Common Sense Hygienic Kitchen Etiquettes-For guests and hosts:

 

Note the shield over the food.  It is to prevent bad breath  and spit showers from entering the food via chatter, cough, and sneezes



 

1. The first and foremost rule of thumb which we teach our kids but fail to follow.  Wash your hands before handling food, even if you are just stirring, you might be transferring germs to the handle.  If you’re feeling too lazy at least pretend to wash your hands because someone is watching.
2. Don’t ever.  And I mean ever sneeze in the kitchen.  Food is everywhere. If you feel one coming, step out of the kitchen. 
3. Don’t enter the kitchen to help if you have a cough or cold.  No one needs help falling sick.
4. If you’re wondering why no one touched the brownies baked by your kids, it might be because they have a cold or cough or worse- your kid eats his boogers.
5. Don’t grab a snack and start eating it hunched over the buffet table.  The crumbs from your mouth fall into the serving platter which will very soon be making its way into the mouths of other guests.  Moreover, once you are done serving yourself, step away from the buffet and make room for other guests.  The food is not going anywhere.
6. Don’t have conversations over the buffet table or the spread of entrees.  Showers of your spit will be garnishing the food.  A note to the host-Make sure you keep the lids on the entrees if you think that might be a problem.
7. Adults please serve your kids.  Kids tend to touch every hors d'œuvre or snack in the platter before they fish out the “best” one for themselves.  Let’s not forget these kids have had their fingers up their noses, in their mouths and they flushed just about 10 minutes ago.