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DEL.ICIO.USDo you worry about sharing party dip?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Waking up after a super bowl party can be painful on many levels..beyond who won or lost. Maybe you yelled too loudly as the Giants triumphed and your throat’s suffering. Perhaps you imbibed a little too freely and are nursing a massive headache. But, if your stomach isn’t feeling quite right, there might be another reason besides nibbling on shrimp cocktail that sat out the entire game.
Research out this past weekend showed you might be paying a bigger consequence for enjoying the chip and dip bowl than just tighter jeans this morning. For anyone who remembers the Seinfeld episode, where George was caught and admonished for double dipping (re-dipping a chip after biting it) read on…
Microbiology undergraduate students at Clemson University examined the effects of double dipping using volunteers, wheat crackers and several sample dips. They found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from an eater’s mouth to the remaining dip. The professor who oversaw the study said “The way I would put it is, before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, would I be willing to kiss everyone here? Because you don’t know who might be double dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you.”
Not an appetizing picture. Hopefully you “shared your spit” with only your closest friends last night. Did you go out or stay home? If you were partying, what was the worse offense you saw? Don’t be afraid to dish the dirt, we promise not to tell!
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Comments
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By Ann
February 4, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
that’s really gross. no more dip for me at a party!
By Tater
February 4, 2008 5:54 PM | Link to this
Jeanne, how about a story on lemons from restaurants. That would certainly be another scary fact. I’ve stopped asking for lemons after reading about what handling process they go through before it hits your glass…
By jeanne
February 4, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
Tater, I’ve never heard the lemon story - do tell. I did see the piece on the news on how they clean hotel drinking glasses with windex and a dirty rag, while cleaning the room between occupants. YUCK.
By Katie
February 5, 2008 6:26 AM | Link to this
Yeah, like we live in a germ free world. That’s what our immune systems are for people. A little dip won’t kill you. There’s more bacteria on money, the door nob and your toothbrush.
By Food Doc
February 5, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this
Another medical study (done by REAL medical professionals, not undergraduate students) showed absolutely no contamination of dips after multiple double-dipping. Of all the dips tested (traditional onion, cheese, salsa, creamed vegetable, etc.) the only ones that showed any bacterial growth at all after hours of double-dipping were the warm creamy vegetable dips (like spinach or artichoke dip) but the controls were no different from the double-dips. The explanation was that the warm dairy-based content of these dips acted as a medium for bacterial growth as they approached and then stayed at room temperature for hours - the double-dipping was not the cause. The higher acid content dips (salsas, chilled sour-cream-based) acted as natural antibiotics and actually killed germs. So - don’t worry so much.
By Tater
February 5, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this
jeanne
You won’t like what you see: http://www.healthinspections.com/video.cfm
It’s even worse for ice cubes in restaurants…