago, 555 said:

Why not tell a crew member and let them handle it. 

Most crew are not going to get involved for fear of complaints from said passenger

[chrysalis]

22 minutes ago, memoak said:

Most crew are not going to get involved for fear of complaints from said passenger

...but I have seen them change out all of the utensils after someone has complained about fingers being licked.

[memoak]

3 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

...but I have seen them change out all of the utensils after someone has complained about fingers being licked.

But they are not going to confront the offender any more than they will tell people to wash their hands

[chrysalis]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

But they are not going to confront the offender any more than they will tell people to wash their hands

not arguing with you....only stating what I have seen.

[hiccups]

I handle all the utensils at any buffet with a napkin.  This is where Oceania's always been best by having servers.