One order of soup, hold the hair. Seriously.

[The Dinosaur Next Door]

So here's a question that I have been pondering for a while, and only just decided to put into words.

I can't cook for two reasons - one, I'm a danger to myself and others in the kitchen. I've got scars from burns, cuts, dropped pans, smashed digits, everything you can think of. Not to mention that I'm not even very good at cooking outside of the klutziness.

The second reason is that my current place of living doesn't have any food in it that belongs to me, or storage for food if I did want to buy groceries. So even if I were to brave my coordination challenges to not enjoy sub-par food, I wouldn't have any food of my own, or anyplace to put my food if I bought some.

Clearly then, my best option is to buy food out, which is where I run into this issue. The last three times I’ve gone out to eat anywhere, I’ve found hair in my food. Once at Hooter's, once at a Smokey Bones grill, and just a few moments ago at Panera Bread (I really wanted that soup~!) Based on the range of the "quality" and "type" of food establishments, it's safe to say that not all sports bars are to blame, nor are the grill bars, or sandwich/pastry shops. I've never had this happen at a sushi bar, but I don't care for sushi that much anyway. Which pretty much covers all of the food joints that can be found in my area of Florida.

I have to wonder then - is there a baldness epidemic in the serving class? Am I the only person who looks at their food long enough to realize what they’re putting into their mouth? Does anyone else have this problem? And where can I get food that I want to eat, that doesn’t come with added protein in the form of someone else’s dead cells?  

[Taeryyn]

That's gross. :s

I suppose that technically, unless all employees are totally bald, there's a chance that hair will end up in food, but unless the restaurants' standards are really low, I wouldn't think it would be happening that often.

Any kitchen I've worked in, we had to either wear a hairnet or something to keep our hair covered up, but this wasn't always enforced super-strictly, especially with guys' facial hair. Some places, they'd have the hairnet covering the majority of their hair, but their bangs would still be hanging out.

In places that have them, I'd be more worried about the server's hair getting my food, since they don't have to cover their hair up like the kitchen crew does.  

[The Dinosaur Next Door]

Very yucky. sad And I have a weak constitution, so every time it happens, I get sick to my stomach and can't eat the rest of the day.

I've been to work in kitchens before, and like your experience, they usually say that you have to keep hair pulled back and covered, but don't enforce it that well. Also, I never thought to consider that the server's hair could drop into the food... but then again, I also never consider that there might be hair in my food until I'm eating and find it there.  

[Thaliat Everwood]

I have to admit, I don't really inspect my food for hair. If I were to find one in my food, I'd probably just presume it was mine, pick it out, and keep eating. I'd probably do the same even if the hair was realllllly obviously not mine. Hair just does not bother me that way.

Now if it was a finger nail or bandage it would be a different issue.  

[AlcoholicPancake]

May not be a baldness epidemic, but keep in mind the state of the economy here in the states. People with those serving jobs are most likely under a lot of stress worrying about a number of things that they can't do because of their smaller salary, and knowing that if they left their job to try and find a better one, that they may not be able to. If there's any truth behind the " Stress causes hair loss " argument, that could be why.

Now, as for me personally, I'm actually losing my hair a bit. It falls out quite easily, so when I cook dinners here I have to make sure that it's tied back and to inspect that it's not falling out into the food I cook ( which let me say is difficult because my hair is a glorious mane ) but when it comes to eating I just don't give enough shits about my food to stop eating if I see a hair in my food. However, as Thal said, if it were a nail or bandage I'd get very uneasy.  

[Phaeton]

It's the economy. EVERYBODY had to cut back on hair nets and latex gloves, EVERYBODY.

I wouldn't mind as much if I saw hair in a home cooked meal but my mom has never let that happen. (My dad is bald so that isn't an issue with him.) I can kinda cook but my mom is a control freak about the food and pots. I'd only ever get an opportunity if she wasn't home (which is pretty much never thanks to the recession.)

I think hair might be the least of my worries. After so many years of having to use the crappy restrooms of varying levels of food establishments (Even the fancier dine-in restaurants sometimes have the most vomit-inducing rancid stench radiating from the restroom sometimes, to which I'm getting far off the point), I've seen too many jerk employees completely ignore the "Employees MUST wash hands" sign by the door time and time again! GROSS!  

[The Dinosaur Next Door]

If it were my own hair, I likely would just pick it out and keep going, because I shed a lot and it gets everywhere. However, if it's noticeably not mine, I start getting really distressed really fast. Because if there's hair in my food from someone else, what else is in there? What other safety points are they missing, and what else are they doing to the food they're serving?

But then, like I said, I've got a very weak constitution, so maybe I'm a little high maintenance.

In my work experience (which is largely retail and minimum wage food service,) I have cut corners and skipped putting on gloves at times. I suppose the difference is a certain standard in the personal work... if I contaminate food, I throw it out. I'd rather waste product than make someone else sick.

I don't think I'd worry about my sister's hair either, because I know her hygiene standards and how her health is. It's the mystery of someone else's hair that makes me queasy.  

[Jafthasleftthebuilding]

I'd just buy food that I'd be able to eat in a day. :O  

[The Dinosaur Next Door]

I think that's going to have to be my new thing. crying  

[Jafthasleftthebuilding]

Bags of nuts tend to last awhile. 8D

<=== Eats loads of nuts.  

[Rica is insane]

Silly is you in a natural state,
and serious is something you have to do
until you can get silly again

I've had hair in my food but I usually assume it's mine...and it usually is. Long curly hair, the most I can do to prevent that is tying my hair back, which doesn't always work.

( ﾟヮﾟ)