# Where is the dirtiest place you’ve dropped food, then eaten it anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187 "2018-08-06T19:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/1 "2018-08-06T19:26:37Z")
Share your five second rule stories here! ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/2 "2018-08-06T20:01:38Z")
Ok, not personal experience, but this may top anything that follows. I was parked at a 7-Eleven once, and saw a pretty scruffy looking guy (maybe homeless) walk out of the store eating a hot dog. A glob of grease dripped from the hot dog onto the sidewalk in front of the door. He reached down, wiped up the grease with his hand, and licked it. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/3 "2018-08-06T20:34:33Z")
Here, they don’t call it the five second rule. It is called the “beso de diablo”, or the devil’s kiss. I have been kissed by the devil many times. Although I do have some standards. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/4 "2018-08-06T22:17:32Z")
It’s the kebab I dropped onto a muddy path at the Glastonbury Festival. In my defence I was really quite stoned at the time, and the health considerations were secondary to my more immediate needs. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/5 "2018-08-06T22:26:24Z")
The floor of my car boot. I bought some italian biscuits (cookies) yesterday and they took a header out of the plastic container. They were expensive and I’ve decided I’m still going to eat them. I don’t think they are very conducive to growing a lot more bugs. If I cark it, at least I’ll go out eating something nice. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/6 "2018-08-06T23:53:18Z")
A data point: I had a minor surgical procedure while conscious. I can attest that the 5 second rule was not followed for dropped surgical instruments. Seemed wasteful to me. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/7 "2018-08-08T21:11:20Z")
Not me, my dad. Dropped his grilled sausage/onion/pepper sandwich on the dusty dirt track at the Bangor (Maine) State Fair. My mother only allowed Dad that one greasy treat per year, and going back for a replacement was out of the question. You bet your ass he was going to brush it off and eat it. This was years ago when my husband and I were first dating, and my husband was so impressed to witness it, he continues to tell that story almost 40 years later. It might even be why he married me. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/8 "2018-08-08T21:54:21Z")
Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/9 "2018-08-08T23:33:15Z")
I am so lame and germaphobic if I dropped something on my lap I’d throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/10 "2018-08-08T23:56:22Z")
My kitchen? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/11 "2018-08-09T15:04:04Z")
The only place I have ever eaten something I picked up is from my kitchen floor, which I know how clean it is. > [@Riemann](#): > > A data point: I had a minor surgical procedure while conscious. I can attest that the 5 second rule was not followed for dropped surgical instruments. Seemed wasteful to me. Your digestive system is much more resilient than the parts they have to cut open to get to. (Topologically, your digestive system is on the outside of your body. The inside parts do not like bacteria at all.) If I’m getting a procedure and they drop something–yeah, waste it. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/12 "2018-08-09T15:09:50Z")
Depends on how we define “dirty.” I’ve often eaten food that has fallen into the ashes of a fire. (Damn hot dogs on sticks!) Wood and charcoal ashes are probably pretty sterile, so I’m not sure if that counts. But it was usually a pretty thick coat of ashes and I never rinse them. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/13 "2018-08-09T15:12:12Z")
The floor of a muffler shop. We were swamped and I had only a few minutes to eat my lunch. Half a sandwich fell out of my baggie onto the floor. This was going to be my last chance to eat for a while and I was hungry. When you work in that type of environment, having a little grease or dirt on what you eat is fairly normal. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/14 "2018-08-10T04:43:57Z")
My garage (which is pretty damn filthy). And I must admit, there I am a repeat offender. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/15 "2018-08-10T05:13:07Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Brazil. The Ministry of Information will be in touch with you soon. They have some questions … ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/16 "2018-08-10T18:39:33Z")
My lover’s naked body? Or wasn’t that the kind of “dirty” you were referring to? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/17 "2018-08-11T07:46:22Z")
> [@Pabitel](#): > > My lover’s naked body? > > Or wasn’t that the kind of “dirty” you were referring to? If she was on the floor of a strip club at the time ---------- maybe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/18 "2018-08-11T14:26:21Z")
A radish or something just under the sink cabinet or the refrigerator. But I did a quick rinse… ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-dirtiest-place-you-ve-dropped-food-then-eaten-it-anyway/819187/19 "2018-08-11T14:27:23Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Here, they don’t call it the five second rule. It is called the “beso de diablo”, or the devil’s kiss. > > I have been kissed by the devil many times. Although I do have some standards. What country?