A little hiccup in Sainsbury

I too hate people licking their fingers to separate sheets of paper to hand round. I also won't buy anything from a bakery which is on the counter top directly in line with customers coughing and breathing all over them. It also amazes me that in this day and age we have a cup cake stall in the middle of the shopping centre with dozens of cup cakes open to the elements - or anything flying around them! And how long have they been made - there never seems to be many people buying them so what do they do with them at the end of the day?1

We used to use rubber "fingers and thumbs" when I worked in an office many years ago, that would remove the need to lick fingers before separating sheets of paper, this would also be useful for opening bags,much nicer than blowing into the bag!!

Slight digression, I'm in a group where sheets of paper are passed around. The distributor licks her fingers before separating each one. Makes me cringe, I have to stop myself screaming ' don't do that ' She's an ex teacher and I wonder how many of her pupils felt the same !

Greyduster: ugh! Puts you off eating out or buying cakes etc!!

At one time it was quite common for bakers in particular to lick their fingers when they picked up a bag or a piece of tissue paper (loaves were once wrapped in that) and in the case of the bag blow in it. There are thousands of people my age still around! My funniest moment was when I returned a jar of jam because there was a wasp in it. "Must of got in before it was sealed" said the manager. Really? Another incident, not so funny, having waited about 45 minutes for our lunch, I cut into my omelette and had a mouthful before I realised I had put half a bluebottle in my mouth. It was brand new restaurant, the chef was mortified, had no idea how it happened, we got 6 free meals out of it, but no one felt like eating after that. Quite often now, when we are all out together my son in law will say "Right D.. where's the bluebottle?"!

Grannymosh I laughed out loud at your post - still laughing in fact! And pollyperkins what goes on behind the scenes is that flies crawl all over the scones and no-one notices!!!

I think I must be too fussy as well, I would have cringed at all those incidents, and Greyduster, I also think the fly in the scones quite hilarious, you really couldn't make it up! It did remind me of VD in One Foot in the Grave, but it could quite easily have fitted into a Carry On film.

Not in the same category but sure many others watching a news programme concerning food manufacturers may have had the same thoughts that I did.
A production line showing sausages being wrapped where the workers had the appropriate clothing but never wore masks over mouth and nose.?
My first thought was what if a 'sudden' cough or sneeze occurred ?.Covered hands go over mouth /nose then carry on packing sausages?
Am to fussy?

For me its the takeaway cups in coffee chains, where the lid that you drink from is picked up and pushed firmly into place with the palm of the hand, by the assistant Barista

Not food related, but my late FIL used to lick the tip of his pencil when he did the crossword puzzle. It made me cringe. I can feel my teeth curling up with the memory!

With my OH it is people handing you a cup of tea or something with their fingers all around the top of the glass/cup. He hates it.

Feel sorry for the lad, but he should have offered you another cake not another bag.

Having worked in catering not much I haven't seen, as my DM always says "what the eye don't see the heart don't grieve" but in front of the Customer....no, no, no. Cream cake incident made my day & fly in the box of scones

Why so many cafes and restaurants get low "scores on the doors" because we do not see what is going on in the kitchen.

Don't even think about it Polly !

If this is what they do when the customer is watching, one wonders what goes on behind the scenes?!!

what about cashiers who lick their fingers when picking up/opening plastic bags? Not so common now they don't give free bags, but usually they look really puzzled when I ask them not to. Surely that's part of the hygiene training?

Reminds me of a trip to Morrisons a few years ago. The (not-so-young) lady who was serving me with some sausages carefully put on the plastic glove kept for such tasks, then proceeded to pick up the sausages with the OTHER hand! Looked at me like I was speaking Martian when I explained why I was almost crying with laughter. I had a quiet word at the customer service desk on my way out and suggested she might benefit from retraining.

That was really funny, greyduster. I can imagine your DH face as he tried to explain

Really funny Greyduster. I also thought of Victor Meldrew

GillT57

My brother was in a cafe some years ago and bought crackers and cheese, ( the little sellophane blocks). After wrestling to open the cheese for about 10 minutes and being unsuccessful he took it to a member of staff and said 'I can't open this cheese' assuming that they would get him another one and open it with a sharp knife, he stood there astounded as the helpful assistant put it to her mouth and opened it with her teeth! She couldn't understand why he did't want it.....

Greyduster I imagined that scene as one from One Foot In The Grave....just the sort of thing to happen to poor old VM. Ditto the post from Hopehope

LOL Greyduster that is so funny as is the Angel cake incident

Last year, DH bought a pack of scones from our local Morrisons. When he brought them home I noticed that, inside the unopened cellophane packaging, a fly was quite active. He immediately took them back to the store, and stood in the queue at customer services with the unopened scones clutched in his hot little mit, the fly still crawling about. Just as he got to the counter, someone passing through the queue with a large shopping bag shoved DH in the back and the forward jolt caused him to put his thumb through the packaging. The fly flew out, and that was that. He did complain anyway and they gave him back his money, but with the evidence off on the wing, I think they just thought he was a looney and felt sorry for him! We inspect their baked goods very carefully now!

Oh, bless him! I bet his DM would have killed him if she'd known!! 'That's not how I brought you up!'

Aw he was probably a weekend lad doing his best to seem professional by offering you another bag! He must have missed the hygiene training.