Pet peeves about people's poor hygiene.

Picture this: You're in the bathroom, doing your business and the guy next to you is doing his. Then, as he finishes, he leaves the restroom and doesn't bother to wash his hands! In my book, this is totally unacceptable behavior.

As we all know, there are signs posted in all restrooms (especially in restaurants) that employees are SUPPOSED to wash their hands before returning to work. Well, I'm sorry folks, either people can't read, don't give a crap (even after taking one) or come from another galaxy, but it just isn't working. One type of place that I find this occurring more often than not is in Chinese restaurants. Yes, I did say Chinese restaurants. I don't know how they can stand to be so unhygienic in such an establishment as a restaurant, but that is considered verboten!

This issue crosses all ethnic, class and economic boundaries, nobody is exempt from it and lots of people violate this simple rule on a daily basis. I'm not singling out Chinese for this as I am also Chinese. It's what I have observed many times at different restaurants, so it is a qualified statement. I don't know about you, but I would be extremely hesitant to shake their hands upon meeting them if I knew this was their personal habit. Even if I didn't know what the other person's personal hygiene habits are, I would wash my hands later regardless.

Sounds a little too obsessive compulsive? Consider this: Most of our illnesses come from other people's germs. And where do those germs come from? OTHER people! And the cycle continues. The facts have it - simple handwashing will reduce the amount of cross-contamination and the spread of germs. Would you dare go to a restaurant or hospital if you knew the people there didn't wash their hands?

Come on, folks, a simple 20-second handwashing isn't going to kill you, nor will it waste any more time than normal. Why 20-seconds? Because that's the minimum amount of time that phlebotomists and medical personnel will wash and scrub their hands before touching anything else when they know they've come into contact with a source of contamination (i.e. sick patient, taking out the garbage, bodily fluids, sneezing, etc.). They wouldn't want any costly lawsuits, which makes for good preventive medicine (pardon the pun).

The local health department and the law demands it, yet why do so many people flout this simple rule (never mind that it's also your local city ordinance)? Because they feel that they can't be bothered with it. It's "too much trouble" to deal with and - let's face it - they're just too damn lazy!

I've also witnessed fathers who, with their kids in tow, don't bother to wash their hands or even have their children wash their hands after they've taken care of business in the bathroom. What sort of example are they setting for their offspring? Not a good one, to be sure. I would have called them on the carpet for that sort of personal failure, but they walked out before I could even say anything. Needless to say, I didn't touch the door handle with my bare hands. I opened the door with the towel that I used for drying my hands. Can we say, 'Blech!'

Now, you're probably thinking (and I'm only guessing here since I'm not a mind reader), "This guy is way too nosy! He should just mind his own business!" But, when you think about it, YOU'RE going to be TOUCHING that same surface that the other person just touched, and you don't know what they may be carrying! What if they were recreating that scene from 'There's Something About Mary' where Ben Stiller is in the bathroom and looking at those lingerie models in the newspaper ads? Would you STILL want to touch that doorknob or handle? Like Eddie Murphy said in his old comedy skit 'A Little Old Spice,' "Hey, man, I heard that you were found playing with your privates? Naw, that's okay man, you don't need to give me five!"

The next time you see someone committing this heinous act of lack of hygiene, say something! I'm not afraid to let others know how I feel and you shouldn't be afraid to, either! Being honest about these matters is preferrable to enabling them by not saying anything at all. Really, honesty is the best policy in this case; but, I'll save that for another blog entry.

In the meantime: WASH THOSE HANDS!