Ha, these exact words came up on my Facebook timeline today...……Son no. 2 - (after I asked him to put leftover veg in a bowl from the cupboard) "mum this bowl still has the remains of food stuck on it!". Me- " I shouldn't worry as you have no idea what else goes on with your food" (drops potato on floor then picks it up and puts it on his plate when he isn't looking 😁. What you don't know doesn't hurt you, lol.
It's a good job my sons never knew what went on in the kitchen or they never would have eaten anything! I am sure they are now in their own homes things go on that they would never admit to. Does everyone chuck away a piece of food that drops on the floor? Can we afford to do that now? Is it really going to make you ill if you eat it?
Well naturally I had to go and check it out on the internet, because every time I ask myself questions like this I have to know the answer! It's daft really, because if I read anything different from what I do I doubt I will change, though it may make me think again. Now, before I write what I found out, I will just say that it really does depend on what has fallen on the floor for me to pick it up and eat it. I have cats. It is a race to get the food before they do. I may not have hoovered, and the floor could have cat's hair on it, eeyuk! If it's sloppy food I definitely wouldn't. I mean who would? I'm talking about the odd bit of bread. A potato 😀. Something like that. And I don't do it often, before you think my hygiene has gone to pot.
There used to be something of an unwritten rule, the five second rule. Hmmm, I have to admit until I checked it I thought it was a ten second rule, so there's no hope for me is there? Pick up the bit of food within that time and you are ok. Maybe the unwritten rule was because it was thought bacteria or dirt wouldn't stay on it and develop in that amount of time. That is daft of course, because the dirt or whatever would be on the food however amount of time later you picked it up. Mind you I doubt anyone, unless starving hungry, would pick up food that has very obviously been on a floor for a long time. That isn't a flippant remark, as I know there are situations in our world where that does happen. I'm talking about situations in our own home.
So I've been and checked various articles, and to be honest I think I'll just stick with what I do anyway! Some say it's ok, and some say it isn't. What did I expect? You can always rely on finding any article to agree with what you think on the internet. That's why you shouldn't look at medical stuff unless it's on a reputable site like the NHS one. That's another blog day article I suspect!
I learnt a few things though. It's better to eat the food that's dropped on a carpet, rather than a smooth floor. Phew, my kitchen is carpeted. I also learnt that bacteria sticks to wet surfaces more than dry, so the potato is probably better than a slice of buttered bread landing upside down. I will just say that I don't think I would eat the buttered bread if I dropped it upside down, though maybe if it landed buttered side up. You see I have a theory. Society can get a bit paranoid about bacteria and dirt. Antibacterial sprays and bleach and micro cloths and all sorts are advertised right in our faces. Keep your house pristine clean and no bacteria will remain. My theory is that if you do this manic overuse of cleaning all the time, you will make your self less immune to basic bacteria when you actually come across it. Your body will not be able to cope with it. I'm not suggesting we don't clean. Honestly, after one day I have enough cat hair from my sofas and chairs to make a reasonably sized fur ball. What am saying is that a little bit of dirt will not be harmful to your body if you follow basic cleanliness rules all the time.
Does this give me an excuse to leave the hoovering for an extra day longer? Hell yes! Anything to get out of the housework. Two days more? Maybe not. I only have to move the sofa to see what the result of that would be. Try looking behind your sofa! I bet I know what you would find. 😏
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/39280017
home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/wellness/dropped-your-food-on-the-floor-you-might-want-to-think-twice-before-citing-the-five-second-rule-11363973904619
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3837850/Why-eat-food-s-dropped-floor-Doctor-busts-five-second-rule-myth.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/it-possible-be-too-clean-researchers-say-yes-f1C6345427
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