One Etiquette Rule About Sampling Food At Buffets You Should Never Ignore

Some people live for a buffet. They love taking trip after trip down a line of dozens upon dozens of dishes, piling their plate high each time to get their money's worth and then some. Other people absolutely hate them. The crowds, the quality, and potential issues with hygiene and food safety can all keep people away. There's also the issue of etiquette.

Even though buffets can be annoying (so annoying that fights have broken out over crab legs), there are still expectations on guests and mistakes you want to avoid. One of those is that you shouldn't sample dishes in line. You're at a buffet, which means you can take as much or as little as you like whenever you like. If there's an item you're not sure you want, take a small portion back to your table to see if you like it.

There are several reasons not to sample food in line. First, stopping to eat holds up the line. At a busy buffet, this can create a traffic jam. The bigger issue is sanitation. Your hands or utensils get dirty. You may drop crumbs or drip sauce in areas where you could cross-contaminate. Food from your plate, hands, or even mouth might end up in dishes others will eat.

If you have never seen anyone engaged in this kind of behavior at a buffet, count yourself lucky. You don't have to go far on the internet to find horror stories of people using their hands or even serving utensils to sample food while in line. There are stories about people double dipping pizza into soup, sucking soft serve ice cream right out of the spigot, or licking serving spoons clean. Someone even witnessed a person eating chicken wings, then putting the bones back in the serving tray with the fresh ones.

Chocolate fountains are popular with children at buffets, and more than one witness has seen them not just sampling, but inserting their whole arm in the chocolate. Others have seen kids licking marshmallows clean and putting them back again. Cruise buffets are no better. Reddit commenters have seen people licking sauces off their fingers, then grabbing serving utensils to take more food. It is far too common for people to eat bacon or chicken wings, lick their fingers, and then grab the tongs again.

Some people on cruise ships bring their own gloves to serve themselves at buffets because they are so used to seeing this kind of behavior. For your own safety and peace of mind, it is a good idea to wash your hands before you eat, or at least use hand sanitizer. Stay safe and enjoy, if you can.