So... bread is made by magic now?

[Lace Neil Singer]

I saw an SC yelling at an employee at the bakery, at the bread slicer, for daring to touch the bread. She'd told her to slice her bread for her, and then threw a tantrum cuz the girl took the wrapper off and held it in order to place it in the bread slicer. I butted in and told the woman that bread has already been touched by loads of people during its creation, so what's the problem with someone touching it now? She glared at me and stomped off.

I mean, seriously? Every foodstuff you buy has to have been touched by at least one person before it reaches the shelves. How precious can you get?!

[csquared]

I believe that most places in the States would require the employee to wear gloves. What is the policy over there?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Hand washing in between customers.

[csquared]

In other words, over there, people should be accustom to people touching food items with their bare hands.

How did we ever survive before all these health and safety regulations? </sarcasm>

[notalwaysright]

I wear gloves all day, and none of the products are touched without gloves at all. This does not mean I'd throw a tantrum. I'd probably shudder a bit though. I know full well how often people don't wash their hands after using the restroom. But you also have to have a bit of trust to eat any food that you didn't prepare yourself, since you didn't observe the whole process. Anyway, there's no cause to be rude.

[Lace Neil Singer]

That's not counting the people who picked it off the shelf, handled it, then put it back. The wrappers at the bakery are flimsy things and are nearly always open a little or a lot.

Eh, I just don't see the point of being a germaphobe. Cept at work, of course, cuz customers are gross. XD

[notalwaysright]

It's probably a bit of a cultural thing on my part, because this doesn't seem like being germaphobic. But you have to deal with whatever is normal for that country. And, you know, not being rude is generally a good thing anywhere.

[Slayer]

The oven probably kills most of the germs. None of the bakeries here touch the final product by hand; it’s either gloves or a bag. They also handle the cash register so that could be why they’re always careful with covering their hands for food products.

[EricKei]

Last I checked, it's "wear gloves OR wash your hands absurdly often" here in the US -- both work just fine. ^_^ Some companies may mandate one over the other.

[Sulhythal]

I kind of remember hearing that wearing gloves is for the safety of the one handling the food, while washing your hands is more sure way to prevent anything from being passed TO the food. Under normal circumstances, when the food isn't being handled by super gross people who should not be allowed near anything edible...

[TheWolfEmperor]

Hand washing in between customers.

Isn't it better to use soap and water?

[dalesys]

Isn't it better to use soap and water?

N.B. ... add neck wringing ...

[Slave to the Phone]

While I agree that being rude is never the right thing to do, and if it happened to me, I would have just assumed that a bakery worker using bare hands in front of co-workers and/or a sup would have properly clean hands. I might have said something if I saw the worker use sanitizer and not wait the full 60 seconds before touching my bread, but I probably wouldn't have paid that much attention.

I was never a germaphobe in the past. Germs keep my immune system updating itself. Wash my hands after using the restroom? Check. Wash my hands before cooking, eating or after handling something messy? Sure. Use sanitizer on cart handles? Never considered doing that. Throw a screaming fit because the restrooms didn't have butt rings? Nope, just use toilet paper and if I remember, tell an employee.

However, now that I have seen some of the horrible things our clients do, I am using a bottle of hand sanitizer a month. I have to touch paperwork they show me, I have to supply a pen for them to use and then take it back because I'm a b**** who won't just give uncapped, 3 cent pens away. (Actually, I'm just lazy, and going all the way to the supply cabinet to get more cheep pens is such a bother. I NEVER hand a client my personal pens.)

Its not a myth that women will bring sick, hungry and poopy children to the food stamp office because they think they will be seen sooner if their children are making people uncomfortable. Sadly, this does sometimes work. Lobby workers and other clients don't want to have to wait hours for that family to leave and we can't just kick them out.

[mjr]

Hand washing in between customers.

I think I've told this story on here before, but...

A long time ago when I worked in food service, I was in a position where I ran the entire restaurant by myself for two hours, until the mid-shift manager got there.

My procedure in drive thru was:

Take order, quickly wash hands, start prepping whatever food (breakfast) was asked, take money, wash hands again, make food, hand out food, wash hands.

Front counter was a little easier. It was just take order, take money, wash hands, make food, hand out food, wash hands.

For 2.5 hours...

[Monterey Jack]

God, I can't think what your skin must have felt like by the end of the day. Anyone who has to wash their hands multiple times per day knows how much the soap will end up drying out your skin (to say nothing of hand sanitizer!).