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March 31, 2006
Sharing Food
Call me a germaphobe, picky, selfish, whatever… but I don't share food. It's really all about serving portability. You can separate it into two separate pieces before any possible cross-contamination can occur? Great. Trying to have me eat off of the same piece as you? No way. It might just be that I'm paranoid that there be some potential carry-over or contamination between your germs and mine. Yes, I'm aware of the fact that your fork touched your mouth, which touched some piece of food, which my fork could touch, which could touch my mouth. Call me paranoid, grossed out, whatever. I'll take it.
You've got a piece of cake, you hand me a fork, and want me to dig in with you at the same time? Not a chance. I might take one bite before your dirty fork ever comes over to my side… but once my fork is dirty, or your fork is dirty - no way. A package of cookies that I'm able to remove my desired portion? Sure. If you put your grubbies all over the cookies, I'm done. I guess overall this is a sliding scale.
My relationship to you and your personal cleanliness are considered as I weigh the possibility of me sharing food.
This could easily be tied to the Seinfeld episode (#165 - The Apology) where a lady that works with Elaine is afraid of Elaine's germs, but not other people's (or the one where Jerry's date won't share the applie pie with him (#79 - The Pie)).
I suppose that in extreme circumstances this all could be tossed out. But what are the chances of me being on Survivor, or stranded on a deserted island with you and a piece of chocolate cake? Yeah… slim to nil.
El Salvador must have been a pretty uncomfortable place for you. Getting on those crowded buses and touching those handle bars. Shaking hands all day. Eww.
Sounding like someone else I know. **Making mental note to never share with Pedro**
I didn't know this about you. I'm trying to think back to dinner at La Parilla Suiza. Didn't we all share an appetizer? I don't have any memories about this from Guanacoland either. Maybe it wasn't the pink walls.
I think it's all been more recent. I went to lunch with a group semi-recently, and they all wanted to eat off of the same plate. I said, "um, no." Really I thought that most of them were pretty gross.
I can't say "germaphobe" completely. I know that a lot of places are dirty, and that's generally okay with me. Just when it comes to a clean environment when it's food time... I'm all for it. Impossible to have it nice and clean? Oh well, let's get this over with.