Alarming, amusing, amazing things other people do

dividend · July 20, 2007

Although not particularly unsanitary, but unsetteling : Ive more than once seen Smokers heat up the burners of an electric range to a red glow and bend down with their face only a cigarette length from the burner to light up. This is especially un nerving when the Smoker in question is drunk, and leaves the burner on, presumablly for the next cig.
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I confess that one of my college roommates and I have done that on occasion. A pair of smokers during finals week with no lighter between the two of them can get desperate pretty easily. Actually, he probably belongs in this thread. He once mopped the kitchen floor with Listerine, reasoning that the alchohol content would make it a good choice for this activity. He was wrong, as evidenced by our sticky feet for weeks afterwords. He also tried to boil water on the stove in a glass bowl, realized something was wrong when he could see the glowing red coil through the water, and tried to move it from the burner to the countertop. This resulted in an explosion of hot glass and water. It was probably good thing that I did most of the cooking.

BekkiM · July 20, 2007

Simply gross: I had a roommate who thought it was perfectly fine to dump kitty litter into our kitchen garbage "because it clumped."
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I'll give... Why is this a problem? Garbage is garbage right? I mean, I'm not going to handle anything in there except to tie up the bag and then I'm going to wash my hands, so who cares if they put Jimmy Hoffa's head in there? (Bear in mind that I do not have a cat because I find the entire concpet of a litter box so unbelievably foul that I can't even fathom why someone would have one in their house... Love cats, though)

I find the washing/saving/reusing of plastic bags a little troubling when I see people do it. Doesn't seem like it should be particularly sanitary, but on the other hand, I feel so wasteful when I toss them after a single use.

ruthcooks · July 21, 2007

Simply gross: I had a roommate who thought it was perfectly fine to dump kitty litter into our kitchen garbage "because it clumped."
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I'll give... Why is this a problem? Garbage is garbage right?
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Because the stuff smells terrible! You want to take it straight out to the garbage can and not have it hanging around your kitchen smelling it up.

NWKate · July 21, 2007

Someone who cuts raw chicken on a cutting board, quickly brushes her towel over the board and then cuts onions for the salad.
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..and then, if she bother to wash her hands, wipes them on the self-same towel!

edited for spelling

Edited July 21, 2007 by NWKate (log)

maggiethecat · July 21, 2007

Although not particularly unsanitary, but unsetteling : Ive more than once seen Smokers heat up the burners of an electric range to a red glow and bend down with their face only a cigarette length from the burner to light up. .
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Trying to light a cigarette from an electric stove indicates that you're all outta matches, lighters, or so tiddley you don't care. Been there, done that.

Back in the day my brother and his mates played Hot Knives. Place a cheap stainless dinner knife on the coil and heat until red. Drop a hunk of hash on the blade. Inhale.

rarerollingobject · July 21, 2007

Running water gets to me too. Severe water shortages in Australia, fines for watering your garden or washing your car, yet people STILL somehow feel that constantly running water while cooking doesn't "count".

I had a absolutely magical sushi bar experience spoiled by the sushi chef continually running the tap behind his counter - cleanliness ethic admirable, discombobulating wastage cringeworthy.

Oh, and my ex-flatmate who variously:

- licked plates clean and put them back in the cupboard for next use!

- used the kitchen teatowel to buff his boots and hung it back on the railing for next use!

astartenyny · July 21, 2007

Hand"washing" dishes by piling them all into a basin full of soapy, greasy water, swiping them with a rag, then "rinsing" them by passing them under a stream of water for one nanosecond. Food eaten from these dishes tastes like nothing but dish soap. Mountain Fresh Dawn oatmeal, anyone? Almost everyone I've seen handwashing does this. One of the things I love best about my husband is his obsessively thorough rinsing.
And while I'm on it, why are so many dish detergents scented? Why do we need our dishes to be perfumed?
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ditto to that. when my partner's mom visits i have to constantly dissuade her from helping with the washing up because i end up re-washing everything she's done. thankfully, i finally have my partner trained.

i wonder if it's a uk thing because so many people here seem to forego the rinse and just put dishes coated with soapy suds in the drainer to dry. and what's with the rubber basin in the sink? i still don't understand what that's for.

hummingbirdkiss · July 21, 2007

When I read through this I get kind of sad thinking I could never have any of you over to my house for a meal! ...I can only tell you about myself honestly...and as I mentioned before when I go to someones house.. all I care about is that they invited me and how much fun I am having ..aside from one horrifying tuna casserole I mentioned in another thread..I am thrilled when anyone wants to cook for me ..and the condition of thier house or the habits they have in life to get food to the table ..well I live with me and mine not them and theirs so who am I to judge?

..I honestly never knew people looked so closely at other peoples behavior when they were visiting! maybe because I dont hear what they say when they leave? ..but folks keep coming back...

while I have always considered myself a very sanitary cook as I read through here I feel kind of like a heathen here! you guys are so immaculate!

..I am sure most of you would come unglued with what I do in the kitchen :sad:

I mentioned a few things above but you sparked me to add more as I have found more commonalities with the people who do the things you say annoy you...

and I was oblivious to my own behavior until I read this thread! I dont think I will change anything as what works for me ..does work for me!

I cook barefoot..fact is.. I do everything at home barefoot ..I like my feet and they are functional so why not? I do not wear shoes in my house so why put them on in the kitchen? .in fact most everyone I know takes their shoes off when they come into my house ..the pile of shoes at the door may make them think this is my policy but really I just was taught to take my shoes off and leave them at the door when I come in so I do it still ....and I would do it at your house as well ..with out even thinking about it ... why bring the outside stuff in?

one of the best reasons for shoes off is that I like sitting on the floor! in all rooms of the house ..but especially to make food ..I am very short so the floor is most comfortable ..and it is very clean (because I dont wear shoes!) so I will spread everything out on this foot high Korean table I have and I sit cross legged down there doing my prep on my little table ..it works perfectly and is very comfortable...

yes I leave my meat on the counter to thaw (but my kitchen is never hot) or in the sink ..it is just easier to take it out in the morning and have it thawed by the early afternoon ready to go...I was taught to always bring meat to room temp before cooking ..so why not?

Yes my trash can is open! how is that gross when you line it with a bag and dump it out frequently and several times a week bleach it? a lid is in the way of my trash tossing and if you dont have foot thing to open it how on earth do you keep your hands clean if you keep taking a lid off ?

I tend to leave water running in my sink ..while I am doing things like washing veggies or whatever...I live in a place where there is no water shortage and it is thoughtless I know so to those who do I am sorry ..when I lived in Panama and had water delivered by truck I was not so careless but now it is cheap and plentiful and yes I am wasteful so I will work on that I promise ...

I use the sleeves of my shirt (I wear my husband s flannel shirts to cook he hates me doing this) or clean socks as post holders (whatever I can find that is clean actually)

I never judge anyone who helps me clean up after dinner and how they wash dishes ...my God they have helped me ..why judge them the intent is more important than anything else! sometimes my dishwasher leaves crap on the dishes so if I pull a dirty feeling glass down I dont freak out I just wash it and use it ..

I put everything I can fit into the dishwasher and I can fit a lot ..I CRAM it full ..wooden spoons knives whatever ...my husband sharpens my knife is a big knife person and has never said a word ..he tosses the kitchen knives in as well ..

I leave dishes in the sink while I am cooking ..but not in water ..I have even when I ran out or counter space stacked big dirty pots neatly by the sink on a towel on the floor until I get to them

when the floor gets dirty during cooking I just take the sprayer from the kitchen sink spray the floor toss some bleach on then I walk around on a towel to light mop the floor after I toss cleaner on it ..one towel to wash one to dry then toss them down the stairs to the laundry room (they are not bath towels mind you but they are towels) I HATE MOPPING!

I also dry pans on my stove (my friend thinks something awful will happen to my stove from the water dripping there)

my dog is not allowed in the kitchen but she sits at the door waiting because as I am cutting veggies I toss her pieces across the room into her mouth

I am a very very messy cook! and can trash a kitchen making scrambled eggs ..so my husband who adores my food will usually clean up after me...and he does a fantastic job...he also put pocket doors on both sides of my kitchen ..so when company is here and we are ready to eat I can just close the door and be blind to it until the meal is over

I do however .pull my hair back ..wear clean clothing (when I start cooking) .wash my hands cutting boards and knives while I am cooking with soap all the freaking time while I am cooking ..I also use bleach water constantly on the counters and the floor on the fridge door anywhere my hands may have carried germs gets a whipe down.. ...and over all have impeccable personal hygiene ..

you are all welcome in my house anytime for food but please do not judge me harshly if you do accept my invite :biggrin:

Anna N · July 21, 2007

When I read through this I get kind of sad thinking I could never have any of you over to my house for a meal! ...
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I understand a little of what you are saying and some items might seem petty to you or to me but can truly touch a nerve in others. Wasting water, for instance, can seem like a really big deal to anyone who has had to conserve water for any length of time. And sometimes I think we cringe not for ourselves but for the other person. For instance, when I am totally put off by someone attempting to make a meal in a kitchen where both sinks are full of dirty dishes and there is no counter space, I cringe for her not for myself! You would not believe how many times I have cleaned that kitchen for her in the hope that she would see how much easier it is to cook if you start out with empty sinks and some work space.

And I cringe for you! For your feet! I love my feet too and have had them for over 60 years and I would like to keep them a lot longer so I would no more work in my kitchen in bare feet than I would enter a construction site without safety boots! It's not a matter of hygiene or aesthetics but of safety. I once nailed my foot to the wooden floor boards when an errant craft knife slipped. It was not a pretty sight but would have been a whole lot worse if it were a 10 inch chef's knife!

So I cringe for you and your feet in a place full of sharp implements and hot fats and liquids.

Forgive us our foibles, please. :biggrin:

sun · July 21, 2007

Bad: being a clumsy person. Good: being used to being clumsy. In the kitchen of my shoeless home, I have dropped knives on the floor more than once, but my nimble feet and legs have automatically jumped me backwards each time. Ooh! My foot just twitched at the memories!

So this new beau and I decided to make chocolate chip cookies a few days after he told me how he used to bake cookies all the time in grad school. He had moved halfway across the country just recently, so I could kind of understand that he had zero mixing bowls. We used pots and pans, instead. As far as measuring cups went, he had just one 1-cup (or 2-cup?) liquid measuring cup and no dry measures. The butter cold from the fridge wasn't a problem - we'd just microwave it til smooshy and then mix it with the eggs! The sugar? Why, mixed in with the rest of the dry ingredients, of course!

Looking back, I feel I was too judgemental at expressing my incredulousness. I should have gone with the flow. The end results were still okay.

hummingbirdkiss · July 21, 2007

I agree Anna and forgive all foibles even more so now that I am aware of how many things I do daily and are part of me that get on peoples nerves ! ...I just never realized before folks looked for them as guests in my homei..

One thingI have to say you are banging your head on the wall if you think people learn by your doing for them ..personally if you cleaned up " for me" I would be grateful ...but never think you were actually trying to change my behavior! I would say thank you..give you a huge hug ... and have you over more often but still be messy!!!

one note ...I have great floors no nails sticking out ...as far as the rest knives hot grease whatever, my feet are in no more danger than the rest of my body in the kitchen ..

my feet pretty much stay out of the way of the actual cooking!

yes I could drop a knife on my toes ..but I could cut off a finger as well (and have come close many times)

I really think my poor scar covered hands take the brunt of what I do in the kitchen

I was not upset ..just a bit sad and surprised...and wanted to point out that I never knew people cared that much ..

as far as the water ..I am ashamed of myself for the waste when others are going with out... and will be much more careful

but the rest I am content in my skin and can not imagine being any other way than how I am ...my food is pretty damn good ...

and I was not serious that I would not want you to come to my house..I would be thrilled..I am just not sure how thrilled others here would be with how I live ...

Edited July 21, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

BrodeurR · July 22, 2007

Bad: being a clumsy person. Good: being used to being clumsy. In the kitchen of my shoeless home, I have dropped knives on the floor more than once, but my nimble feet and legs have automatically jumped me backwards each time. Ooh! My foot just twitched at the memories!
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I agree! I hate wearing shoes at all, definitely when I'm at home. What can I say, I grew up in the country :laugh: . A quick hop backwards has saved my feet more times than I care to remember. I'll just have to hope that my luck persists.

jean_genie · July 22, 2007

Asian people don't wear shoes inside their homes, and we often cook without shoes on.. would probably be a good idea to have some protection though!

nibor · July 22, 2007

We seem to differ in our pet peeves, and the degree to which we get peeved at others. Where do these differences come from? Did you learn your peeves at home, or did you develop them on your own?

For instance, those of you who always wear shoes in the kitchen. Did you grow up having to do this?

Edited July 22, 2007 by nibor (log)

viva · July 22, 2007

My grandma would have tanned my hide for wearing shoes in the house. Messing up her floors! To this day shoes are the first things off when I come in my front door.

hummingbirdkiss · July 22, 2007

I am feelling better about my shoelessness now thanks for piping up you guys ...

I never knew bare feet bugged people to see ..if they are not well kept feet maybe and if they are in danger really maybe but like mentioned above the quick "jump back" seems to work well

I do leave a pile of fluffy fleece sock balls by the door in a basket ...because I would not want anyone to have cold feet in my house! ....as mentioned ..I dont have a "no shoe"s policy but it seems to be catchy if your shoes are at the door pther people seem to just take theirs off...

...the problem is my friends love those socks so much they leave with them!

I dont like wearing shoes in the house ..I think of all the crap you can drag in from outside and since the floor is where we flop so often why sit in that?

(no matter they come on bulk and are very cheap!)

sazji · July 22, 2007

In Turkey people generally take off their shoes when they enter a house. There's a rack for shoes just inside (or sometimes just outside) the door, and sets of slippers. The slippers are nice because nobody leaves with them.

judiu · July 22, 2007

It used to drive my mother nutz when I'd wash my dishes under hot running water. I've never had to cook for more than two or three adults at a time, unless I was throwing a party or some such, so there was not a whole lot of washing up to do. I always felt the dishes got cleaner under running water, rather than being run thru a vat of semi hot soapy-greasy yuck. There's a reason people day bad coffee tastes like dishwater! :laugh: I'm also guilty of the barefoot hop-back approach, and the counter thaw, especially now that I live alone. :shock: :raz:

dockhl · July 22, 2007

It used to drive my mother nutz when I'd wash my dishes under hot running water. I've never had to cook for more than two or three adults at a time, unless I was throwing a party or some such, so there was not a whole lot of washing up to do. I always felt the dishes got cleaner under running water, rather than being run thru a vat of semi hot soapy-greasy yuck. There's a reason people day bad coffee tastes like dishwater! I'm also guilty of the barefoot hop-back approach, and the counter thaw, especially now that I live alone.
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Ditto....guilty as charged to all of the above. :wink:

chromedome · July 23, 2007

At home I cook all the time in sock feet or bare feet, because my early training was that shoes came off at the door. Even today, if I'm entering someone's house and they say, "Oh, don't worry about it, just keep them on..." I am uneasy for the duration of my visit.

At work, of course, I want the stoutest footwear I can get. Steel toe, steel shank, non-skid soles, the works. I've had boiling water on my feet, deep-fry fat (that one still got me pretty good...some got onto my ankles), I've dropped knives on my toes (or had other people do it for me), and - the best of all - had a deliver driver drop a pallet of produce on my foot as I was explaining to him that the pallet jack could not come onto the elevator.

Good times.

sazji · July 23, 2007

Okay okay okay...I confess...this morning, in a bleary-eyed state (despite a nice shower) resulting from staying up until 4:00 a.m. on an "urgent" translation, and in desperate need of caffeine, I made my morning coffee in my birthday suit. I'm sure it would not have been a pretty sight had anyone walked in on me. :blink:

Carrot Top · July 23, 2007

Okay okay okay...I confess...this morning, in a bleary-eyed state (despite a nice shower) resulting from staying up until 4:00 a.m. on an "urgent" translation, and in desperate need of caffeine, I made my morning coffee in my birthday suit. I'm sure it would not have been a pretty sight had anyone walked in on me.
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You must have forgotten two important sayings, sazji, due to lack of sleep.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Pretty is as pretty does.

:smile: