You make the call - food edition

I'm off today and running errands, so I stop by a local grocery store that has a good hot Chinese food bar and pick up some carryout.

I was the only customer in line, and as one of the clerks is helping me, I notice a second clerk with both hands in a bucket of what looked like soapy water on the back counter. She put a rag in it, wrung it out and then started cleaning the back counter. After a few seconds, another customer comes up and the second clerk leaves her cleaning duties to take her order.

The second clerk had the clear plastic "food service" gloves on the entire time, both in the soapy water bucket and while serving the food, didn't change out gloves, wash her hands or even wipe off her gloves before getting her food. And that included taking some chopped peanuts and green onions and sprinkling them by hand over the food.

It wasn't my food, but if you're in this situation, do you say something to the clerk? To the second customer (who didn't seem to see what was going on)? Wait and contact the manager later? Do nothing? The thing that gnaws at me is if that's what is happening out in the open, what is happening to the food that no one can see?

 

Do yourself a favor and don't think to hard about it.

 

"The publishers of Choose Your Own Adventure books had officially run out of ideas."

 

Speaking as a former employee of Dunkin' Donuts, and a dater of many waitresses in college, just assume that any food you don't make yourself has been altered or diddled with in some way. If you're not willing to accept that, don't eat out.

 

Do not ever look at your state's health department restaurant reports if you want to eat out again.

 

So Poppy was a little bit sloppy?

 

My paper publishes the county health department reports. Even the A- grades include stuff in their reports that'll turn me to gobbling diet pills.

 

I used to lick the tip of the nacho cheese sprayer while I worked at Taco Bell...and picked food right out of the containers to eat.
Yeah, it happens.

 

I would say something to the customer. Hell, as soon as the I saw the clerk handle food with those disgusting gloves on, I'd have went right up, had choice words for the clerk, and told the customer. Then again, I guess I'm an ass to expect food service employees to practice cleanliness.