Do you bring your own bedding?

[chisnpeke]

Well this thread is quite entertaining


Did anyone here know that chefs in restaurant kitchens uses the same spoon over and over while making soups and sauces WITHOUT washing it. Into the sauce, into the mouth, tasting, a bit more salt into the sauce, same spoon not cleaned into the sauce....

Enjoy your meal

If that happened here, they would be in violation of the health code.

 

[gladstoneganderfan]

I am genuinely curious. Does your husband do the same routine when he travels? I don't mean to single out your post but you have listed some very specific routines, and say that you are not paranoid, and that your husband travels quite a bit.

I live in hotel rooms about 300+ days a year. The majority of hotels around the world use duvets; in fact WDW is about the only place I stay which still uses bedspreads. I do remove those. I use the tray table on an airplane, and even the airplane blanket if I forgot to bring my pashmina. I walk barefoot in my hotel room, put my clothes in drawers, make coffee in the coffeemaker, and actually use the hotel room for the purpose for which it was intended. I even use the remote control. I have stayed in some very questionable places over the years, but I haven't wrapped myself in plastic or taken extra precautions.

I have a chronic illness which results in a compromised immune system, but I very rarely get ill. You do realise that you are doing your family a disserve by NOT exposing them to things? And as others have said, how to you control their actions in other public places? I truly am not trying to 'pick' on you however I am very concerned about our future when I read people overusing antibacterial products, the over prescribing of antibiotics, and the failure to expose people to germs.

I have been all around the world and stayed in places and used facilties which are not quite the German standard of cleanliness. There is of course a reasonable amount of care that we should all take to protect ourselves, but going overboard tips the balance and works against us.

And I do in fact have a lightweight duvet stored in my OL for WDW; not because I am squeamish but because I cannot stand the habit of sleeping with sheets and blankets (which again only WDW seems to use anymore)

I was hoping you would show up on this thread. You always say it better than I ever could. Thank you.

Well this thread is quite entertaining


Did anyone here know that chefs in restaurant kitchens uses the same spoon over and over while making soups and sauces WITHOUT washing it. Into the sauce, into the mouth, tasting, a bit more salt into the sauce, same spoon not cleaned into the sauce....

Enjoy your meal

You're kidding, right? I'm going to assume you don't work in restaurants. I have, for around 16 years. That is something that would get you fired quickly if someone saw you. Not to say it never happens, but those folks don't last long. Now, there are other things I could tell you that would make you never eat out again. Sometimes it's better not to know.

 

[Denmark]

I was hoping you would show up on this thread. You always say it better than I ever could. Thank you.



You're kidding, right? I'm going to assume you don't work in restaurants. I have, for around 16 years. That is something that would get you fired quickly if someone saw you. Not to say it never happens, but those folks don't last long. Now, there are other things I could tell you that would make you never eat out again. Sometimes it's better not to know.

I have been around kitchens for the past 18 years, so yes i know what happens, not every one does it.

Please read the link below, and then educate me

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/1466153/Food-hygiene-survey-dishes-the-dirt-on-British-TV-chefs.html

 

[bavaria]

My northern neighbour does raise a valid point - those who are squeamish about buffets may have no idea what can happen in the kitchen. A good restaurant will try and adhere health and safety standards, but cannot control their staff and/or guests 100% of the time. Even the guest can be the violator, as with the utensil example. I agree with gladstoneganderfan however that an employee who practices such habits must be disciplined and/or dismissed.

For the family using their own utensils at the buffet, they most likely do not want to check the publically available listing of health code violations - Disney resorts and restaurants are often listed there. I suspect that if the more squeamish reader read those reports (or had worked in a kitchen) they would end up making their own meals rather than eating in restaurants.

 

[dbriggsq]

Wow. Havn't read all this thread but I'm amazed.

We would never consider taking our own bedding to hotels - sheets and pillowcases are cleaned before you arrive so how could there be any germs.

In any case it is very important to expose yourself to many ordinary germs in order to build up your immune system - that is what it's for - if you surround yourselves and your family with cotton wool and clorex wipes then when you really need your immune system to combat some germs or bacteria it might be out of practice ( that's not the right analogy but you know what I mean).

In any case you are exposed to the same germs/bacteria whenever you touch door handles, sit in seats on rides, breath in the air, etc.

Please don't worry about this stuff.

 

[MidgeHadley]

I have been around kitchens for the past 18 years, so yes i know what happens, not every one does it.

Please read the link below, and then educate me

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/1466153/Food-hygiene-survey-dishes-the-dirt-on-British-TV-chefs.html

I guess it's a good thing I don't eat any food that is made on cooking shows. Haha.

I'm not squeamish about that kind of stuff anyway. I've eaten at places (even nice ones) where I've found a hair in my food. And what do I do? I take the hair out and keep on eating. (Unless it was a very specific looking kind of hair....then I probably wouldn't, if you know what I'm saying. Haha.)

 

[PolynesianAlex]

bad idea to bring your own sheets if there are bed bugs in your room you will bring them home with you on your sheets i know

 

[patsfan101]

I personallly do not bring my own bedding, but I understand those that do. I grew up with an agorphobic mom, so I totally get compulsions that seem to not make sense to other people. If it helps you have a better vacation, bring your own sheets. Personally, its sitting on the hotel toilet that I have a hard time with! I need to line it with toilet paper all the time!

 

[Tikitoi]

We just got back from staying at CSR, I did the basic wipe downs, but don't think I could ever bring my own sheets. Although I do bring washcloths. And we carry our sanitizer with us at all times, As well as some wipes.

 

[summermac]

Heres our routine-
Check in. Nothing goes into our room till the beds are stripped down, mattress/headboard checked visual and with tapestrip. Unfed bedbugs are translucent. The tiny black ants are usually on the underside of the mattress. ebtwen that and the boxspring or they like under pillows. OPen the drawers, if you see powder ask for another room in another building. The powder means recent insecticide.
We bring our clorox wipes & lysol to do a through clean up. We bring our own patterned pillows and blankets, wear slippers in room to safe our socks. We do not use hotel comforters and blankets as they do not always get washed between guests. We put our dirty laundry during the trip into a trashbag NOT the dresser drawers. The dresser drawer is where you store the comforter. When we use an airbed, we use a sleeping bag and put the airbed on a clean shower curtain not on the carpet. Depending on how much room we have to pack, we sometimes bring an airpurifier too. Those are great for cruises or stuffy rooms. with FL humidity.
We always leave clean clothing in our suitcases and we dont leave those suitcases on the floor or the beds. We do not use their coffeepots or cups left in the room.
When we return home, we empty our stuff into the garage and everything goes directly into the washer machine off the garage. Suitcases do not enter the home, they get a no pest strip inside and then a sealed plastic bigbag.
If we are driving the next stop is our fancy shamcy car wash and we get that car ubbercleaned.
We are not paranoid. just very aware of the cost of fumigating our home & replacing all mattresses which is $$$$$ My husband travels globally with his work staying in a hotel room about 18-20 days a month. We also have a cousin that is a CM at DL and another family member my cousins daughter who is a CM at WDW. When I was a older teen I worked doing room service at a posh hotel. Our routine was developed by need because one of my children has had chronically poor health plus DH had some bad bad yucky hotel rooms and it works really well.
Another tip is to have the first ADR at any buffet dining and bring our own fork from the table to put food on your plate. When you have children in line that are young give them something to hold in their hands while waiting for the rides or shows like a kushball. When you go through a turnstile use your hip not your hands, my kids know to do the bump. Even from a young age they understood the need, we have passed around the pukes while on vacation before.
Once my daughter was hurt at DLhotel fell out of bed and cut her chin open (that was the same day we watched the fatal accident in Frontierland.) The hotel staff was very caring and attentive. If you do have an issue, be sure to bring it up right away. Especially an unclean room or stained mattresses. They will move you and if you wait to bring all your stuff in till youve done a good inspection, it isnt as big a deal or time wasted.

Wow. Ermmm....okay. If it makes you able to enjoy your vacation then enjoy. But wowza. Why even leave your house?

 

[Winue]

no, we don't bring our own sheets or pillows. too much to pack. we always do a good check of the entire bed, take it apart, look for bugs, etc. I wouldn't want to bring my own pillow, because I see it as if there are bugs/germs in the hotel, I don't want to bring them into my home too.

 

[ms.yt]

Wow. Ermmm....okay. If it makes you able to enjoy your vacation then enjoy. But wowza. Why even leave your house?

That's what I was thinking.

 

[maigheann]

The room checks that cookingmama does are very sensible ideas. Why would you even bother to settle into any room with or without your own sheets that 1) has bedbugs, or 2) has visible pesticide residue (indicating there was a pest problem with your room very recently) where your clothes would contact?

All that other bedbug related stuff (plastic bags, etc) is basically what you have to do if you suspect the place you stayed had bbs or could develop bbs during the time you're there. Bbs can show up anywhere -- not just what people think of as "flea-bag" motels. Actually, with the # of people bringing their personal sheets and pillows (e.g. ones that were brought into the airplane cabin where other people just laid their heads), I feel aggravates the bb problem. Guests coming from all over the world. Students from dorms. WDW has a strong interest in keeping sheets washed and room exterminated enough to never let a bb live. Guests, who assume their personal bedding is uninfested on arrival, do not.

 

[gladstoneganderfan]

I have been around kitchens for the past 18 years, so yes i know what happens, not every one does it.

Please read the link below, and then educate me

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/1466153/Food-hygiene-survey-dishes-the-dirt-on-British-TV-chefs.html

I wasn't trying to educate you. You made a blanket statment about American restaurant kitchen workers, then you use an article about tv chefs to back your statement up. I don't think for one minute that cooking on tv is like cooking in a restaurant kitchen, so all that article tells me is that tv chefs cook like people do in their homes. They lick their fingers, double-dip, etc.

I'm not trying to make you mad or get into a fight with you. All industries have bad or lazy employees. It's not fair to say they all act that way.

 

[missDisneylady]

Huh? I must be shopping at different stores than you - but I'm going to start asking store or front end management when I shop.

I didn't pay attention to where you are and maybe it's not that way wherever that is but it is where I live. I'm talking about Wal-mart, K-mart, and a few grocery stores. Never seen it in Target though.

 

[missDisneylady]

Okay, I don't get skeeved out easily but if I saw other guests using their own forks to serve food onto their plates, that would do it. While I'm sure from reading your post that your fork is unused, CookingMama, if I saw someone using their own fork to serve from a buffet, my first thought would be that it was one they'd been eating with.

I'm very particular and can defintely relate to CookingMama but I would have to agree with you on that. If I saw someone use their own utensil, I would have a fit.

 

[momof4kid]

I always bring my own pillow (for me and husband) and four top sheets, two to put onto of their sheet and then two for us to use, others are folded on corner of room for rest of trip. I did once have housekeeping put their comforter over my sheet, yuck! Had hard time falling asleep, but finally did.

 

[seadd67]

Well Ive never had a Issue with the blankets or sheets but I have been thinking of a pad for my back.I am still thinking about It,this fourm kind of stir those thoughts again

 

[Denmark]

I wasn't trying to educate you. You made a blanket statment about American restaurant kitchen workers, then you use an article about tv chefs to back your statement up. I don't think for one minute that cooking on tv is like cooking in a restaurant kitchen, so all that article tells me is that tv chefs cook like people do in their homes. They lick their fingers, double-dip, etc.

I'm not trying to make you mad or get into a fight with you. All industries have bad or lazy employees. It's not fair to say they all act that way.

Ofcause there is no reason to be mad

I never said anything about american restaurant workers, but chefs in general.

Saying its a general thing is maybe a bit over the top, but it does take place, even in nice restaurants.

I think my link is a valid one to back up my statement. Some of those are high profile chefs, like Jamie Oliver. When these chefs dosnt cook in TV shows, they work in their own restaurants, or work as executive chefs. They more than likely execute the same behavior in their own restaurant kitchen. I dont believe for one second, that if they think its ok to dip a spoon into a soup or sauce, tasting, not cleaning the spoon, and then dipping the spoon again in a TV show, that they will refrain from doing it in their own restaurant.

This post is ofcause a bit offtopic, but i still think its worse with unhygienic behavior in a hotel restaurant, than the cleanliness of bedding.

Just my 2 cents. Ofcause its ok to bring your own bedding, if it makes people feel better

 

[seadd67]

i would say stop going to restraunts now,never go back!. If we new all the things that went on we would never eat out again. As long as I am not getting sick I take the place and the food that I am eating at face value. As far as the chefs on tv,well I am one I would rather see them act them selfs(and If that ment double dipping there spoons,then so be it alot of us do the same at home) and after all Its on TV,were not there tasteing IT. Now I will agree with you If they are doing something nasty or gross but relax and enjoy the meal.