# Could you keep your grubby mitts off my lunch? And your teeth, too? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 19, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135 "2006-10-19T20:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/41 "2006-10-22T18:37:11Z")
[QUOTE=The Mad Hermit] Sounds good as revenge, but this is illegal in many places. Just like Ex-Lax brownies. [/QUOTE] I’d be interested in your legal cite that having a legal substance in a clearly marked container for your own use only is illegal. I assume your ‘Ex-LAx brownies’ are offered to people? Like spiking drinks? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/42 "2006-10-22T18:39:56Z")
[QUOTE=Runs With Scissors] This is stupid and a bad idea. You put the name of the coworker everyone hates on it. [/QUOTE] I think you must have a different definition of ‘stupid’ and ‘bad’. :eek: My idea is harmless to innocents and irritates rude, greedy people. Your idea starts an office argument, with everyone under suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/43 "2006-10-22T20:14:43Z")
[QUOTE=yBeayf] I don’t get this, either, but at my building the refrigerators were always perpetually choked with expired foodstuffs. It got so bad, and people were so resistant to throwing anything away, that now on the last Friday of every month at 4pm the building managers go around and throw away _everything_ in the refrigerator. Food, drink, lunchboxes, marked containers, unmarked containers – if it’s in there, it’s gone. [/QUOTE] That’s what happens at my work. Every Monday morning between 6:30 and 7 the fridge is cleaned out and the containers are put in the dishwasher and cleaned. I haven’t noticed any complaints about food-stealing. We generally keep our lunch in the fridge and communal foods are put on top of filing cabinets, so anyone can walk by and grab what they want. However, > [@Missy2U](#): > > As an adminstrative professional, it is up to me to at times order lunches for visiting dignitaries, luminaries and engineer types who are having meetings in my conference room. I’ll order up a really nice brunch buffet, and it gets put on tables outside my big, only for important people meetings, conference room. Usually, there’s enough for, oh, 20 or so at minimum. I’ll get these mouthbreathers come in here, who aren’t even related to the meeting, and think they can start sampling off this buffet! this has happened on at least one occassion. We had a huge training conference, folks in from all the satellite offices for three days, and both breakfast and lunch were provided. For some reason, people in other departments descended on the feast the first day and there wasn’t enough breakfast left when the conference started. A truly horrible e-mail went out to the offending departments, VPs got involved, and I think someone had to pay for the next day’s catering. Honestly, some people need to be hit upside the head with a giant cluestick. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/44 "2006-10-23T14:55:14Z")
[QUOTE=pool] My misunderstanding 😃 [/QUOTE] You whooshed me, didn’t you! Scamp! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/45 "2006-10-23T16:35:09Z")
No, this thread isn’t going to devolve into a collection of revenge fantasies where posters are urging others to harm their co-workers. While I understand wanting to out the food thieves, especially in a public manner where it’s hoped they’ll learn their lesson, (even if I don’t condone it, personally) advising others to sabotage food with Ex-Lax (or any laxative) is taking this a step too far. You have no idea how their bodies will react to Ex-Lax, or even if they will overreact; it’s dangerous. Same goes with urine. Not only is it disgusting, you’ve no idea what health problems might pop up as a result of your prank. If this thread continues on like this, it will be closed. (But I’d rather it not because, aside from a few posts, some of the stories have been pretty interesting.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/46 "2006-10-23T19:18:37Z")
So far my only “revenge” has been to give everyone the stink-eye :dubious: and brood in my heart about people brought up in barns. Which really only hurts me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/47 "2006-10-23T22:09:04Z")
[QUOTE=SkipMagic] No, this thread isn’t going to devolve into a collection of revenge fantasies where posters are urging others to harm their co-workers. While I understand wanting to out the food thieves, especially in a public manner where it’s hoped they’ll learn their lesson, (even if I don’t condone it, personally) advising others to sabotage food with Ex-Lax (or any laxative) is taking this a step too far. You have no idea how their bodies will react to Ex-Lax, or even if they will overreact; it’s dangerous. Same goes with urine. Not only is it disgusting, you’ve no idea what health problems might pop up as a result of your prank. If this thread continues on like this, it will be closed. (But I’d rather it not because, aside from a few posts, some of the stories have been pretty interesting.) [/QUOTE] I appreciate your general warning. I am not a doctor, but understood that urine was sterile, and could even be used to wash a wound if nothing else was available. (I suppose if you take drugs, there would be traces in your urine) I would never want to give someone health problems. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/48 "2006-10-23T22:54:54Z")
‘Sterile’ does not necessarily mean ‘safe to drink’. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/49 "2006-10-24T00:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] ‘Sterile’ does not necessarily mean ‘safe to drink’. [/QUOTE] _:putting down his bottle of wood alcohol and wiping his chin_ What was that? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/50 "2006-10-24T00:18:31Z")
Oh, sweet Lord. Never mind. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135/51 "2006-10-24T00:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=glee] I am not a doctor, but understood that urine was sterile, and could even be used to wash a wound if nothing else was available. (I suppose if you take drugs, there would be traces in your urine) I would never want to give someone health problems. [/QUOTE] Besides **Mangetout** ’s warning, it also - unless you have a urinary tract infection - only _starts out_ as sterile and doesn’t necessarily remain so after leaving the body. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-keep-your-grubby-mitts-off-my-lunch-and-your-teeth-too/377135.md?page=2)