Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally I'm not opposed to eating it, because who's going to just randomly offer me food? So it seems okay. Colleagues offering cookies at the holidays? Maybe. Potlucks where everyone touch the utensils and then you have to eat with your hands ? Mayonnaise-coated salads that sit in the hot sun on July 4? Ugh. That's where I get weird about other people's food.

I'm pretty sure that office potlucks and cookie swaps are a thing of the past now with covid.

+1

Just as well. If I don't know your house, I won't eat it.

I know people with animals who have absolutely spotless homes, and I know people without animals who have gross homes.

You have anxiety. Have you traveled? Meat hanging in the windows of restaurants covered with flies. Somehow people in those cultures survive. And no, the house with the animals may look spotless, but it isn't. Finally, despite so many of us telling you that there are roaches and rodents in restaurants (not to mention lots of unwashed hands), you think that having a government certificate in the window will protect you. OK.

My neighbors are from El Salvador and they frequently share their food with us. They’ve given us tamales, carne asada, rice, and the grandmother’s homemade corn tortillas. We give them BBQ beef brisket and baked goods in exchange. It’s a wonderful element to our relationship. I honestly just feel sorry for hyper-paranoid and anxious germaphobes. You do realize your obsession with sanitizers and hyper cleanliness is basically helping create super bacteria.

It’s too bad that you’re letting your paranoia get the best of you. Sometimes my kitchen is messy. I don’t cook then until I clean up. If I’m making food for another family, I’m super stringent about cleanliness because it would be mortifying if there was a hair in my food or I made someone ill. Before cooking for another family, I’m going to make sure that I’m clean and my hair is pulled back, and my kitchen counters are disinfected. I’ve always taught my children that the first step in any food preparation is always to wash your hands thoroughly (which we also do before washing/drying dishes or unloading the dishwasher).

I wash my hands a zillion times during the food prep. Touched my iPad/turned the page of the cookbook to read the recipe directions again? Wash hands. Answered the phone? Wash hands. Touched my face? Wash hands. If I’m using a new container or one that was washed a while ago and has been sitting in my cupboard for a while, it’s getting washed before I’ll put your food in it. Our house is smoke free and was always pet free until recently. Now we have a dog, but he’s way too big to be on kitchen counters, he’s not allowed access to human food, and I would never touch him and then handle food without first washing my hands.

I will only use fresh eggs, milk, etc. I wash the tops of cans before opening them. I verify that the food is cooked thoroughly. If I know of any food allergies or other food restrictions in your household, I’m going to tell you what steps I took to ensure that my food complied with your restrictions so you don’t have to wonder. (I used gluten free flour or non dairy products or sunflower seed butter or low sodium products).

If I’m confident enough to give food away, you can count on its preparation and handling to have been very intentional.

What a strange group of people. I've been involved in many meal trains, for friends with cancer, to those with an ill child, to those who had a parent die. People have always been grateful, and usually ask me for the recipes.

I'm talking about food for and from friends and neighbors, not strangers! What kind of neighborhoods do you live in, what kind of sad/sorry life do you live, where you don't know anyone and you don't trust your neighbors?!

I do but I do a lot of meal trains for people and always do takeout because I know others are weird about it.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly most of my relatives are not great at cooking and know it and therefore all of the food we receive tends to be still in the Costco Deli/Prepared Food packaging.

Yep that's one plus of being related to people who aren't great cooks and know it (the second part is key). When my dad passed away and when I had my first baby we got tons of food but honestly most of it was food that was purchased from Costco/Wegman's/restaurant.

Honestly most of my relatives are not great at cooking and know it and therefore all of the food we receive tends to be still in the Costco Deli/Prepared Food packaging.

I got diarrhea from a meal train casserole once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally I'm not opposed to eating it, because who's going to just randomly offer me food? So it seems okay. Colleagues offering cookies at the holidays? Maybe. Potlucks where everyone touch the utensils and then you have to eat with your hands ? Mayonnaise-coated salads that sit in the hot sun on July 4? Ugh. That's where I get weird about other people's food.

I'm pretty sure that office potlucks and cookie swaps are a thing of the past now with covid.

+1

Just as well. If I don't know your house, I won't eat it.

I know people with animals who have absolutely spotless homes, and I know people without animals who have gross homes.

Anonymous wrote:Generally I'm not opposed to eating it, because who's going to just randomly offer me food? So it seems okay. Colleagues offering cookies at the holidays? Maybe. Potlucks where everyone touch the utensils and then you have to eat with your hands ? Mayonnaise-coated salads that sit in the hot sun on July 4? Ugh. That's where I get weird about other people's food.

I'm pretty sure that office potlucks and cookie swaps are a thing of the past now with covid.

I work from home so the only people bringing/offering me food are going to be people I know well enough to trust.

Generally I'm not opposed to eating it, because who's going to just randomly offer me food? So it seems okay. Colleagues offering cookies at the holidays? Maybe. Potlucks where everyone touch the utensils and then you have to eat with your hands ? Mayonnaise-coated salads that sit in the hot sun on July 4? Ugh. That's where I get weird about other people's food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Truly would depend.

Do I know you well enough that I’ve been inside of your house? Does your house stink? Do you have a pet? Are you a meticulous housekeeper? What does your house smell like? Wet dog? Mothballs? Are you a neat and tidy person?

There are very very few neighbors whose food I would eat.

I’ve tossed out meal train food, too. The entire meal. Pitched! Word to the wise: if you lovingly and kindly drop off homemade meatballs to a new mom but then by way of breezy conversation at meal drop off, tell the new mom that your DC has pinworms...yeah, your meal is going in the trash.

You sound like a perfect rhymes with witch. I feel sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to know you.

NP here and the illusory name-calling is uncalled for. As is your unwarranted judgement reviling a person's entire character based on one incident they've related.

If you have someone tell you their kid has pinworms when they bring you food, after you've just given birth to a baby, it is perfectly understandable that food would go in the trash. Mothers of infected children can often be infected, too. Mom the meatball maker can be bringing the recipient more than a meal.

Perhaps it is you who is an unfortunate mess. Go back to school and learn a thing or two.

Anonymous wrote:Truly would depend.

Do I know you well enough that I’ve been inside of your house? Does your house stink? Do you have a pet? Are you a meticulous housekeeper? What does your house smell like? Wet dog? Mothballs? Are you a neat and tidy person?

There are very very few neighbors whose food I would eat.

I’ve tossed out meal train food, too. The entire meal. Pitched! Word to the wise: if you lovingly and kindly drop off homemade meatballs to a new mom but then by way of breezy conversation at meal drop off, tell the new mom that your DC has pinworms...yeah, your meal is going in the trash.

You sound like a perfect rhymes with witch. I feel sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to know you.

People throwing out food are hopefully the same ones who never go to house parties, because I don't need that type of insanity around me.