Takeout in the pandemic era

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I transfer everything to new containers and reheat.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I transfer everything to new containers and reheat.

+1

-10

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't wipe down anything. I've gotten takeout every week since March. Tested negative for COVID-19 and negative for antibodies.

Same here. Well we haven't tested but haven't been sick. I do wash hands before eating and wash my fruit and veg etc. and I have little kids so their hands are always gross but we do most of washing. Get takeout 2 ce a week for dinner and more for lunch since we are both back at work part time.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DH doesn’t touch the containers due to his health issues. I transfer and reheat everything. The only exception is that DD was promoted to HS last night and really wanted sushi. So she had sushi, which couldn’t be reheated and we’re hoping that she doesn’t get sick.[/quote]

Sushi is very safe to eat due to rice that cooked in vinegar. [/quote]

Congratulations to your DD!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the lazy approach since you asked -- bring home takeout, throw the outside bags in the trash, put the containers on the stove. Wash hands. Get whatever dish you'll use to reheat food (or eat food if you won't reheat) + spoon. Open container. Move food from container to said dish. Wash hands again since you've touched the container. Wash hands. Stick dish in the microwave/oven. Remove from microwave/oven eat.

When it's time to clean up -- wash dishes etc., throw away takeout container which has been sitting on your stove the whole time. Wash hands after handling container. Then bc I'm lazy -- I turn on the stove for 5-10 min bc it's an electric glass top stove; figure the heat of the stove should kill whatever germs could've been on the outside of the takeout container. Turn off stove and get on with your day.

Honestly I'm lazy enough that I like this better than putting the containers on counters/dining table etc. bc then I feel like I should spray or wipe those down. Here heat does the job.

Love this stove tip! Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH doesn’t touch the containers due to his health issues. I transfer and reheat everything. The only exception is that DD was promoted to HS last night and really wanted sushi. So she had sushi, which couldn’t be reheated and we’re hoping that she doesn’t get sick.

Any normal child moves up from middle school to high school. It’s not a promotion. Jesus. Do you also reward her when she put her clothes on the right way round?

People also celebrate kids‘ birthdays as if it’s a miracle that their child has stayed alive for another year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH doesn’t touch the containers due to his health issues. I transfer and reheat everything. The only exception is that DD was promoted to HS last night and really wanted sushi. So she had sushi, which couldn’t be reheated and we’re hoping that she doesn’t get sick.

Any normal child moves up from middle school to high school. It’s not a promotion. Jesus. Do you also reward her when she put her clothes on the right way round?

People also celebrate kids‘ birthdays as if it’s a miracle that their child has stayed alive for another year.

No reason to be snarky. At this point in time it's nice to celebrate something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we haven't gotten takeout even once since March. Now that others are headed into Phase 2, I may get takeout at a place with curb side pick up. Question if you've been getting takeout the whole time -- do you have to go thru the whole drama of wiping down containers and/or wiping down whatever counter/table you put the containers on to put the food on a plate/into another dish? Basically what's your process? FWIW I am lazy enough that I don't wipe down groceries going into the fridge/freezer (so I wash my hands EVERY time I take something out of the fridge/put it onto a serving plate before I actually start eating it). And for other groceries I let them sit out for 2-3 days before they go into the pantry. So what's the safe but lazy/easy way to do this?

So you wash your hands before eating? Did you not used to do this?

So before I'd wash hands, go into the kitchen, take bread out of the fridge, make toast, eat. Now wash hands upon going into kitchen. Take plate out of cabinet and put it someplace. Take bread package out of fridge w one hand, use clean hand to go into the package to touch bread, put it on plate. Then use both hands to secure package again and return to fridge. Wash hands bc they've touched a package. Make toast. Open oven door when it's done. Wash hands again bc who knows if I've slipped and touched oven door w package hands. Remove, put on plate and eat. So that would be for dry toast. Butter adds another hand washing. Always washed my hands constantly before - I wouldn't eat a piece of candy with unwashed hands - but no I wasn't washing 6 times during the meal prep process when the meal was toast or cereal or anything other than cooking with raw meat.

I do everything when the items arrive in our home: wiping the groceries and washing hand and counters thoroughly after putting away groceries. Then I can relax in my home and wash once before food prep and eating at home. Like you, last week was our first take-out since early March. Also, I know they say it's not food borne, but can anyone explain why the onset is often accompanied by gastrointestinal (diarrhea, etc) symptoms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't treat takeout any differently than I did pre-covid.

Same

Another vote for same. And we get A LOT of takeout.

+1 if you are lazy and not paranoid, then this is the obvious answer. But if you haven’t gotten takeout since March, you are probably not actually lazy.

[Anonymous]

Please cite the data stating that takeout is dangerous unless you switch containers and reheat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH doesn’t touch the containers due to his health issues. I transfer and reheat everything. The only exception is that DD was promoted to HS last night and really wanted sushi. So she had sushi, which couldn’t be reheated and we’re hoping that she doesn’t get sick.

Any normal child moves up from middle school to high school. It’s not a promotion. Jesus. Do you also reward her when she put her clothes on the right way round?

People also celebrate kids‘ birthdays as if it’s a miracle that their child has stayed alive for another year.

No reason to be snarky. At this point in time it's nice to celebrate something.

Letting your kid have their choice of dinner is completely appropriate way to celebrate the end of Middle School or really any other grade. It is not a trip to Europe.

Back to the actual issue, we replate our takeout just in case the packer shared any virus. Wash hands and eat.

[Anonymous]

I would love someone to post a reputable article saying it’s okay not to reheat. All I have seen is a random
FB post circulated that says stomach acid kills covid.

All the guidance says we shouldn’t out our fingers in eyes, nose and mouth. If my finger in my mouth could cause transmission, why wouldn’t food that someone has coughed on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please cite the data stating that takeout is dangerous unless you switch containers and reheat.

Same data is that there is a small chance of sharing via any surface. Some are concerned about it. Some are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please cite the data stating that takeout is dangerous unless you switch containers and reheat.

There’s no data for that. But the authorities are saying the virus can live on surfaces. Isn’t food a surface? If you touch your coughed on nachos, then lick your fingers or touch your face, why couldn’t that infect you? Why do we need to wash our hands after touching food containers? Why do we have to wash our hands after touching public surfaces?

[Anonymous]

I don’t do anything differently from before. We have been getting lots of takeout since March and luckily so far so good. I don’t do anything special with groceries either.