Fair point Roger. Me, I’m not particularly exercised about germs. Bacteria create life, we can not live without them. Granted some bacteria can make humans sick but the vast majority are benign and beneficial. It t’were otherwise humans would have died out aeons ago. Bacteria land on every surface in our homes and we thrive nonetheless.
This particular Westerner also thinks that she’s covered in soap scum and dirt if she doesn’t rinse off after a bath.
As my friend says, before they got a dishwasher, they had two.
The thing is, persons who got used to not rinsing, (for whatever reason, water shortage, etc), saw no real harm in it, as they soon grew accustomed to any teeny tiny taste of soap. But for persons unexposed, it can cause upset tummy and the trots. Plus they may think the food tasted ‘funny’.
I also believed this was more common in Europe. I’m glad to learn it is no longer the norm!
I’m a Brit and I rinse, though I do know some who don’t, all of them blokes.
I think it’s easily one of those “I can’t believe they do THAT in (country)” things. I’ve heard and read some Europeans claim that we (Americans) are overly focused on cleanliness and hygiene which I took to be a compliment.
But then again I’ve also heard asians and middle easterners find toilet paper and western style toilet paper unhygenic…and I must say I have to agree. Asian style squat toilets are waaaaay cleaner, and TP is NOT adequate to clean the nether regions. I find when I come back home from a place where you actually WASH yourself after a #2 that I feel disgusting using just toilet paper… I wish bidets and bathrooms with a drain on the floor where you can easily wash without taking a full shower/bath were common here. When I get a house that is my #1 project, converting the bathroom to asian style full tiled with a drain on the floor. 
Hee, hee, I also have considered installing an Asian style bathroom in my house! And am astounded someone else actually considered it!
There is no teeny tiny taste of soap. While there may possibly be infinitesimal residue (which may also remain, I’d think, after a quick duck under running water), there is nowhere near enough of anything to cause tummy upset. I’ve eaten off of dishes that were washed in a dishwasher, by hand without rinsing, by hand with rinsing, either under running water or in a separate sink. I’d defy anyone to tell the difference if you don’t see them done.
Colophon, if you’re finding bits of gunk on the towel while drying dishes, it’s because they’re not being thoroughly washed, not because they aren’t being rinsed. I’ve been doing dishes for fifty-plus years and never had that problem.
Yes and no. The food isn’t attached - it’s just little particles that get left behind from the dirty water. So more like a question of the washing water not being changed often enough. But a separate rinsing step (under a running tap, not just a dunk in a second sink, which seems like it’s just delaying the problem) would deal with it.
However, some things in life are Not Done, and telling one’s mother-in-law how to wash dishes is one of them. (I do however now volunteer to wash and let her dry…)
BTW on the taste of soap, I’ve never tasted it on hand-washed dishes, but items washed in a dishwasher sometimes have that dishwasher taste/smell to me - especially plastic items. Anyone else get that?
While all of this may be true - for you - it is not true for everyone. Those accustomed to it, do not taste soap. Those new to it, often do. The soap residue may not upset your tummy, as you’re not so sensitive, but for those who are, it is indeed enough to cause such outcomes.
This is the same divide that’s reached whenever we have this discussion. Those who practice this, cannot taste any soap and do not see any intestinal upset outcome - so it must be hooey. Those who do, taste soap, and experience tummy disturbance are simply not to be believed!
Are there truly large numbers of the latter? People who taste soap on their dishes and know it’s because they weren’t rinsed by Brits washing their dishes?
Meh…I’m an Aussie of British heritage, and we never rinse the dishes after washing. Mind you, I wash in VERY hot water, and rarely dry the dishes with a towel, just leave them to air-dry.
Never had a soapy taste,* no* family or friends have ever suffered a gastro-intestinal upset from eating from our plates, and the dishes are squeaky clean afterwards.
Obviously, some of you have Kilometreage that Might Vary, but it’s worked for me for all of my life and I ain’t about to change now.
You’re used to it, as are your friends, so you don’t taste it any more. Those who did suffer gastro upset never mentioned it, as it occurred after they left. Guests never tell hosts, “This tastes funny!”, they just suck it up. You seriously can’t see that?
But I’m sure you’re right, of course!
And yes, it really happens. To people never exposed to digesting soap with their food, when they do, they can get the trots.
Why don’t they rinse the dishes? (Beyond, 'Well, I’m used to it and can’t be arsed to care about guests!) The washing machine rinses your clothes, right? Even if you did your laundry in a stream, on rocks, you’d rinse out the soap, right? What about when you wash your car? Rinse the soap off, right? But not the dishes you eat off of? That makes no sense to me.
There’s probably some misconception abroad in this thread. If you wash dishes the ‘normal’ British way, not much soap/detergent is actually required.
The process is typically:[ul]
[li]Scrape food remnants into a bin[/li][li]Rinse severe levels of residue (sauces, etc) from plates[/li][li]Fill a sink or plastic bowl with hot water, adding a squirt (probably no more than 15ml) of washing-up liquid[/li][li]Starting with the cleanest items (typically glasses), wash in the hot solution using scourers and brushes[/li][li][Option 1: rinse each item as you go in a separate bowl/sink of clear water][/li][li]Stack immediately into a drying/draining rack (which holds plates on their sides, etc, facilitating almost complete draining)[/li][li][Option2: pour a large jug or kettle of hot water over the items on the draining rack][/li][li]Air or towel dry[/li][li]Put away[/li][/ul]
Anyone accustomed to washing under a constant stream of running water (which is not standard practice here) is likely to vastly over-estimate the quantity of soap/detergent (and water*) required to wash dishes as described above.
*Diswasher threads do my head in. I can easily wash dishes (as above) using less water than a dishwasher, but even if I provide empirical evidence, people refuse to believe it.
Brit chiming in here - my parents indeed do not rinse the soap off.
I agree that leaving the soap on is a bit gross. The worst was my old American roommate here in the UK who combined the worst of both worlds: she put loads of soap on, Yank style, but then didn’t rinse, UK style. Her dishes really did taste soapy.
Washing up is kind of a chore for me: I didn’t grow up with a dishwashing machine and don’t really trust them, but we don’t have a double sink to easily wash up the soap.
I’m sorry but this is absolute nonsense. I have an extremely sensitive nose (and taste) and I hve a dishwasher and as such can firmly state that I am not used to the taste of soapy dishes, and yet I have never tasted soap on plates that had not been rinsed. It’s simply not true. Fairly liquid is made so that it does not need to be rinsed off: it drips off with the water. There is really no residue.
I have once, in desperation, had to use shower gel to do the washing up. Everything tasted disgusting afterwards and I had to put it all in the dishwasher as I couldn’t even rinse the taste off. IOW if you taste soap after washing you’re using the wrong soap.
I just wanted to come in here to say that I had never heard of “fairy liquid” until now. I get this mental image of putting Tinker Bell into a press and squeezing. Bottle whatever comes out.
“Fairy liquid” is soap. It isn’t actually a magical solution made by the Cottingley fairies.
So what’s the difference between fairy liquid and, say, Dawn or Palmolive?
Sorry but whether you are right or wrong, this is a nonsensical argument. I can’t taste it, so nobody else can, right?
The only way to settle this is a blind test.