Do you ever think about the cleanliness standards you set for yourself in the kitchen? Do those differ from those standards set for your guests? Do you hold friends and family’s kitchens to a higher standard of care than you do yourself? Or perhaps it’s the opposite.
It’s a bit of a strange idea to think about, but for me, I’ve noticed that I can often be a chameleon in the kitchen. Depending on where I am and who I am with, I practice different kitchen behaviors. There are certain tasks that I will complete with various degrees of “cleanliness precaution” based on the owner of the kitchen. To some extent, this makes sense, as you’d want to assist someone in a way that most resembles their personal kitchen actions. The other side of this scenario, is when your own kitchen practices are not equivalent to someone else’s and you are then conflicted with the actual cleanliness of the food you are supposed to eat.
When you go to the supermarket and pick up lettuce in one of those plastic containers, there are usually two options. It either says “triple washed” or “wash before use.” Of course, this is printed so small that ants can barely see it. You bring your lettuce home and do one of the following:
a) wash it yourself regardless
b) assume it is cleaned and use it from the packaging
Some people might be thinking, “it is unnecessary to wash the lettuce a forth time. If the packaging says ‘triple washed’ then it means ‘tripled washed’.” Others might have some trust issues and think, “I don’t care how many times it says they washed it. This lettuce isn’t clean until I see it for myself.” So what happens if you are one of those people who needs to wash the lettuce first hand in the kitchen of a person who tells you it is a waste of time and to just put the lettuce in a bowl?
I guess you could argue with them. You could probably start to search through their cabinets looking for a salad spinner or colander while ignoring their request entirely. You could explain the “dirt” you see on the leaves and ask to give it a “quick rinse.” Or you could just smile and then not eat the salad when it’s put out on the table.
Guilty as charged… I have 100% not eaten foods at someone’s home based on what I have seen during the preparation process in terms of the cleanliness not being up to my standards. I would obviously never tell someone that to their face! You have to politely say you aren’t in the mood for that particular food, or you’ll try some later and hope the subject changes quickly so they forget about it.
To clarify, by no means am I trying to say that the way I keep my kitchen is the best and everyone should do exactly what I do, otherwise it is dirty. I’m merely pointing out how difficult it would be to swallow a piece of lettuce knowing it hadn’t been washed and came from the ground sitting in dirt with bugs crawling all over it. The moral of the story? If you’re hungry, don’t help out in someone else’s kitchen because you might not like what you see and then you might not want to eat it. Sometimes being lazy is a good thing…
This Week’s Truthful Tuesday: Kitchen Standards
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I agree!!!!! This is so true!!!!