@User Your neighbor’s honey - try asking her if you can buy a jar of it from her - I’ll bet she offers it to you then!

@arcy_gw I’ll confess to being the one who never ate at a potluck held in my workplaces. I always contributed a purchased dish of something. It was always eaten up so seems no one objected & in fact my contribution was the only thing I & a few others ever ate so I knew I wasn’t the only one. Food gifts from people I know - always appreciated & eaten. The holidays during Covid pandemic was the only time I couldn’t eat the gift of a sweet bread from a neighbor because I knew members of her family had covid - survived but still. That was a nightmarish time for all of us. Farmers Market food - seems like it’s usually commercially prepared so seems less of a risk. My local FM doesn’t seem to have home prepared items for sale - space rent for booth too $$

I dont buy things made at home and sold in outdoor markets, either. Although, I do think that there is some regulation of it. I have seen a farmers market vendor being questioned by a governing authority about the product that they were selling. I felt a bit sorry for them as the way and place that they were being questioned in front of customers was emabrrassing for them and the item that they were selling was not one that would give most people pause.

When I cook for any other than hubs and myself, I make sure that my kitchen is cleared and cleaned and that my hair is secured.

Gawd! I have seen some dirty kitchens and those who pay little heed to being sanitary. I know people who have homes full of pet fur and even feed the cat on the table where they rolled out those cookies or bread.

Then you get those made from a box o" stuff mix. I avoid that too.

I generally trust those that I know well and, if they are folks who let the cat eat at the table, I know to expect that and take that into consideration. That cat probably just came from pawing around in the litter box!

I remember watching someones cat sitting on the counter and scratching and saw a scabby tuft of fur fly off and into obscurity somewhere on that crowded countertop.

I find it odd that we still do things like bake sales, after the hightened awarness of coming off of covid. I also view salad bars and buffet tables with the same skeptical eye. Restaurants are not fully trusted , either. And, I would not touch one of those mayo intense premade deli salads. But, at least there is some over sight, hopefully. But I worked in the kitchen at Borders before it closed and , even in this suburban shopping center, there were mice in everything back there and the kids would use food service gloves but touch everything with those gloves and then make your sandwich with those same tainted gloves. So, it doesnt say a whole lot of good about restaurant inspections.

I have a friend who has a well appointed kitchen and she volunteers her kitchen for the church ladies to get togther and they will do a big bake off to sell the the church members. That is one that I would trust. I know my friend very well and there is nothign questionable about her or her kitchen. It is a controlled bake, all in one clean place and they do only one thing in multiples.

Bake sales and open salad bars and buffets and farmers markets are all questionable. If someone gifts you a home made food item, it is likely someone that you know and you can often make a quiet personal judgement of your own about it.

Some food items deserve more consideration than do some others.

While I can bake, I like supporting the groups having bake sales and like Rob, I don't worry about it. The bake sales I usually attend are mostly church or school events and I figure I am safe with that. If I try what I bought and don't like it, I don't feel bad about tossing it but I am not afraid of it.

I worked for our Farmers Market for 5 years before it was more than I could physically handle and I can tell you, at least here in Ohio, if you have prepared foods, you need a license from the state and they come and inspect where you prepare your food, either at home or in a commercial kitchen. I never had a problem with anything I ever bought while there. Some farmers are organic and they have to be certified.

Now I don't do buffets anymore just because of children helping themselves but that is just me. Our casino used to have a wonderful buffet with the people working there either serving or overseeing the dishes. Of course Covid put an end to that.

rob333 (zone 7b)

Well, I trust all my family and friends if I invite them to a potluck. Heck, I trust everyone. I don't get sick, so it must not matter the state of someone else's home. And I buy because they're trying to raise money. I don't go to farmer's markets, but if I did, I'd buy. I don't understand the distrust???

I don't understand the distrust???

Botulism, listeria, and other foodborne illness from improper canning, food temp storage, lack of cleanliness in food preparation areas, etc. Legally, food safety is a strict liability issue. Because of this many commercial food companies are very careful, issuing recalls if there are problems. Boar's Head, a deli meat company, recently has recalled 7 million pounds of meat because of listeria.

I have a general trust when it comes to food at potlucks and the like. My SIL is the opposite. I once teased her that I received a neighbor Christmas gift and started eating it before I even knew who it was from.

We have cottage food laws that make it simpler to bake out of your home and it is regulated. There is an additional law where you make food unregulated, but you must clearly declare that on your product and there can be no meat or cheese and a few other stipulations I don't remember.

I don't get sick, and I eat others' food?

The example you used Lucille, Boar's Head, people would have bought and made the food in their home. It has nothing to do with others preparing things.

There are no guarantees in life, but I trust the majority of people to do the right thing.

ETA: Here's a better question would those who find how others live offensive, but offended if they made something for someone and they found out the person trashed it, worried about germs?

The example was just to show how careful many commercial companies have become. You said in your post that you did not understand the distrust. My description of foodborne illness was a response. Whether you at that point choose to trust, is up to you.

the right thing

Good intent may not be a total protection. Many people do not realize that prepared food for example must be kept at a certain temperature to be safe. Canned goods must be prepared in a safe manner, and there are many unsafe practices there left over from previous generations that did not have the benefit of tested recipes.

I don't get sick, and I eat others' food?

I'm sure many people prepare wholesome food for their own safety as well as others. Some do not. Because you have never become ill obviously does not stand as proof that all food is safe.

Reminds me of a potluck I attended at work years ago. A male employee (middleaged and single) brought a cake that appeared to be homemade. He placed a sign below - Find the Toenail. Needless to say, the cake was untouched. He was a real doofus.

^LOL I bet he just wanted to take it home for himself. He really is a doofus!!

I once received a birthday cake that was in a cat litter pan and I know you can guess what that looked like. It came from someone I love but I threw the whole thing in the trash without touching it. That wasn't funny and was not appetizing in the least!!

I found a picture of this atrocity.

Lol murraysmom!

My co-worker was unmarried for many reasons .……

" We are entering into the church Fall Festival season and with them usually comes a bake sale maybe even a cake walk. "

This is interesting to hear, insofar as it describes events in one's life that I've never heard of or experienced.

Not counting dinner parties with food prepared by the hosts which we always enjoy with enthusiasm, I also don't eat home cooked food prepared by strangers, other than cookies. Especially not at so-called "pot luck" events, which we rarely go to anyway.

It's my personal preference. We all have those and many of which aren't necessarily for any particular reason.

Just want to point out that companies are not exactly becoming more careful out of pure goodness, regulation and enforcement have been ramped up over the past few years, thanks to a different gov't agenda than before.

I don't trust potluck foods either - and they may have arrived perfectly safe, but after sitting out and people touching and breathing on them, &/or flies if it's outdoors - knowledge is power - and also can really put a damper on my appetite.

Legally, food safety is a strict liability issue. Because of this many commercial food companies are very careful.

I don't think anyone is saying that businesses are becoming more careful out of goodness. Litigation with hefty awards, and the relative ease of bringing strict liability actions, are what I believe is making the difference.

littlebug Zone 5 Missouri

No doofus. Just a person with a sense of humour. Look what I found upon googling the word "cake" along with "find the toenail":

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=de3e428f524f6eaa&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CANIZI_enIL1120&q=cake+%22find+the+toenail%22&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0BHF5yJVDFU_y7O4KklOYK5E_mvqSkXrfIltAfaylV2oxVHeGJWd7ZnSNq6LpIZ5x1KGYUJnaOzCZ2_nKmYrEpSbJsOVCuA_5jE0jqOzYHu8w1ccplTtZlnFP2co4KXLzjs7wvQXfgsI6U1ojuoXOb7TcsB-ChW2n4zBSG7RaxIAexZaP3clwZBeky57U7d3GxLDz2tZA2JUFr-7fvITxtGhX8_HA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAucf8rNSHAxU0AtsEHYhdMkoQtKgLegQIDxAB&biw=911&bih=422&dpr=1.5

I don't worry about it too much, eating at potlucks or other's home cooked food. I figure their families are still alive, lol. And I think a lot of people would probably never eat in a restaurant again if they saw what goes on in their kitchens. Or if they knew what was in the prepared, packaged and manufactured food they consume.

About the only thing I feel extra cautious about is people's home canned non acid foods. If someone wants to share canned veggies, if they haven't been an experienced home canner, are just learning, etc. I probably will toss the product.

I am involved in a fundraising bake sale that is held twice a year in the personal care home where my DM formerly lived. Several of us bake, then package, price and sell the items. We have rarely had complaints about our products, one being that buns were mislabelled as to their stuffing content. We generally get a very good response from the public, especially for our Christmas sale, and the funds we raise help this deserving organization.

Glad to see Olychick's post.

A former neighbor ran a large extermination company that had serviced many of the more prominent hotels and restaurants in the Chicago area for decades. His father had founded the business. He would eat in only five of the restaurants.

I have never had a problem eating at potlucks. I haven't been to any in a long time though because I moved and I don't know very many people here and not involved in any organizations or groups.

I don't eat out very much any more...mainly because if I like something, I know how to cook it, and I would rather eat my own cooking.

I have never had issues with my stomach and I don't give much thought to whether or not I will get sick.

I don't buy from bake sales though, mainly because most people bake from mixes, and right or wrong, I think I can taste the preservatives.

It's really not like it was in the past - there are pathogens now that are more resistant, and food hygiene seems neither to be taught to nor learned by enough people any more.

And the fact that pathogens are turning up more often on produce now is very concerning.

And FWIW, I'm leery of restaurants as well - I HAVE seen what goes on in kitchens, and read our county health dept's citations on their website.

This site is helpful - looks like the info hasn't been updated in awhile, but the copyright has - and what's there is still very informative:

https://www.barfblog.com/

P.S. Their FB page is more up to date.

Before I dig in to the home made bread, or meatballs, or delicatly stacked and arranged tidbits, I want to see if you have those long fake nails, or real long nails, where there can be all manner of ickies living under there. Long nails like that act like little scoops to scoop up debris and harbor nasties by the millions! Not that all needs to be down to a nub, but..............you know. Who has not seen these fingers like that? How do they even................? A person's overall grooming says a lot about their level of cleanliness, I think. And, that really looks like an environmental hazard site

Another nasty thing is to set you purse on the table , the counter, or any other surface that you interact with on that basis. Or, the package just in from UPS, or shoes. I have seen people set their shoes on the table!

There are many reasons why I am not comfortable with things made in a private home of which I have no knowledge.

I dont know that they didnt lick fingers and spoons and run the finger with teh long nail into the batter and slurp it off. Not that I am so afraid of getting sick .It is just the ick factor of it more than it is a real health threat, in most cases. Some things , obviously, present a real danger and some not so much.

Then you get folks who just bake from a box and I just dont see any value in that. I would rather just make a contribution to the organization if I want to support them.

I am so surprised that there are old fashioned bake sales, pot lucks, salad bars or buffets like that after the heightened awareness that covid brought us to .

But it is not just baked things at bake sales. It is probably of more importance with other foods that folks turn up with that present a real hazard. The cake was baked but some of that pot luck is, inherently, deservng of suspicion. The wider the scope of strangers involved, the more suspicious one should be.

there was one time i was invited to eat burgers for lunch at a friend's house. she was a fellow horsewoman and we had just come in from trail riding. she washed her hands and used hand sanitizer so i wasn't the least bit concerned.

until she started making patties and one of her many cats jumped up on the counter and stuck her nose in the bowl of ground beef. the cat didn't sneeze or anything so i just sucked it up and tried not to think about it. until she petted and purred to the cat and then picked it up and put it back on the floor and went back to making patties. i made up some lame excuse to leave immediately. 🤮

@Ninapearl Very funny in the telling & I admire your courage in being able to get out! Your horsewoman friend must’ve been living alone with her cat too long! 😁

Nina - you reminded me of a time we were sitting in the waiting area of a very popular local Italian restaurant waiting for a takeout order. We could see into the kitchen and I watched a cook drop a knife on the floor, then pick it up and place back on the counter - he was also dripping sweat onto the pizza he was preparing. I mean, it would be going into a very high temp. oven, but still...

Sorry, but in my opinion, some of you are over-the-top. Again, my opinion. If you want to be uber careful, fine! But really? My mom (and others) always said "you need to eat a peck of dirt before you die".

Murraysmom, how sad that you didn't know of the "Kitty Litter Cake". Google it. It's supposed to be funny and most people find it so - you chose to be disgusted by it and threw it away. What a waste! It's actually delicious. But if you couldn't get over the looks of it, oh well. Too bad.

Sigh. Maybe I'll get grossly sick one of these days. But ... I doubt it.

@ KW PNW Z8 catS, plural. honestly, she would probably have been considered a hoarder. she lived on a huge farm with many outbuildings. there had to have been well over 200 cats, many of them feral, that she kept outside for rodent control. she had somewhere around 6 or 7 that lived in the house. 🙀

@ carolb_w_fl_coastal_9bEWWWW!!!

Maybe I'll get grossly sick one of these days. But ... I doubt it.

CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.

I think that how careful one wants to be about food safety for ones self is, and should be, a personal choice.

>> I think that how careful one wants to be about food safety for ones self is, and should be, a personal choice.

Lucille, that's why I indicated that it was my opinion.

And ... per your CDC estimate, 5 out of 6 people don't get sick. Pretty good odds. Again, IMO.

I don't like potlucks in general, but not because I think the food is going to make me ill. I will buy some prepared foods at farmers' markets, but I stay away from the high-risk foods (like dried meats and fish), sticking to things like breads, soups, and cooked dishes instead. I will sometimes buy from a bake sale, if it's a cause I like, but I usually give away what I buy because I don't generally have a sweet tooth (and when I do want something, I bake it myself).

I guess I am in the minority wirth Rob and Suzie. Don’t get me wrong, I get grossed out if I see something obvious but that is pretty rare. I have relatives that leave meat out longer than safe so I just turn down the leftovers when they offer.

They loosened up the cottage food laws in FL and I have zero fear of trying anything that looks good at the farmers market. I guess I just trust my spidey senses and assume I can digest a random cat hair by this point in my life 😁

They used to have bake sales in the lobby at my last job. They were always fund raisers with homemade and store bought treats. I would usually give them $20 and ask what 2 things I should try. I never chose a store bought item. I don’t know if they resumed since covid since I am retired but I would assume yes based on the activities at DH’s workplace. Different strokes 🤷‍♀️ I am pretty impressed by this old body. I only had food poisioning twice in my life. Once was in Italy, go figure.

I don't eat any food at potluck dinners or buy from bake sales. I got sick once so never again. I ate the food and threw up an hour later. In my whole life, I have only thrown up five times.

When I see these inches long fingernails that some women wear, I get so grossed out thinking of the crud that must be under them. How do they type, change their babies' diapers, or do anything and why?

I wonder if that CDC stat is broken down by source. Every time I see a recall of commercially prepared food, there is often a reference to how many peple were sickened by listeria or e-coli and it’s often in the thousands. I am more wary of that than I am my neighbor’s food. I’m more worried about getting a salad made with Miracle Whip, lol.

The stat indeed broken down. There are offenders in every food category, but the biggest offenders are produce. It doesn't say if it's commercial or private though.

I stayed with some friends and I found their kitchen hygiene questionable, primarily with respect to reusing knives that have been used on raw meat, etc. My concern wasn't that I'd get sick - the risk was low because of how few meals I would eat in my overnight visit - but that they'd get sick.....That their kitchen habits would catch up with them one day. But since it didn't bother them, I kept my mouth shut.

I thought about this thread before and after I picked up a 5 layer burrito at Taco Bell. I was in Lexington for a doctor's appointment and it sounded good.

I refuse to go back to our local Taco Bell after the last visit I had. I was thinking of a protein bowl, or whatever they're called. They're a little healthier than the other stuff on the menu, black beans, vegetables, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, rice. I used to get them sometimes for lunch when I worked in Lexington. The various items in the bowl are separate in the bowl, so you can see each pile of food. When I got one last year at our local place it looked like someone had mixed everything up, taken a few bites and then tossed it in the trash, where someone dug it out and sold it to me. I drove all the way home and back to get my money back.

Anyway, my burrito was okay. It was way more spicy than I remembered. I like my own taco/Mexican-style food better so not sure I will be going back anytime soon.

I will eat at potlucks but not if I know someone is gross. Otherwise I just try to not think about it.

I've been thinking about this, and I think it's a matter of trust. I think it's hard when people don't trust. But I don't think that's necessarily on the person they're distrusting. Most of the time.

It's hard to put yourself out there. Just realized, it's always a risk. Commercial or private.

" it's always a risk. Commercial or private. "

Yup......just because there are codes and rules for commercial establishments, doesn't mean they're always followed. But at least with a commercial establishment, a complaint can carry more weight.

A few years ago we had several patients who came down with botulism, after eating potato salad at a family gathering. Turned out the salad had been made with home canned potatoes.

Family members would sometimes bring in home baked goods to "treat" the nursing staff (it used to be a common gesture, but was getting to be fairly rare). We would always thank them profusely, but ofttimes the food would go straight into a trash can - because we had witnessed their personal hygiene.

Anecdotal is not the same as "results".

I still say it boils down to trust. I am so unhappy that so many of you are distrustful? It makes me sad 🫤

When I was a kid, my parents and I would visit my mom's brother, my uncle. My uncle's wife was a terrible housekeeper. My uncle tried to keep up, but it was always a mess, especially the kitchen. There were always dishes piled in the sink, often with food on them, and there were critters scurrying across the counters. The food in the fridge was moldy and smelled. The kitchen always smelled of rancid food.

She once gave me a glass of milk, and I drank it. When I tipped the glass back to finish it off, I saw something wiggling in the bottom. Maggots! 🤢 I gagged, and ran to the bathroom to throw-up. Showed my mom, and she was mortified. We never, ever ate anything there again.

So no, I don't eat food prepared by people I don't know. I never forgot that gross experience.

And don't be sad for me. I'm good with my reluctance to not eat food prepared by people I don't know. Being unhappy about other people's distrust is...weird. 😖

On the other hand, avoiding illness can be a positive attribute.

we risk something, every time.

Some of us choose to risk more than others. It is an individual choice as to how much risk we are comfortable with. And for how long the mayo can be left out. And whether we should ask if we came late to the potluck and the mayo salads are still on the table. Or just say 'No thanks, I've already eaten'.

Sephia, what a nightmare. Wiggling milk. Ugh!

lucille, I know! It was so gross! I might have been under 10, so not that old. I had "trust" back then, but that experience changed that! 🤮

We didn't have a fancy house or kitchen, but my mom was well versed in safe food handling (she'd worked in some cafes), so I learned that. Stuff went right into the refer after eating, nothing sat on counters. No utensils used on raw food, then on cooked food, etc. I did a lot of babysitting in my teens and never encountered too much variance from what I was used to in food handling in those homes. (except one time when I slept over and the mom made oatmeal with a fried egg on top and poured milk all over it. I was traumatized, lol.

When I was in my late teens I took a summer nanny job. The people were from some other part of the country, like Alabama or Arkansas and seemed to have very different food habits than I was used to. I remember one Monday morning I reported for work and they had made chicken and dumplings over the weekend. They were still sitting in the pot on the stove and when it was time for dinner, they just heated them up again! OMG, I about died and was sure they were all going to, too. I didn't eat a bite of anything prepared by them after that. But maybe they had built up a tolerance for food poisoning or something. I've never forgotten how appalled I was that anyone would eat like that.

Oh my, Sephia, not sure I could drink milk again after that. When I was little, living in S. CA. I ate a peach, got down to the pit and found fruit fly maggots. Took a long time for me to eat one again and I do love them. Since then, though, I always cut my fruit off the stone. I also cut apples into slices before I eat them. I was really worried when I had my own peaches off my new little tree this year. I cut each one off the pit before I ate them. I was sure I'd get a rude surprise, thank goodness not one of them was bad.

The year we were married we lived on the first floor of an old Victorian house and an old Jewish lady lived on the second floor. She wasn't very clean looking and almost every day she'd knock on the door with food she prepared. Most were desserts of some kind that I had never eaten before and others were meat based. All of it went into the trash can. Even as young as I was, I wasn't going to risk illness.

I worked in restaurants as a teen; that can be a good way to learn safe food practices - depending on the restaurant, I guess 😏

And honestly, I have never felt like I was missing out on anything by not eating sketchy foods.

This thread has taken an unpleasant turn; perhaps what the OP intended

It's one thing to be distrustful of a hoarder and their filth, and another to be distrustful of everyday people. But I doubt many of us know TRUE hoarders. Filthy is not the same as a hoarder.

What's in-between hoarder and dirty is a very grey area. To say anyone who isn't me? is not to be trusted, it's extreme.

Not unpleasent really. Arcy wanted a little poll about people’s ick factor with homemade treats. She got a pretty good sampling of responses I think.

This particular group probably makes their own food, homemade as a rule, more often than not. I know many, many people who do not cook at all. Different strokes and all that jazz.

True that!