Think dining at a buffet is a good deal? Think again. On the surface, buffet restaurants seem like a steal. You can eat as much as you want — and whatever you want — for one low price. Who doesnt love stuffing themselves silly with a little of this and a little of that? Omelet? Check. Steak? Sure. A couple of slices of cake with a side of chow mein? Why the heck not? No ones stopping you, but the reality is less than mouth-watering.
When you eat a buffet, youre eating at your own risk. Were not talking about the small chance that the dining room will erupt into a full-fledged fistfight over a steak shortage (like the Golden Corral incident that grabbed headlines in February 2022). Were talking about germs. As it turns out, theres a whole host of ways buffets can make you sick, and the novel coronavirus pandemic has only made it more complicated.
In 2021, Today questioned whether the pandemic marked the end of buffet-style dining. Though research has shown that the virus doesnt primarily spread through surface contact, there are still plenty of opportunities to pick up something nasty if proper health and safety protocols fail. On TikTok, gross buffet experiences seem like a dime a dozen. It all begs the question: even if you dont get sick, is it worth it?
For all the aforementioned reasons, buffets are in many ways a perfect storm of food poisoning possibilities. The clients work as a revolving door of possible germs, while questionable sanitation practices, temperatures and age of the food all work together to increase the odds of spoilage.
Food sits out for hours
When you first enter the buffet line all youre probably thinking about is where to start. Should you go with the salad or head straight for the prime rib? What youre probably not thinking about as you start piling food onto your plate is how long its been sitting out. This, however, should be the first concern.
Per Vice, its not uncommon for a buffet to let food sit out for an hour or more. To avoid this problem, arrive at the buffet when they first open. This ensures that what you are eating is as fresh as the buffet has to offer (unless, of course, its last nights leftovers). Also on that note, you should be wary of an empty buffet — unless, of course, it just opened (via Eat This, Not That!). An empty buffet may sound like a food lovers dream, giving you access to as much food as you want without a long line to stop you, but an empty buffet could be a warning sign. More people at a buffet means they have to replace the food sitting out with fresh food more frequently. Without a steady flow of people, theres no telling how long the food has been sitting there.
It’s best to skip lemon in your drink
Do you prefer a fresh citrusy wedge of lemon in your beverage? I hate to break it to you, but you may want to skip that wedge because it is most likely contaminated. According to HuffPost, researchers discovered that some of the lemons used as a garnish in restaurant drinks were contaminated with bacteria that could possibly lead to illness. One such study found that half of the lemon wedges that were sampled contained human fecal matter. Another study found that out of 76 lemons sampled from 21 different restaurants, 70 percent of the lemon rinds contained microorganisms. Not exactly appetizing.
Researchers believe the contamination may be from not washing the fruits properly, or from restaurant workers or other customers touching them with dirty hands — especially if theyre just sitting out on a buffet table. Although your chances of getting sick may be relatively small, its best to play it safe and ditch the fruit. Or bring your own pre-washed lemon wedges from home instead.
Gross Things You Never Knew About Eating At A Buffet
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