Double dipping?
By fruitcakeliz
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
United States
August 14, 2009 7:14pm CST
Ok, hpothetical situation.
You are at a party of a get together at a friends house, and they have snacks set out. Finger foods like crackers, cheese, veggie sticks, chips etc. they also have various dips availiable for the chips/veggies, but do not have plates out, just napkins. Would you go ahead and use the dip anyways? Would you be conscious of "double dipping" (re-dipping your chip or carrot stick after already taking a bite?) Would you be weirded out by the fact that other people may have already double dipped?
I know some people have a huge problem with this, and in actuality, it is quite gross as it could be/is spreading your germs around.
How about just sharing food or a drink with someone? If you are hanging out with a friend and they ask if they can have a sip of your drink or a bite of something that looks yummy off your plate at a resturaunt, what do you say?
I know a few friends of mine who would absolutley freak out if someone took a drink from their cup, or wated to share thir dipping sauce. I personally have no problem with this with any of my friends or relatives, though if a perfect stranger asked i would probably try to politly decline!
How about you? Do you do this? do you think it is gross, or are you ok with it but only in certain situations?
2 people like this
13 responses
@anotherxidentity (1434)
• United States
15 Aug 09
What makes me really laugh if I remember reading a study online about double dipping and they found out that you weren't really getting a ton of germs from it because when you really think about it, think about how many people have touched the counters, plates, forks, etc. that you are also touching and if its finger foods those germs are being spread directly into your mouth already so therefore no harm in double dipping.
People are just so afraid of germs they really don't understand how there are other things you do in life on a daily basis which make you get more germs. Like how many people wash their hands after opening a door at a store? How many people do you think tried on the same clothing you did? Or the same shoes? Don't worry about the simple things in life and create a fuss.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I agree. I see all these people now who try to keep their kids in these little antibacterial bubbles and scrub and wipe down everything they will ever touch, but you know what this actually does in the long run? It keeps their immune systems stunted and keeps thm from being able to fight off things in the future when they are exposed to them!! Yeah, i've caught colds and stuff from people, but i caught them just from being around the person so much...not particularly because they dipped in my salsa one day.
@gloamglozer (1289)
• Australia
19 Sep 09
That's right. I saw an experiment that they did in mythbusters about this. For the control test they just took samples of their salsa and then incubated it on a petri dish. It turns out that there is already bacterial in the salsa dip. When they finally got everything completely sterilised (the nacho chips were exposed to radiation to kill off all the germs and they used agar instead of salsa sauce), they found out that there was only minimal amounts of bacterial coming from double dipping even though Jamie or the other guy basically took a whole mouthful of dip and then regurgitated it back.
There's no point being so protective of germs and the such. There a was a guy that injected himself with snake venom and after that his immune system was a super defence system pretty much. He never got a cold in 20 years. Worrying about such a simple thing means you'll not be enjoying that delicious dip just because someone double dipped it.
@silverglint (2000)
• Philippines
15 Aug 09
I think the solution to preventing people from double dipping is to prevent them from dipping directly to the main dip dish in the first place. In the places we go to, they usually put a small spoon in the dip so that people can use the spoon to put the sauce on the chip or on a small plate where they can dip their chips. About my sharing my cup or letting people bite on my food, I am okay with my siblings or close friends sharing with me but only until there.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Yes, offering small plates and spoons for the dips is the proper way to present foods such as this, so people can spoon a small amount onto tier own plate and dip from there. But soemtimes this still doesn't deter people from dipping directly into the main dish!
@mdvarghese (1789)
• Bangalore, India
15 Aug 09
To be frank, I dont like the double dipping , sharing the food from the same plate,share the sips and puffs. But some times I and my wife used to share the food or share the sip. It is ok with me.
But I used to share the sips and puffs(when I was smoking) many years back.But nowadays strictly I wont.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Isn't it weird how the things that bother us can change over the years? I ocasionaly will share a ciggarette with my boyfriend, but i am not fond of it, as i find differnt people smokedifferntly, some people slober on their ciggarettes more, or squish the filters hard with their fingers, and i don't like that LoL
@allegradream (210)
•
15 Aug 09
I knew about the sharing of drinks that could spread germs, but hadnt even thought about the sharing of dips, but youre right, you end up putting your germs back in the sauce!...But to be honest, I think that if the crudite is long, then we're expected to double dunk, but if its short, then its a single dipper!
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I would at least try to be considerate enough to re-dip the side that i hadn't already bitten off of! But yes, sometimes you just have to have more dip!
@suzycutee (81)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I am totally grossed out by double dipping in a party situation. I think it would be terrible if the host forgot to put out plates and serving utensils with the dip (which would encourage putting the dip on the plate, preventing people from dipping their food directly in the dip). On the other hand, my immediate family and my boyfriend can drink after me or double dip or share my food. But I certainly would not allow a perfect stranger to do this. Germs are everywhere, and I don't think they are spread any more easily by sharing food. The most important thing to do to prevent the spread of germs is to frequently wash your hands.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Proper handwashing IS a must, that is for sure. I am like you, i don't mind at all sharing food or drink with family or close friends, but in a group of people i am not close with? i am a little leery, though more so because i don't want to offend others who have phobias of this, as opposed to being afraid i am going to catch something from them.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I think if a perfect stranger came up and asked to have a sip off of my drink or soemthing, i would be totally weirded out!
@dreamr802 (985)
• United States
15 Aug 09
It honestly depends on who I am eating with...if it's with my boyfriend or my best friend then double dipping isn't gross because my best friend and I share drinks and whatnot all the time and my boyfriend and I share food and whatever basically every time we eat something. But say if I'm at a party I'll dip a chip, eat it and then flip it to a different side and same with veggies and whatnot.
@dreamr802 (985)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Yeah, I agree :-). I'm honestly not that scared of germs...there are so many ways to get germs other than eating them inadvertently.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
ahhh yes..the classic flip move....been there done that many times....i mean hey..at least i am not re-dipping the part my mouth was already all over!!
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
15 Aug 09
hi fruitcakeliz no double dipping for me or sharing drinks
and their germs. I can get sick easy enough so dont want
someone elses spit in my food at all.its way too'
unsanitary And it is utterly disgusting.who wants someone
else's spit in their drink or their food. I dont care if
ita my friends, strangers or Queen Elizabeth,spit is spit
and that even sounds gross and its unhealthy also.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
oh yes, particularly if you are prone to getting sick easily, you should take as many precautions as you can. No use in needlessly exposing yourself to germs!
@lala501 (1532)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Well in my opinion it is absolutly gross. I don't even like sharing food with my own family, not to mention friends ro total strangers! I don't know what kind of germs or viruses that they could be spreading. I wouldn't trust eating the dip at a party. I know that someone will double dip. I also do not share drinks or any kind of food or beverages with anyone. At first I was just semi-consiose about these things, but since I heard of that one mouth disease where you get bumps all over your mouth from sharing food or drink, then I vowed I would never eat or drink out of someone elses stuff.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Yeah, i do understand being careful about it, particularly if you don't KNOW the people. I don't mind sharing with my boyfriend or a couple of my close friends, but with people i don't know? Never...
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
15 Aug 09
Okay so I admit the thought of double dipping or sharing food does make me think about the transfer of germs etc etc. But let’s be honest, before we all became so mamby pamby, health conscious and listened to all the scientific evidence which gets plastered in the press we never gave a second thought to the sharing of food, drink or double dipping.
Like you depending on who I was actually sharing with I wouldn’t give it a second thought. But with strangers is another matter. Plus for all those germs you come into contact with I believe your immune system becomes stronger as it has to combat them.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I totally agree, if you notice my comment on the first response, keeping yourself in a "germ-free" bubble is actually detrimental to your immune system working properly! granted, if a person has an immune disorder, i can understand it...and i don't condone going around licking raw chicken and pork, as that is just foolish, but to freak out over everything is just crazy. I think i remember reading something once that since the invention of anti-bacterial soaps, people who use them frequently actually get sick more often, as their bodies never built up antibodies to fight off even the most innocuous of germs.
@sulsisels (1685)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I definately do not want to be repetative here but the "double-dip" fobia is one I am plagued (no pun intended) with as well. I think an episode of Seinfeld was the cause of it..If you missed that one, try to catch it. As another contributor mentioned, the germs we get from plates, silverware, glasses etc are far more intense..For the women, you wouldn't want to have the bottom of your purse analyzed for germs..you'd die if you saw whats all on there..Think of how many times you put your purse on the ground,,like public bathrooms and countless other places.. I don't want anyone drinking from my glass, or bottle...taking a bite from my sandwich, or worse of all licking my ice cream cone and after all the stress of these things day in and day out, I can't wait to get home so that my dog can give me a big giant soggy kiss on the mouth!!!!!
1 person likes this
@g_vickie84 (576)
• Belgium
15 Aug 09
Normally when with friends or family I do not care about double dippings. But I do not like sharing liquid food stuff like juices etc even with my family. But when it cames to strangers no I do not like sharing food stuff with them. Like in a situation mentioned by you I will not do double dippings. I would rather prefer to put my sauce in a napkin and then take it if there are no plates.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
15 Aug 09
why would you want to take someone elses spit into your
mouth whenyou have no idea what germs are in their salvia?
Do you know that the human bite on another person is
more dangerous and more apt to be really deadly thatn
a dog bite? My physican said human bites often become really
'infected as our mouths contain all sorts of bacteria that
are downright vicious.
@lala501 (1532)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I cannot stand people who backwash. Especially on purpose. Some people will backwash your drink, just so they can have it. It's jsut plain gross. Also a human bite being more infectiose then a dog bite? I have never heard that before. I guess that makes sense, with all the diseases and baceria a human peson can have.
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
Just curious, why are you ok with double dipping with your family, but not sharing a drink? Perhaps you have relatives who backwash when drinking..that is just gross, i know. But i actually have known people who would purposly backwash in their drinks so that others will not want to share with them.
1 person likes this
@Fennelfoot (167)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I'm much more grossed out by other things that people do on a daily basis than double dipping. Think about using a public restroom. You do your thing, then go to wash your hands. What's the first thing you touch after going? The sink handle. Then you wash your hands using a soap dispenser that everyone else touches with their unwashed hands, then turn the water off. Remember what the first thing you touched after using the toilet was? That's right, the sink handle.
Thank god for automatic faucets in many public places. According to a study I read a while ago, the keyboard you're using right now has more germs per square inch than a the toilet in a public bathroom. Because a public restroom gets cleaned more often.
1 person likes this
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
which is precisly why i miss having paper towels as at least an option in most pulic restrooms. Not only do the hand dryers not EVEr dry my hands, but i can't take a piece of the hand dryer and open the bathroom door now can i? I know it is more "environmentaly friendly", but i work in food service, and when i wash my hands after using the restroom, i like to be able to use a piece of paper towl to turn off the sink and open the door, prop the door open with my foot and then toss the towel.
Either that or all bathrooms need to be equipped with automatic faucets and outward pushing exit doors!
@sulsisels (1685)
• United States
15 Aug 09
One more thing..Don't sweat the small stuff,,just wash your hands and drown a germ..P.S. plagerized that from the E.R.!!!
@fruitcakeliz (2639)
• United States
15 Aug 09
I like that one....too many people get too freaked out over the "little" things like germs....c'mon people...our ancestors lived in times when they only bathed once a week (if that) and didn't have antibacterial cleaners and soaps...and they lived just fine!
