Shared meals

Ick. Ick. I mean - ick.

Shared meals

Yeah ick, but pragmatically? Soup made from comeback chicken bones would be perfectly safe. Re-cooking would kill all bacteria. We do it at home without thinking twice.

We Americans tend to go overboard on germs and bacteria. Our immune systems are HARMED, not benefited, by missing out on getting exposed to low levels of contamination all day long. I sometimes wonder if all the anti-bacterial soap on every bathroom counter is leading to antibacterial-resistant bugs in the environment.

NoCoPilot wrote:

We Americans tend to go overboard on germs and bacteria. Our immune systems are HARMED, not benefited, by missing out on getting exposed to low levels of contamination all day long.  I sometimes wonder if all the anti-bacterial soap on every bathroom counter is leading to antibacterial-resistant bugs in the environment.

You have to recall that this is only accurate for healthy people. Many of us, due to age or auto-immune disease really really need that anti-bacterial and caution. The same bacteria all of you carry all over your bodies all the time (such as staph) will put me down with a fever and a need of meds.

However, when I worked at the Beagle Bagel I had no compunction about bringing home unsold chicken salad and whatnot because I knew a) I had made it and it was sanitary and b) that it had been stored properly all day. It's quite common in the restaurant world for servers to steal a bit of leftover grazing off plates throughout the shift. I had a waitress at El Chico many years ago who I would always leave a few of my shrimp because I knew she liked them.