SPOT OF BOTHER #3: Hands off!
ED. NOTE: We’ve got a blogfecta (blog + trifecata) of posts on the dining/drinking experience. After reading this one, check out Rich Ireland’s “Beers To You” post on how restaurants routinely ruin good beers; and WineBoy weighs in with some essential advice for gourmet winos: which wineglass with which wine?
By Brooke A. Brown
I recently realized that it’s been a while since the posting of my last Spot of Bother. Since these posts seem to strike several collective chords, I thought I’d finally share the following one that I’ve been keeping in my back pocket for a moment such as right now.
What’s the deal with waiters and waitresses (servers, if you will) manhandling the tops of our drinking vessels with their money-handling, dirty-dish toting hands? I’ve worked in the food service industry, and one of the first things I learned was to deliver beverages by grabbing hold of the bottom of the glass, not the rim. It seems like common sense, but improper beverage delivery runs rampant in our community, and the practice knows no bounds. To quote Susan Powter, we desperately need to “Stop the Insanity!”
I typically don’t like using straws, but am often forced to ask for one when a glass of iced tea or a pint of ale is presented to me in such an improper fashion. Well, I guess when it comes to a pint, I forgo the straw request and instead resort to wiping the glass down with a clean napkin. It may be ineffective as far as germ-removal goes, but at least I’ve taken some sort of action. Perhaps the alcohol kills any remaining bacteria.
This may be a lost cause. At least there are guys like Henry the Hand, Champion Handwasher, in the world — “spreading the word, not the germs” — by promoting the importance of keeping grubby paws clean. Perhaps we can at least assume they’ve lathered and rinsed multiple times during their shift. I don’t recommend any of us hold our breath. I do, however, recommend learning Henry’s theme song:
November 13th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Talk about perfect timing–Shanda and I went to Famous Dave’s BBQ this past Friday evening. The food was good (I highly recommend the Devil’s Spit Burger for those who like their food with a little kick)and the service was prompt and efficient. No complaints on that front.
HOWEVER–when our server brought refills, she picked up our two empty glasses together by the rims with her thumb and fingers inside the glasses, then put them on the tray she held in her other hand.
How many glasses do you suppose this person picked up in this manner over the course of her shift? We were using straws, but I’m sure there were some folks who weren’t. I wonder if she washed her hands each time she returned dirty glasses, before serving fresh drinks with those fingers that almost certainly had a germ or two on them.
It seems like a very easy way to spread anything and everything. Just a little food for thought…
November 14th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Hey Mike!
Thanks for the response, and for seeing where I’m coming from. Waiting tables is a tough job, and it’s often hard to remember all the little things when you’re “slammed” or “in the weeds.” But keeping hands away from the rim of a drinking glass should be instinctive. At least that’s the way I see it.
OK - that’s my rant. I think I’ll “wash my hands” of this topic. Wocka-wocka-wocka!
November 15th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Oh great, something to add to my list of paranoid tics.
November 18th, 2007 at 7:01 am
A roach can live for one week off the remains of a fingerprint. Imagine that as you drink the second glass of improperly handled glasses. UG,YUK.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Owen,
I’m cool with that… so long as the roach washes its hands.
(Actually, I was just trying to be funny. I’m not at all cool with that. YUK is right!)
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
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