Germs.

1. I think I could almost be obsessive compulsive. When I was little, I could almost make myself throw up if I realized I hadn't washed my hands but I'd eaten with my fingers. I never told any one this because I was afraid I'd be made fun of, and I probably will be now. It completely grossed me out and I only eat without washing my hands to this day if it's not possible. But 9 times out of 10 i have antibacterial hand sanitizer.

2. During my first trimester I got incredibly sick, and had one of the worst colds I have ever had. It was at this point my hand washing obsession increased dramatically.

3. Carts in stores are disgusting. There is no telling what kind of germs are crawling on those handles. I've noticed the Kroger Signature store now has wipes down certain aisles so that you can clean your hands and your cart handles. I love that. I wish Walmart would do that because that's where I normally shop. It's a heck of a lot cheaper ya'll!

4. Do you ever wonder if the stock boy/girl was sick while they were handling your boxes, or worse, fresh fruit or vegetables. I know we 'wash' these...but who really washes them with soap? I think I might start...it's grossing me out to think about it. And, along those same lines, the cashier could possible be infecting your boxes. But the boxes...you could potentially be recontaminating your hands each time you pull them out to use whatever is in them, and not realize it because you think they are now in the safety zone of your house.

5. Redbox movie rentals. I love them. $1/night...except that you have to touch the screen to rent movies. Do you know how many nappy hands have touched that??

6. I also have a problem with touching my face, which you are supposed to be really careful of if you haven't washed your hands because then the little guys are very close to entering your body via nose or mouth. And, I usually picture the ugly little Mucinex creatures. They're so dirty looking.


This brings me to my restaurant fears:
1. The tables - even "wiped off"...they are usually in a hurry and lightly dust it off. And even if they DO wipe them, usually it's with a cloth in a bucket of mildewy water that they've used to wipe off every other table. And it's doubly disgusting when the table smells of mildew when it has been wiped.

2. Equally as disgusting (or worse)...the chairs. Especially at a booth. I prefer booths b/c I like to sit indian style at the table and this way, I don't have to balance like I would in a chair. But, ew. RARELY are those cleaned and peoples BUTTS touch them. Farters, and butt sweaters, and possibly girl business. Oh, it could make me gag to think about it. Seriously, who hasn't pooted in a restaurant chair? And booth chairs typically form a mold around your butt, so when you get up, you see the indention...think about when you wear shorts. Sometimes you can see the "dew", or SWEAT on the seat, even if only for a brief second. And girls today that wear their shorts so short you can practically tell if they're wearing panties or not. EW.

3. The cups. You already read my story about la Madelines. It is VERY possible for there to be dirty rimmed cups, hence the reason I always ask for a straw. (That and because my teeth are incredibly sensitive, so I like to suck the coldness to the back of my mouth without it touching each tooth on the way down). However, the manner straws are given can be disgusting. I think it's hilarious when the waiter brings me a straw "wrapped" in a napkin. Do they really think that I think they politely wrapped it before giving it to me? Do you know how hard it would be to grab a straw with ONLY a napkin and politely wrap it w/ out dropping a few? I'm sure they hold it with one hand while wrapping it and then they bring it hoping to trick me into thinking it was handled sanitarily. ORR when they bring the drink with a straw already in it but the very tip top still has a wrapper on it....who are they kidding? Someone had to touch the bottom of it to remove it. Now the entire inside of my drink has been subjected to germs. I wish all straws were wrapped and I could remove the wrapper. High maintenance? I don't think so.

4. I hate cloth napkins. People blow their nose into them. And, I KNOW they are washed, but just the thought that someone else's snot could've been in it grosses me out. Plus, usually they aren't very absorbent. AND I KNOW people in the restaurant business get in a hurry sometimes and occasionally drop pre-wrapped silverware and then pick it up like it never happened and place them in the clean bin. I've seen it happen. That's not just me being nervous.

5. Silverware. How many times have you gotten a piece of it with dried food goo on it? Remember those high powered, high heat washers I thought every restaurant has? I tell myself that there must have been so much goo on the utensil to begin with that the heat couldn't sear it all off. So, this doesn't gross me out as much, until i think about how many mouths it's been in. Or, who got it out of the dishwasher, and did they touch the part that goes into my mouth?

6. Plates. Especially "bread" plates that they bring to your table before the meal. It's gross to me when they are wet still b/c I feel like they ran out of clean dishes and just rinsed someone else's bread plate off.

7. Lemons. I love lemon with my water because Rockwall's water tastes like dirty fish at times. My sister worked at a restaurant. She's the one who changed my mind about lemons. She told me that at the end of the night when they're closing down and getting ready for the next day, people don't care about what happens to the lemons as they are cutting them, they are going in the bin for service the next day. So, if one happened to fall on the floor, 49 second rule, or however long...they don't care, as long as the manager doesn't see. So I prefer my lemons on a plate or bowl so I can squeeze them in and discard them. If they are already in my water before I get my drink, I don't send it back...though i want to....but I'll allow it to continue to swim in there b/c whatever germs were on it...are now in my water.

8. Think about the things on the table that are shared by everyone and are rarely wiped down. Salt and Pepper, or Ketchup. I usually only use ketchup if there is something like french fries on my plate. And, I'm not a proper person, so i usually eat those w/ my hands AFTER I have touched the ketchup that every one else has touched.

We live in a dirty world. Let's face it. I try not to remind myself of these things when I go out into it. Especially when I am eating. I'd never go eat any where. I'm actually sure I could think of more things if I kept sitting here. I know this list made me sound high maintenance, but I'm not because I never share these with any one, so it's really just thoughts that go through my mind as I am in my own little world.