Tomorrow is Potential Food Poisoning Day

[kranky]

Tomorrow is the day when a bunch of departments get together for a holiday lunch in the big conference room. Probably about 50 or so people. Most of them will have brought in some main dish or side dish they made at home the night before.

Lunch is at 11:30. Many of those people come to work at 8. How many of those people kept their food at a safe temperature the whole time between last night and 11:30?

It makes me sad to have to pass on the deviled eggs.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

You could opt for a different perspective and view it as Potential Coworker Bodily Fluid Ingestion Day. Mix it up a little.

Stay away from the homemade yogurt though...

 

[balloonshark]

Look at it as an opportunity to build up your immune system.

 

[dullard]

It makes me sad to have to pass on the deviled eggs.

While it is good to be worried about unsafe food practices, the eggs are probably not going to be the problem. Plant based foods are the cause of 51% of all known foodborne illnesses in the US. Eggs are just 6%. You are more likely to get sick eating from the "safe" nut tray (even if you don't have allergies) than from eating eggs. Eggs are relatively disease free while in the shell (the shell itself is generally the problem) and hard boiling them in the shell makes it even safer. The recommendation is to not let them sit out for more than 2 hours at room temperature, but that is probably overly cautious.

Just think about your 50 coworkers, how many of them wash their hands when no one is looking, and how many hands are going to be in that nut bowl (especially after touching all of these other supposedly unsafe foods).

 

[TwiceOver]

Usually when we do things like this it is Crock Pots full of various stuff, so all hot and made throughout the day.

Though, I generally don't participate in these things.

 

[NetWareHead]

Lunch is at 11:30. Many of those people come to work at 8. How many of those people kept their food at a safe temperature the whole time between last night and 11:30?

I wouldnt be afraid of eating food kept out that long. Hell, we used to order pizza in college and it would never go into a fridge. Wake up the next morning and dig into any leftovers. Sometimes it would even survive into Sunday and never having been refridgerated.

Even food in my fridge, if there is a piece of moldy cheese, just cut off the moldy beard and chow down. Same with bread.

 

[vi edit]

Gastronomic Hubris. Separate the weak gutted from the real pride of the pack.

 

[Strk]

You'll be fine. If there was anything in there that could give you food poisoning, being out at room temp really wouldn't do much to you. People not washing their hands should be your only concern.

 

[DrPizza]

It's sort of like the increase in cases of asthma. In the old days, everyone left the frozen hamburger sitting on the counter all day for it to be thawed when they got home from work. Everyone occasionally had the green liquid poos. Then, rock like stomachs. Test that immune system. Push it. Then, quit worrying about food poisoning.

 

[sactoking]

I'm all for building immunity through exposure. I do all kinds of questionable things when it comes to food handling. But even I know to stay 50ft away from any and all work-related "potluck" meals.

 

[Schfifty Five]

What we do at our firm of 300 employees is the partners will cater in the meats from a bbq joint and everyone else will bring in sides/desserts/salads, etc. Half of the stuff from employees are packaged items from stores, and the other half is homemade stuff.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I never partake in this stuff unless its a baked good like a cookie.

I have no idea what your home kitchen looks like, you most likely did not wash your hands, so I will save my digestive tract by noping out.

Th main course is usually catered in so I will eat that but never the sides that Marge in AP or Polly in Payroll bring.

 

[HomerJS]

Tomorrow is the day when a bunch of departments get together for a holiday lunch in the big conference room. Probably about 50 or so people. Most of them will have brought in some main dish or side dish they made at home the night before.

Lunch is at 11:30. Many of those people come to work at 8. How many of those people kept their food at a safe temperature the whole time between last night and 11:30?

It makes me sad to have to pass on the deviled eggs.

at Chipotle

 

[lupi]

Go to chipolte and it could be everyday.

 

[feralkid]

It's sort of like the increase in cases of asthma. In the old days, everyone left the frozen hamburger sitting on the counter all day for it to be thawed when they got home from work. Everyone occasionally had the green liquid poos. Then, rock like stomachs. Test that immune system. Push it. Then, quit worrying about food poisoning.

Welcome to the world of e. coli.

 

[Childs]

You shouldnt worry about it. When you go to a BBQ or potlock its the same thing. The food is out and people eat it throughout the day.

 

[DrPizza]

Welcome to the world of e. coli.

I made e. coli my bitch. I thoroughly wash my hands before cooking; my dishwasher's water temperature sterilizes dishes. But, I can go out to the barn, grab some chicken eggs, sometimes with little bits of chicken eggs in them, then go feed the goats - occasionally some goat berries were left in the food troughs and kind of stick on - I just brush them off with my fingers. Then, I'll go in the house and eat a sandwich, without caring bothering to scrub down for 2 minutes and soak my hands in half a gallon of hand sanitizer.

 

[feralkid]

I made e. coli my bitch. I thoroughly wash my hands before cooking; my dishwasher's water temperature sterilizes dishes. But, I can go out to the barn, grab some chicken eggs, sometimes with little bits of chicken eggs in them, then go feed the goats - occasionally some goat berries were left in the food troughs and kind of stick on - I just brush them off with my fingers. Then, I'll go in the house and eat a sandwich, without caring bothering to scrub down for 2 minutes and soak my hands in half a gallon of hand sanitizer.

You pretty much personify OP's concerns.

 

[MustISO]

Eating at restaurants or a friends house probably isn't any safer. Most people don't practice safe food handling (at least in my group of friends and family). I'm religious about it but no one tends to have any issues at the functions we go to. Even the pot luck lunches are typically just fine.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm sure most people put it in the fridge and take it out before heading to work and warm it up at work.

 

[Captante]

It's sort of like the increase in cases of asthma. In the old days, everyone left the frozen hamburger sitting on the counter all day for it to be thawed when they got home from work. Everyone occasionally had the green liquid poos. Then, rock like stomachs. Test that immune system. Push it. Then, quit worrying about food poisoning.

Yep ... I have a stomach like a damn billy-goat!


(not the fainting kind!)

 

[Jeff7]

Tomorrow is Potential Food Poisoning Day

It can be intentional if you'd like.

I made e. coli my bitch. I thoroughly wash my hands before cooking; my dishwasher's water temperature sterilizes dishes. But, I can go out to the barn, grab some chicken eggs, sometimes with little bits of chicken eggs in them, then go feed the goats - occasionally some goat berries were left in the food troughs and kind of stick on - I just brush them off with my fingers. Then, I'll go in the house and eat a sandwich, without caring bothering to scrub down for 2 minutes and soak my hands in half a gallon of hand sanitizer.

I do loves me some home-raised eggs with egg bits in 'em.
:awe:

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Repeat after me, food is inherently healthy. I worry more about over processed junk food filled with preservatives in an unopened container than actual food prepared by coworkers. Some folks here need to stay in their basements and stop annoying those of us who know something about food.

 

[DrPizza]

It can be intentional if you'd like.



I do loves me some home-raised eggs with egg bits in 'em.
:awe:

I meant to say, with little bits of chicken crap on them. Wife interrupted my typing.

You pretty much personify OP's concerns

Read again - I take cooking for others quite seriously - I've worked in a restaurant at least occasionally, since... forever. Dishwasher sterilizes dishes, surfaces are rinsed with bleach/water, hands are scrubbed, etc. I don't care if I get myself sick - I'm not worried about it at all - I never wash off those chicken eggs if I'm cooking eggs for myself (but do if it's for a cake or something for other people). I don't know which people are germaphobes with pitifully weak, untested, unpracticed immune systems.

 

[NetWareHead]

It can be intentional if you'd like.



I do loves me some home-raised eggs with egg bits in 'em.
:awe:

The best tasting eggs always have some remnant on them. Either chicken poop, a feather or even some blood