Buffet Restaurants

[WhiteKnight77]

I am about to give up on eating at many kinds of restaurants. I already do not eat Pizza Hut or Papa John's and McDonald's and am about to give up eating at others, but sometimes I have no choice when out in the middle of nowhere on a job and there is no place to eat that is decent at a reasonable price (no, O'Charlies is not reasonable). As I like Chinese food I decided to try a place I hadn't been before, an all you can eat buffet. While eating, I had a view of the serving tables and watched a guy munching. I then watch him pick up something from his plate and eat that then lick his fingers before grabbing the tongs of a dish to get more food for his plate.

Crap like that grosses me out. It is no different if I were to stick my hands down the back of my pants then grab tongs. After eating, I said something to the hostess about it and when she asked which serving table he was at, I told her all of them. She was awed at that revelation and said that they would replace them all. This isn't the first time I have seen such behavior at a buffet type restaurant. What is it about people who think that it is OK to eat at serving tables? Needless to say, I will not return there to eat again.

[Rocky]

This type of restaurant is very popular here now, there are many Chinese buffet restaurants in Scotland, Jimmy Chungs being the largest probably.

I don't use my fingers to eat at all, so the tongs being handled by others didn't really occur to me or bother me much, and I assume they are replaced frequently anyway.

If that grossed you out, I guess you don't really want to know what percentage of males come out of the toilets and handle those tongs having not even washed their hands.

[WhiteKnight77]

Yeah, I know most males are pigs when it comes to hygiene.

With guys urinating on toilet seats where they work to the ones at public events, one has to wonder if they do the same at home. One has to wonder what they do when they get urine on their hands. Lick em?

Like I said, I am ready to stop eating out.

[Sup]

Have you never known anyone who works in food service? Much worse stuff has happened to those tongs and that food -- if you're eating out you're at the very least eating food that's fallen on the ground pretty often.

[Guest]

WhiteKnight.....weren't you in the military???

[Papa6]

I am about to give up on eating at many kinds of restaurants. I already do not eat Pizza Hut or Papa John's and McDonald's and am about to give up eating at others, but sometimes I have no choice when out in the middle of nowhere on a job and there is no place to eat that is decent at a reasonable price (no, O'Charlies is not reasonable). As I like Chinese food I decided to try a place I hadn't been before, an all you can eat buffet. While eating, I had a view of the serving tables and watched a guy munching. I then watch him pick up something from his plate and eat that then lick his fingers before grabbing the tongs of a dish to get more food for his plate.

Crap like that grosses me out. It is no different if I were to stick my hands down the back of my pants then grab tongs. After eating, I said something to the hostess about it and when she asked which serving table he was at, I told her all of them. She was awed at that revelation and said that they would replace them all. This isn't the first time I have seen such behavior at a buffet type restaurant. What is it about people who think that it is OK to eat at serving tables? Needless to say, I will not return there to eat again.

Tell you what WK, I just recertified for servsafe and that buffet MUST have someone monitor the line. if an idiot does what he did, since the saliva has thousands of pathogens that can make one sick, I would've asked the proprietor to change the pan of foods he touched and explain why (what you saw). But don't get down on buffet's man, I love them.

[WhiteKnight77]

WhiteKnight.....weren't you in the military???

Yeah I was. I've eaten my share of grease, oil and other chemicals related to said work too. I still refrained from eating if I had to water the ramp until I could wash up.

I don't know if anyone was watching the line like that or not, might not be a requirement here in Hampton there Papa. I think I will stick to certain buffets when the mood strikes. I just know that when I was a cook, I always washed before I handled food or handled a different kind of food than what I was already working with (I was a pizza cook at Busch Gardens years ago). Anyone working in my brother's kitchen (chef at Colonial Williamsburg's Williamsburg Inn), they would get it if they failed basic hygiene or put food back on a plate or serving pan if it had fell on the floor.

I will still go out to eat, just limit the buffets I go to.

[Papa6]

WhiteKnight.....weren't you in the military???

Yeah I was. I've eaten my share of grease, oil and other chemicals related to said work too. I still refrained from eating if I had to water the ramp until I could wash up.

I don't know if anyone was watching the line like that or not, might not be a requirement here in Hampton there Papa. I think I will stick to certain buffets when the mood strikes. I just know that when I was a cook, I always washed before I handled food or handled a different kind of food than what I was already working with (I was a pizza cook at Busch Gardens years ago). Anyone working in my brother's kitchen (chef at Colonial Williamsburg's Williamsburg Inn), they would get it if they failed basic hygiene or put food back on a plate or serving pan if it had fell on the floor.

I will still go out to eat, just limit the buffets I go to.

to be completely honest there are no restaurants who DON'T use serv safe training. it helps with litigation aspects, but I'd say that buffet DOES have serv safe certificaton. but just tuck that away sometime and when you go somewhere feel free to ask the manager. if you see that happen elsewhere again, tell an employee or manager.

case in point; i once caught an asshat who stuck his hands into our onion rings with his bare hands, whil ewe had tongs for self service. I scolded him and told him why, then I removed and discarded all the onion ring that pan and put a fresh pan out.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Papa6

[CrowmanUK]

After working in engineering a long time I always wash my hands before and after going to the loo, I really wouldnt want any kind of dermatitis in my nether regions. As for the old serving tongs thing, I really wouldnt have given it a thought if you hadnt mentioned it, cheers mate and I'll keep an eye on the dirty devils next time I go out.

[Papa6]

After working in engineering a long time I always wash my hands before and after going to the loo, I really wouldnt want any kind of dermatitis in my nether regions. As for the old serving tongs thing, I really wouldnt have given it a thought if you hadnt mentioned it, cheers mate and I'll keep an eye on the dirty devils next time I go out.

absolutely mate. You can best judge an establishment by how they run things. But at the same time, you'll have complete idiots who rub their noses, scratch their arses and attempt to serve themselves food.

I just call those types, the forces of evil.

just remember these simple rules;

1) why do they have soo many plates? well, when you're done with your plate of food, you can go back up and get a NEW plate and glasses.

2) if there is no one monitoring the buffet line, ask management why.

3)if you see an infraction, someone touched food with hands, brings used plate(s), utensils to get the food, ask a shift leader or manager to get a new pan and tell them why. (being discrete will yield better results)

4) according to serv safe guidelines, if two people become ill from the same product, THAT'S AN OUTBREAK!!! don't let anyone try to BS you and call the health department(local).

CDC's online website for food borne illnesses: click here

Pathogenic agents

See also: Pathogen

[edit]Bacteria

Bacteria are a common cause of foodborne illness. In the United Kingdom during 2000 the individual bacteria involved were as follows: Campylobacter jejuni 77.3%, Salmonella 20.9%, Escherichia coli O157:H7 1.4%, and all others less than 0.1%.[3] In the past, bacterial infections were thought to be more prevalent because few places had the capability to test for norovirus and no active surveillance was being done for this particular organism. Symptoms for bacterial infections are delayed because the bacteria need time to multiply. They are usually not seen until 12–72 hours or more after eating contaminated food.

Most common bacterial foodborne pathogens are:

Campylobacter jejuni which can lead to secondary Guillain-Barré syndrome and periodontitis[4]

Clostridium perfringens, the "cafeteria germ"[5]

Salmonella spp. - its S. Typhimurium infection is caused by consumption of eggs that are not adequately cooked or by other interactive human-animal pathogens[6][7][8]

Escherichia coli O157:H7 enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) which causes hemolytic-uremic syndrome

Other common bacterial foodborne pathogens are:

Bacillus cereus

Escherichia coli, other virulence properties, such as enteroinvasive (EIEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteroaggregative (EAEC or EAgEC)

Salmonella

Listeria monocytogenes

Shigella spp.

Staphylococcus aureus

Streptococcus

Vibrio cholerae, including O1 and non-O1

Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio vulnificus

Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Less common bacterial agents:

Brucella spp.

Corynebacterium ulcerans

Coxiella burnetii or Q fever

Plesiomonas shigelloides

[edit]Exotoxins

In addition to disease caused by direct bacterial infection, some foodborne illnesses are caused by exotoxins which are excreted by the cell as the bacterium grows. Exotoxins can produce illness even when the microbes that produced them have been killed. Symptoms typically appear after 1–6 hours depending on the amount of toxin ingested.

Clostridium botulinum

Clostridium perfringens

Staphylococcus aureus

Bacillus cereus

For example Staphylococcus aureus produces a toxin that causes intense vomiting. The rare but potentially deadly disease botulism occurs when the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum grows in improperly canned low-acid foods and produces botulin, a powerful paralytic toxin. The disease of MMS was recently diagnosed for the first time in the United States in Tucson, Arizona. Symptoms include nausea, fatigue and excessive vomiting. This disease is caused from eating meat sticks that are past an acceptable shelf life.

Pseudoalteromonas tetraodonis, certain species of Pseudomonas and Vibrio, and some other bacteria, produce the lethal tetrodotoxin, which is present in the tissues of some living animal species rather than being a product of decomposition.

[edit]Mycotoxins and alimentary mycotoxicoses

The term alimentary mycotoxicoses refers to the effect of poisoning by Mycotoxins through food consumption. Mycotoxins have prominently affected on human and animal health such as an outbreak which occurred in the UK in 1960 that caused the death of 100,000 turkeys which had consumed aflatoxin-contaminated peanut meal and the death of 5000 human lives by Alimentary toxic aleukia (ALA) in the USSR in World War II[9]. The common foodborne Mycotoxins include

Aflatoxins - originated from Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. They are frequently found in tree nuts, peanuts, maize, sorghum and other oilseeds, including corn and cottonseeds. The pronounced forms of Aflatoxins are those of B1, B2, G1, and G2, amongst which Aflatoxin B1 predominantly targets the liver, which will result in necrosis, cirrhosis, and carcinoma [10], [11]. In the US, the acceptable level of total aflatoxins in foods is less than 20 μg/kg, except for Aflatoxin M1 in milk, which should be less than 0.5 μg/kg [12]. The official document can be found at FDA's website [13], [14].

Altertoxins - are those of Alternariol (AOH), Alternariol methyl ether (AME), Altenuene (ALT), Altertoxin-1 (ATX-1), Tenuazonic acid (TeA) and Radicinin (RAD), originated from Alternaria spp. Some of the toxins can be present in sorghum, ragi, wheat and tomatoes [15], [16], [17]. Some research has shown that the toxins can be easily cross-contaminated between grain commodities, suggesting that manufacturing and storage of grain commodities is a critical practice [18].

Citrinin -

Citreoviridin -

Cyclopiazonic acid -

Cytochalasins

Ergot alkaloids / Ergopeptine alkaloids - Ergotamine

Fumonisins - Crop corn can be easily contaminated by the fungi Fusarium moniliforme, and its Fumonisin B1 will cause Leukoencephalomalacia (LEM) in horses, Pulmonary edema syndrome (PES) in pigs, liver cancer in rats and Esophageal cancer in humans [19], [20]. For human and animal health, both the FDA and the EC have regulated the content levels of toxins in food and animal feed [21], [22].

Fusaric acid -

Fusarochromanone -

Kojic acid -

Lolitrem alkaloids -

Moniliformin -

3-Nitropropionic acid -

Nivalenol -

Ochratoxins - In Australia, The Limit of Reporting (LOR) level for Ochratoxin A (OTA) analyses in 20th Australian Total Diet Survey was 1 µg/kg [23], whereas the EC restricts the content of OTA to 5 µg/kg in cereal commodities, 3 µg/kg in processed products and 10 µg/kg in dried vine fruits [24].

Oosporeine -

Patulin - Currently, this toxin has been advisably regulated on fruit products. The EC and the FDA have limited it to under 50 µg/kg for fruit juice and fruit nectar, while limits of 25 µg/kg for solid-contained fruit products and 10 µg/kg for baby foods were specified by the EC [24], [25]

Phomopsins -

Sporidesmin A -

Sterigmatocystin -

Tremorgenic mycotoxins - Five of them have been reported to be associated with molds found in fermented meats. These are Fumitremorgen B, Paxilline, Penitrem A, Verrucosidin, and Verruculogen [26].

Trichothecenes - sourced from Cephalosporium, Fusarium, Myrothecium, Stachybotrys and Tri######rma. The toxins are usually found in molded maize, wheat, corn, peanuts and rice, or animal feed of hay and straw [27], [28]. Four trichothecenes, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) and deoxynivalenol (DON) have been most commonly encountered by humans and animals. The consequences of oral intake of, or dermal exposure to, the toxins will result in Alimentary toxic aleukia, neutropenia, aplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia and/or skin irritaion [29], [30], [31]. In 1993, the FDA issued a document for the content limits of DON in food and animal feed at an advisory level [32]. In 2003, US published a patent that is very promising for farmers to produce a trichothecene-resistant crop [33].

Zearalenone -

Zearalenols -

[edit]Emerging foodborne pathogens

Much is still not known about foodborne illness. Approximately sixty percent of outbreaks are still caused by unknown sources.

Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas sobria

[edit]Preventing bacterial food poisoning

Prevention is mainly the role of the state, through the definition of strict rules of hygiene and a public services of veterinary surveying of animal products in the food chain, from farming to the transformation industry and delivery (shops and restaurants). This regulation includes:

traceability: in a final product, it must be possible to know the origin of the ingredients (originating farm, identification of the harvesting or of the animal) and where and when it was processed; the origin of the illness can thus be tracked and solved (and possibly penalized), and the final products can be removed from the sale if a problem is detected;

enforcement of hygiene procedures like HACCP and the "cold chain";

power of control and of law enforcement of veterinarians.

In August 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Phage therapy which involves spraying meat with viruses that infect bacteria, and thus preventing infection. This has raised concerns, because without mandatory labelling consumers wouldn't be aware that meat and poultry products have been treated with the spray. [2]

At home, prevention mainly consists of good food safety practices. Many forms of bacterial poisoning can be prevented even if food is contaminated by cooking it sufficiently, and either eating it quickly or refrigerating it effectively[citation needed]. Many toxins, however, are not destroyed by heat treatment.

[edit]Viruses

Viral infections make up perhaps one third of cases of food poisoning in developed countries. In the US, more than 50% of cases are viral and noroviruses are the most common foodborne illness, causing 57% of outbreaks in 2004. Foodborne viral infection are usually of intermediate (1–3 days) incubation period, causing illnesses which are self-limited in otherwise healthy individuals, and are similar to the bacterial forms described above.

Rotavirus

Enterovirus

Hepatitis A is distinguished from other viral causes by its prolonged (2–6 week) incubation period and its ability to spread beyond the stomach and intestines, into the liver. It often induces jaundice, or yellowing of the skin, and rarely leads to chronic liver dysfunction. The virus has been found to cause the infection due to the consumption of fresh-cut produce which has fecal contamination [34], [35].

Hepatitis E

Norovirus

Rotavirus

[edit]Parasites

Most foodborne parasites are zoonoses.

Platyhelminthes:

Diphyllobothrium sp.

The scolex of Tenia solium

Nanophyetus sp.

Taenia saginata

Taenia solium

Fasciola hepatica

See also: Tapeworm and Flatworm

Nematode:

Anisakis sp.

Ascaris lumbricoides

Eustrongylides sp.

Trichinella spiralis

Trichuris trichiura

Protozoa:

Giardia lamblia

Acanthamoeba and other free-living amoebae

Cryptosporidium parvum

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Entamoeba histolytica

Giardia lamblia

Sarcocystis hominis

Sarcocystis suihominis

Toxoplasma gondii

[edit]Natural toxins

Several foods can naturally contain toxins, many of which are not produced by bacteria. Plants in particular may be toxic; animals which are naturally poisonous to eat are rare. In evolutionary terms, animals can escape being eaten by fleeing; plants can use only passive defenses such as poisons and distasteful substances, for example capsaicin in chili peppers and pungent sulfur compounds in garlic and onions. Most animal poisons are not synthesised by the animal, but acquired by eating poisonous plants to which the animal is immune, or by bacterial action.

Alkaloids

Ciguatera poisoning

Grayanotoxin (honey intoxication)

Mushroom toxins

Phytohaemagglutinin (red kidney bean poisoning; destroyed by boiling)

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Shellfish toxin, including paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, amnesic shellfish poisoning and ciguatera fish poisoning

Scombrotoxin

Tetrodotoxin (fugu fish poisoning)

Some plants contain substances which are toxic in large doses, but have therapeutic properties in appropriate dosages.

Foxglove contains cardiac glycosides.

Poisonous hemlock (conium) has medicinal uses.

[edit]Other pathogenic agents

Prions, resulting in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

[edit]"Ptomaine poisoning"

An early theory on the causes of food poisoning involved ptomaines (from Greek ptÅma, "fall, fallen body, corpse"), alkaloids found in decaying animal and vegetable matter. While some alkaloids do cause poisoning, the discovery of bacteria left the ptomaine theory obsolete and the word ptomaine is no longer used scientifically.

link for above quoted information: Here

Edited November 24, 2008 by Papa6

[Halli~SPARTA~]

HAHA This reminds me of a Chinese buffet just north of Nashville when my Boss and I stopped in and grabbed lunch. The place was slow so they had taken about 4-5 pounds of that imitation crab meat and had it piled on a table out in the main eating area as they were stuffing rangoons or something but it just sat there the whole time we were in the place and I would say 30-40 minutes....not eating at that place again!

Edited November 25, 2008 by Halli~SPARTA~

[Foxtrot360]

Geez it kinda sounds like you guys are going a little overboard "not eating at _ and _ and _ and _ and no not _" almost sounds like borderline obsessive compulsive? Thats not to say theres not some pretty nasty stuff or bad service at some restaurants but really?

I've been in public restrooms where I've seen people just walk out the door. I dont think I've seen people just grab the food with they're hands before but it doesent suprise me that some do.

Edited November 26, 2008 by Foxtrot360

[Papa6]

Geez it kinda sounds like you guys are going a little overboard "not eating at _ and _ and _ and _ and no not _" almost sounds like borderline obsessive compulsive? Thats not to say theres not some pretty nasty stuff or bad service at some restaurants but really?

I've been in public restrooms where I've seen people just walk out the door. I dont think I've seen people just grab the food with they're hands before but it doesent suprise me that some do.

some folks just don't stop to consider the possibilities. miss prepped food or handling ca really make people sick. BTW, I got a 92 our of 100 on my serv safe test.

[Fletch]

With guys urinating on toilet seats where they work to the ones at public events, one has to wonder if they do the same at home.

I hate thaqt, one of the big reason I won't use a sit down unless it is a dire emergency. Whats the big deal about putting the seat up? If you're squeamish just use the edge of your shoe to lift it.

[Snake@War]

Happy Birthday, Rocky!