This is a graphic that I by chance came across online today. Apparently it comes from Nichijou, a Japanese comedy manga. I am not positive what the intended focus or message is: are we to be disgusted by the server's finger that found itself wedged in the customer's food or are we to forget the faux-pas and instead be entranced by the server's tawdry acrylic nails?
Focusing on the former, this scene in the manga comedy manages to touch upon that primal fear most of us have about strangers (or even family members) touching our food. Like a good Hitchcock film, this .gif taps into our psyche and preys on those innate fears and the emotional and physical reactions that we are not necessarily cognizant of in our daily life.
Okay, maybe the writers weren't channeling Hitchcock at all and I took this all too far, but I really can't help but be repulsed by this scene! The issue of others touching our food comes up daily, especially in the dining halls at Smith. There are issues with cross-contamination, finding hair that isn't ours in our food (this has happened to you too, right?) and just plain old hand-to-food/plate/utensil contact that, depending on your personality, might either cause you to react or not even notice.
What are your boundaries when it comes to "others" touching your food? Is a friend allowed to lean over, without asking, and take one of your fries? If a stranger accidentally touches your fork with her/his hand as you queue up for the buffet, will you grab a new one? If you find a hair in your lasagna that definitely isn't your own, do you remove it and go on eating or have you lost your appetite at that point and move to a different dining hall completely? Are we really fearful of germs or do we just feel a sense of violation to our personal space and health?
-Stacey Ladusch
The server's overall appearance makes the fingernail choice unexpected and the food hides the server's fingernails so that they can be slowly revealed, making me think that this graphic is about the nail polish. But, then again, maybe it also has to do with the faux-pas. Either way, these are completely legitimate questions. I grew up with the 5-second rule, so I am probably a bit too carefree when it comes to germs. At the same time, there is something about finding a hair that is distinctly not your own that can very quickly turn an appetizing meal into an unappetizing one.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you led the discussion with a question, after posing good questions. I think I'm a little more on the polite end - where I always generously share my meal, however one should ask me first. In terms of handling food, I'm much more repulsed if someone touches something and gives it to me or if I find hair or what have you. I think it becomes so appetizing because it makes you question the quality and preparation of the food as most kitchens have a level of cleanliness and food safety they must always follow.
ReplyDeleteI think this fear of germs is slightly entertaining. The amount of germs that would be spread by a friend reaching over into your fries is so much less than the amount of germs you would get from touching the faucet handle! As such, I love sharing food and do so freely among my friends. However, if a stranger casually reached into my fries or served me my bowl of food with a finger, I'm wouldn't be nearly as cool with it.
ReplyDeleteI shuddered when the server drew those overly ornate manicured nails out of the food. It wouldn't have bothered me if the nail hadn't been polished, but something about the excessive rhinestones and glitter made me recoil. I don't normally worry about contamination in the dining halls, though I find it annoying when there are bits of food from one tray in another. In my gap year I worked as a hostess at a restaurant and they had a policy that no one was allowed to have painted nails and everyone who had long hair had to have their hair pulled back, even for my position.
ReplyDeleteThis particular graphic did make me cringe despite not being a person who has a contamination fear. Maybe it was the food itself that looked questionable and made me have this reaction? Maybe it was the setting of the graphic, it looked uninviting and overly sterile, neither of which inspire confidence in the quality of the food. Maybe for me esthetics determine how much I care?
ReplyDeleteAlex, I had the same "5-second rule" growing up.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked in restaurants since I was 15 I've become very conscious about how I handle other people's food - everyone is different and feels differently about germs and cross-contamination!