I didn't know eating out could be so dangerous

[bignote1]

What do you think? An over reaction?

8 Things You Should Never Touch at a Restaurant

1 / 8
The table
Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, found significant numbers of E. coli and coliform bacteria on restaurant tabletops — enough to present a danger to the public — particularly young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. And the bacteria numbers were even higher after the tables were wiped down, suggesting a direct connection between dirty rags and bacteria. The solution? Ask your server not to wipe your table before you sit down.

2 / 8
The menu
It’s hard to avoid touching a menu — which is probably why they’re some of the germiest things in any restaurant. Think about how many hands touch them on a daily basis, and how infrequently the menus are cleaned (or replaced). Also, restaurant staff may wipe down laminated menus with a rag. (Remember how filthy those are?)
A 2013 study found that menus are an ideal vehicle for different types of bacteria. E. coli can survive on a laminated menu for as long as 24 hours, and salmonella for as long as 72 hours. Donna Duberg, an assistant professor of clinical laboratory science from Saint Louis University, suggests paying attention to how your menu feels. “If there is visible food on the outside or if it feels ‘sticky,’” she tells Yahoo Health, “it is most likely harboring germs, bacteria, and viruses from everyone who has sat there or worked there over the last few days.” Be safe and give your hands a good wash after ordering (and before eating).

3 / 8
The ice in your drink
Like a cold drink? Restaurant ice makers aren’t cleaned nearly as often as they should be (ideally once a month), and may harbor bacteria. The bottom line? Ask for your soda without ice — your stomach will thank you.

4 / 8
The lemon and lime wedges in your drink
Whether you request it or not, restaurant drinks often come with a slice of lemon or lime. But a 2007 study found that 69.7 percent of lemon wedges tested showed some type of microbial growth — either on the rind or the flesh. Why? By the time it reaches your drink, that piece of fruit may have been handled by multiple people — plus, there’s no way to ensure proper handwashing practices have been followed. Although it won’t be as tasty, it’s wise to take that beverage straight up.

5 / 8
The ketchup bottle and salt and pepper shakers
“These are most likely never wiped off — and if they are, it is with a cloth that has been used to wipe off the table, chairs, trays, and has been ‘rinsed’ in a tub of dirty water,” Duberg says. Beyond that, it’s impossible to know who touched these before you (and whether they washed their hands). You’ve got your antibacterial wipes, right? If you need that ketchup, give the bottle a once-over before squeezing.
Just like the condiment bottles and menus, trays are rarely wiped down (and when they are, it’s with that same rag — yuck). Duberg suggests you avoid touching your tray as much as possible. “When eating in a fast-food establishment with trays,” she says, “I use hand sanitizer before touching my food, and never touch the tray after I sit down until after I am done eating.”

7 / 8
The buffet
Yes, buffets are as dirty as you thought they were. “It is a rare day when I will eat at a buffet or a salad bar,” Duberg says. “There are very few assurances that the food has been kept at the proper temperature (hot or cold); the remaining food from the container being replaced is often scooped into the container of fresh food, and the serving utensils are usually reused over and over again.” These latter two actions can carry bacteria, which have been multiplying all day, from one batch of food to the next. All you can eat? It may not be worth it.

8 / 8
The bathroom
It seems obvious, but the bathroom is often a reflection of how clean the rest of a restaurant is. Duberg suggests checking to see whether there’s a cleaning schedule posted on the door. “And use the sniff test,” she says. “If it smells dirty, it most likely is — wash your hands with lots of soap and water, dry with a paper towel, use the paper towel to open the door, and use hand sanitizer at the table before eating your food. Reminder: People who are not feeling well often go into the bathroom to vomit or have diarrhea, and may not wash their hands as well as I do.”

[parrot]

Try this test:
Go to most any restaurant in Thailand and ask for their restroom.

Go to the kitchen in most any restaurant in Thailand and check the temperature of their 'hot' water.

Go to probably 40% of the available public restrooms in Thailand......chances are there won't be soap and/or tissue. Chances are about 99.99% there won't be hot water.

Go to a good percentage of mom & pop restaurants and there's a good chance either mom or pop will handle one of their grandchildren while taking a short break from serving customers.

If you applied most of the above concerns to eating out in Thailand......you'd probably end up starving here. I doubt you'd ever see a Chipotle-style closing here for health related issues.

One a side but related note: Two nasties that I observed while eating out in Thailand (over 20 years): 1, a noodle shop near the clock circle. Not the best of soup, but it was convenient. One day while having my soup, the owner takes a break between customers and plays with a diapered grandchild (I assume) on the top of one of the tables. After a few minutes, in walks a customer and the owner goes directly back to the soup pot to prepare another bowl of soup. Despite not knowing if the child's diaper was full or not, I ended up never going back to that restaurant.

I took a visiting brother to my favorite crab fried rice restaurant in town late one afternoon. While enjoying our meal, one of the owner's small dogs began barking....and the owner jumped up from his money table and ran toward the rear of the restaurant, a few tables behind us (I was facing the rear). The owner stomped on a cornered rat and tossed it out the back door. I don't think my brother saw what happened and I don't recall telling him I saw what I saw.....we finished our meals.....and I still go back to this restaurant....the best crab fried rice in town (IMO).

Note: my percentages above were derived from the pollsters who say Trump is going to win the presidential election. They might be questionable.
Happy New Year

[samster]

Went to my favourite fruit shake stall at the market recently and watched the owners young daughter apparently washing her hands in the crushed ice that was going straight in the shake. I still go there - as far as I am concerned the benefits of the fruit will counter balance the germs. I live a utopian existence!!

[noosard]

Poor old Charlie would find hard to eat anything anywhere with that level of paranoia
Would have to be in a sterile room eating soup that has just come of the boil
Wearing surgeons garb

[kopkei]

i agree with noosard ,the one whom find all these disturbing things when he go's out to eat should stay cozy at home , hopefully his home is clean enough though ? , some people make them self weak by being way to care full and end up sick many times , i eat almost everything anywhere , using my common knowledge and observation what is do-able or not ,do not have many times problems, (+ a flushing of the internal system once in a while does not kill you ),one reason how ever we eat many times at home now ,is that the most udon restaurants are not up to the standard of keeping quality, quantity, price at a decent level ,( surely the drinks) underestimating the knowledge of the visitor,
so to me way better food at home and surely better prices, and indeed you would be surprised if you look next visit at any udon restaurants ,( including sponsors one ), some of them indeed also fall in the category mentioned in the posts before...but luckily not all ...all depending your preferences ,and by this i do not mean fellow countrymen...
and here again ...as long as you are happy (and stay happy..)

[thaiguzzi]

Complete over reaction. Paranoia springs to mind. Author probably scrubs herself/himself several times a day in the shower until he/she bleeds. Wears a space suit to go out shopping to avoid inhaling fresh air. Wears a face mask when eating - with great difficulty - and hence is anorexic.

[Shado]

I suspect Charles Gerba, the professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, found significant numbers of E. coli and coliform bacteria on all of the things he tested. That, however, won't deter my enjoyment of eating out occasionally. Something I do try to minimize contact with though, are escalator handrails. Unless they have some sort of sanitizing device that I am unaware of, they have got to be covered in all sorts of grimy stuff. But, I'm not concerned enough to carry hand sanitizer with me.

[papafarang]

before you even think about it, think about what you do at home. or who cares as long as its clean enough. the worst one here is not the food but the plate and the fact that the fork you use was in someone's mouth before you... thousands of them. lets hope they boiled the fork for 20 mins first

[JR]

We rarely eat out these days mostly because it is too far to Udon. But buying food to cook at home, well. I guess you all have visited the big food courts at BigC, Tesco etc and seen how they keep the fresh food. Especially the chicken but also other meat. In open containers for anyone to sneeze on or touch. And in room temperature. A European health inspector would have an instant fit and the place would be closed down immediately.

[wazza]

Don't forget that everyone has " Normal Flora " Bacteria in your GIT, this is a good one and assists in destroying the baddies that are identified above.

Preparing food, by washing it, , don't allow red meats to drip onto white meats etc and then cooking it at a minimum of 70 Celsius will also knock off the vast majority of the baddies as well as having good personal hygiene practices should allow you to enjoy the culinary delights of Thailand.

[seagulls]

Most Bathroon doors in Restaurants open Inwards which means on the way out it requires pulling a handle to exit .
I see so many people not washing their hands after relieving themselves so I always use the tissue I have just dried
with to pull the handle to exit .Same in Hospitals that have a similar scenario YUK

[arjay]

Hazards I have come across include:-

1. Lettuce and salad products bought from the market and being placed straight onto the diner's plate (without washing or any further attention).

2. Uneaten salad items, left on the plate by one customer, being reused/recycled onto the next customers plate, rather than being thrown away.

3. Early one morning a friend observed rats scurrying over crates of beer (left after delivery) outside a bar and urinating on the bottles whilst doing so.

4. An urgently needed sack of ice being delivered, arrived standing on the flootplate of a motor bike (between the feet of the driver), and then being lifted into the bar and the sack stood upright in the ice box. It was later emptied into the ice box, in time for a delivery of further sacks to be emptied/poured on top.

5. Beer bottles are often packed and laid in the ice in the ice box. The same ice which is then used to put in drink glasses. (See no 3 for consideration as to where the beer bottles might have been before getting there).

I heard that Thais prefer to drink their beer from glasses, rather than the bottles, for reasons related to the hygiene of the bottles and bottle necks.

6. I've also seen previously opened bottles of wine standing on the top shelf behind the bar (with the spirits) for many months on end.

7. Similarly I often wonder about stuff like mayonnaise and ketchup, which I have often seen standing on restauarant tables at room temperatures well in excess of 30C for many weeks on end. Noted many bars restaurants do keep them in the fridge.

8. I've also seen ice boxes in cloakrooms/toilets, - said ice boxes containing stored foodstuffs for the bar/restaurant.