Lots of people have lots of complaints about dining out. There are many things that bug others that aren’t a bother to me at all. Water glass not refilled enough? I happily suck on ice cubes. Waiter refills empty wine glasses when your glass is still mostly full? Dude! Drink faster! Ha! And strongly scented soap in the bathroom? Puh-lease! I am just happy if they have soap!
No, my biggest complaint has less to do with waiter attentiveness and aromatics, and more to do with “am I going to land in the ER because of this meal?”
In addition to the Department of Health-regulated basic hand-washing rules, some restaurants require their workers to wear plastic gloves when they handle food. Which is great. Except. Except when workers don the gloves and don’t take them off as they go about doing other non-food related things.
For instance, earlier this week I was in Grand Central at lunch time and I noticed the crepe preparer at the Ciao Bella counter press his gloved hand to his mustachioed face and cough into the glove! gah! He didn’t think a thing of it.
A few weeks ago, I went to burger joint in Fort Greene. As we ate, I watched as one of guys from the kitchen come out, and, still wearing his rubber food-prep gloves, move tables and chairs around. He then went back behind the counter to continue preparing food. Then, a couple days ago, as I walked by the same restaurant and saw a different guy from the kitchen out in front, talking on a cell phone wearing his plastic gloves! (In fairness, he could have replaced the gloves after returning inside. But I would assume if new gloves were in the plan, he would have taken the old ones off before going outside on a hot day to make a call.) I only hope the workers here take their gloves off before using the restroom!
I have witnessed countless other similar incidents (running gloved hands through hair, handling cash with gloved hands, etc.). What are these people thinking? Are they under the mistaken impression that they are meant to wear gloves in order to protect their hands from the food? Honestly, I don’t get it.
I would rather have my food prepared by someone with meticulously clean un-gloved hands than by someone wearing gloves they never take off. Am I being unreasonable? If you have any observations that might enlighten us (or horror stories of your own), please let share them in the comments below!
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