Gross Food Habits

I saw an article today on Fox News about gross food habits that people have. It's a nice read, but I thought I would add my on take on a few of the items.

The habits they identify are:
Licking the spoon while cooking
Double dipping
Serving food dropped on the floor
Using food past the expiration date
Not tossing items with bugs

Licking the spoon: if you live alone, I don't see the problem. If you are serving to guests, not a good idea. If you are working in a restaurant kitchen, it's even worse (at least as far as the number of people you can infect). For chefs who need to taste the broth, use a clean spoon, dip a sample, and step to the side to taste. No double dipping of the tasting spoon.

Double dipping: it may be acceptable for you and your significant other, but I don't recommend it for a first date. My own mother has a friend who double dips, so when they go to a Mexican restaurant she always gets two bowls of salsa. Ready to eat foods can pass along a number of germs, including not only foodborne illness germs but also those that cause colds and the flu.

Serving food dropped on the floor: isn't that what dogs are for, to clean up the food we drop on the floor? I don't recommend following the 5 second rule.

Using food past the expiration date: it depends. There are basically 3 types of dates you will see on packaging. These dates tell you something about whether or not you can use the product past the date. The types are:
Use by - this is a drop dead date. Don't use it past this date
Sell by - the store can't legally sell it after this date, but it is often still good to use after. When in doubt, a Google search can turn up lots of helpful information about using products.
Best by - This is usually a quality date. You can still use it, but it may not taste very good and the nutrition value may not be the same. This is the stuff you might save in case of the zombie apocalypse.

Not tossing items with bugs: the article blames this on the organic craze. It does follow logically that not using pesticides will likely increase the number of pests on your food. You just have to know which ones to toss and which ones to keep. Cockroaches and flies are bad.

Can we please be a little less gross out there, especially if you are preparing my meal in a restaurant.