"French kiss me you crazy fool."
Posted on 05/12/2007 1:50:22 PM PDT by neverdem
A COUPLE of weeks ago I saw a new scientific paper from Clemson University that struck me as both pioneering and hilarious.
Accompanied by six graphs, two tables and equations whose terms include “bologna” and “carpet,” it’s a thorough microbiological study of the five-second rule: the idea that if you pick up a dropped piece of food before you can count to five, it’s O.K. to eat it.
I first heard about the rule from my then-young children and thought it was just a way of having fun at snack time and lunch. My daughter now tells me that fun was...
--snip--
What do these numbers tell us about the five-second rule? Quick retrieval does mean fewer bacteria, but it’s no guarantee of safety. True, Jillian Clarke found that the number of bacteria on the floor at the University of Illinois was so low it couldn’t be measured, and the Clemson researchers resorted to extremely high contamination levels for their tests. But even if a floor — or a countertop, or wrapper — carried only a thousandth the number of bacteria applied by the researchers, the piece of food would be likely to pick up several bacteria.
The infectious dose, the smallest number of bacteria that can actually cause illness, is as few as 10 for some salmonellas, fewer than 100 for the deadly strain of E. coli.
Of course we can never know for sure how many harmful microbes there are on any surface. But we know enough now to formulate the five-second rule, version 2.0: If you drop a piece of food, pick it up quickly, take five seconds to recall that just a few bacteria can make you sick, then take a few more to think about where you dropped it and whether or not it’s worth eating.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
And iirc, their conclusions, not to state the obvious but I will, it depends on the how "dirty" the floor is, and the how much of the food touches said floor, and how conducive the food is to holding "germs". The length of [reasonable] time has little to do with it.
I wouldn’t feel bad about letting the pooch dispose of it”
I thought that’s what pooches were for.
Bologna is moist. The five second rule does not apply to “moist”.
take a cone of ice cream out on a dirt road, drop it and then think har about the ten second rule.
By the way ,I’d rather kiss a dog than Rosie. No one knows where her mouth has been.
Kiss the one that’s better looking.
The mailman, the girlfriend, or the dog?
With two dogs in my house, I’ve never had the opportunity to test the 5 second rule..
My husband served dinner last night. Unfortunately he got the dishes he used from the dish washer which were only rinsed and not washed. UGH! My first thought when I learned where he got the dishes was “I sure hope the dog hadn’t licked any of them”. Poochie loves to stand by the open dishwasher as I load it and “help” me do the dishes.
Oh well it’s been 24 hours and we’re all still alive.
cailleach don’t tell your brother!!!!!
"French kiss me you crazy fool."
Human life is fraught with bacteria with every breath, taste and touch.
Most people thrive most of the time.
Immune system rocks.
Never ever, kiss a vampire...or a ghoul...or a chickens butt.
She fits all the descriptors.
FIVE second rule? These people are generous.
In Texas, we only give it 2.
:-)
Obviously these people are forgetting that after you pick up the food you’re supposed to blow on it. That blows the germs off. It’s magic.
Ack!
“Never ever, kiss a vampire...or a ghoul...or a chickens butt.”
The hardest part about kissing a chicken’s butt is to keep from getting feathers in your mouth.
Off color reply containing the word "style" deleted...
Cheers!
OK, whose turn is it to post the Helen Thomas picture?
Thanks for the link!
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I’d go with the dog.
Even if this author is right, he/she needs to stop fear mongering. I mean come on. This is ridiculous. Everyone is afraid of life. It is kinda funny.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.