Poll: The Ten Second Rule

[Vykrel]

A few minutes ago, I was eating some bacon and a piece fell to the floor. I promptly reached down and scooped it up, blew away any carpet fibers that may have been there, and scarfed that bacon down.

Then, I was curious as to how many of us are actually willing to eat food that landed on the floor, and under what grounds?

So, do you follow the Ten Second Rule, or do you leave it for the cockroaches?

Note: Answer the poll based on whether you EVER eat food that fell on the floor, or not. I'm sure the location matters... I wouldn't expect anyone to eat a Skittle that bounced around the floor of a truck stop bathroom. I know I wouldn't.

 

[BabyRaptor]

It depends on the floor in question. If I just cleaned it, sure. If it's someone elses' floor, or I've put off the weekly mopping, then no.

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Eh, if it falls to the floor, I pick it up and put it out of the way, then bin it when I finish the meal.
I'm not going to eat something that has fallen on the floor.
Especially not my bedroom floor.
Blood and [deity] knows what else is on my floor >.>

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

If it's bacon I don't care where it's fallen... I'm eating that damn bacon.

If it's other stuff depends on how dirty the floor looks.

 

[Ekit]

I follow the 5 second rule unless the food is visibly dirty.

 

[Vykrel]

If it's bacon I don't care where it's fallen... I'm eating that damn bacon.

damn right. bacon is just too good to waste XD

 

[Astoria]

I think they actually did a study on this and on your average floor (meaning what most people would call 'clean') it would take about 5 seconds (I think it was five) for any germs to latch itself onto the food. Obviously the dirtier the floor the less time it would take but I usually don't mind eating food if I quickly pick it up.

 

[havass]

It depends what food and where it fell, obviously.
If it's a hard candy i'd eat it regardless, unless it's visibly dirty. Or you wash it.

 

[GrimTuesday]

Who the fuck doesn't eat stuff that fell on the floor? It's just a little dirt, not to mention it helps you build up your immune system.

 

[John the Gamer]

maybe wash it off in the sink, but yeah, I'd eat it.

 

[Dwarfman]

Well as a qualified chef my official answer is no! Especially raw meat and seafood. I like my customers to be the healthy paying type.

If however if it's an unpeeled vegetable that you're going to wash before preping, then who cares?

 

[The Almighty Grigard]

I'm pretty sure Mythbusters busted the 5 second rule.

I'd say it depends on what food was dropped and the current ammount of grime on the floor. Wet food like bacon or ham, nah that goes in the bin. Something like crisp bread or candies I'll just brush off and eat.

 

[Marik Bentusi]

Unless it's a floor in an abandoned chemical lab, I'll eat it. Eating dirt is neither lethal nor does it alter the taste at all.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I'll rescue bacon and most other things, but I find it's more hassle than it's worth to bother with soup...

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Depends where it fell on the floor really. But usually I just eat it.

Unless if its something I didn't want to eat anyway. Then I use "it dropped on the floor" as an excuse to bin it.

 

[PoliceBox63]

Bit of dust isn't going to kill you. I eat shit off the floor tis grand. I haven't died yet.

 

[Betancore]

Depends on the floor and the food. If, say, something sticky fell on the ground in a questionable bar in the inner suburbs of the city, I wouldn't pick it up. But if an M&M fell on my bedroom floor, sure, I'd pick it up. As for the time limit, if I pick it up immediately after dropping it, I'll eat it, unless I was meaning to put it in the bin anyway. I don't usually count, but hopefully it's under 10 seconds or so.

 

[Wutaiflea]

It depends how clean/dirty the floor is, but as a general rule, if I know I've dropped it and can pick it up right away, I'll eat it.

A little dirt is good for you anyway. No point having a fancy immune system if you're not going to fuck with it now and then.

 

[joshuaayt]

The X second rule has no basis in reality- if it has touched the floor, it is approximately as dirty as the floor (at least where it made contact). As such, I really wouldn't recommend eating off the floor anywhere... Especially on the carpet, home to dust mites, bodily fluids and mould.

That said, being too clean can compromise your immune system... It's a toss up. Still, I personally would not go out of my way to eat off anything other than my hands or a plate.