Safe food handling
Dear Heloise: Why do people think that they can touch anything and still handle food as long as they are wearing plastic/rubber gloves? I was recently trav- eling and stayed overnight in a very nice, nationally known hotel chain. When I went down for the continental breakfast, this was observed:
The lady came from the kitchen to refill some of the food containers. She emp- tied scrambled eggs into the container and stirred them around with the same spoon that everyone was using to serve themselves. She then dumped biscuits in the biscuit container and proceeded to use her hands, wearing the same gloves, to move the biscuits around. She then reached down and opened a cabinet and con- tinued to work.
I have observed simi- lar things in supermarket delis and restaurants. Just because you are wearing gloves doesn’t mean that you can handle anything that you want and then use the same gloves to handle food. It’s no different than not wearing gloves.
People need to use common sense! Thanks for your column. — Regular Reader, via email
Boosting memory
Dear Heloise: When I’m stopped at a red light or at a drive-thru, I often memo- rize the license plate num- ber of the vehicle ahead of me. This is a good memory booster. I enjoy your col- umn. — C.J., Waco, Texas
Other uses for ...
Dear Heloise: One day at a discount store, I examined the small ponytail elastics on display. I bought them and decided to try them in place of rubber bands. When I tested them, I found that for most small items, these are superior because they don’t break, they do not get twisted up, they are easy to handle and they can also be used on packages for the freezer. — Priscilla Zanni, Vancouver, Wash- ington
Dear Heloise: Follow- ing the three R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle — to cover food cooked in the micro- wave, rather than using paper towels or coffee fil- ters, you can purchase microwave covers. They come in sets of different sizes. This keeps paper tow- els and filters out of the landfill. I am pleased that the Ventura County Star (California) is now running your column five days a week, with more column inches. — Lilith, Ventura, California