Vacationing is synonymous with overindulgence: relaxing, gambling, shopping, eating, and drinking. Buffets are the mother lode for everything and feature lots of cuisine options. But with all the options, which should be avoided?
1. Sushi
Although cruise lines and resorts take food handling extremely seriously, nothing is foolproof. If you’re feeling lucky, take it to the casino; don’t gamble with the freshness of that spicy tuna roll. If there’s sushi on the buffet and you don’t know how long it’s been there, consider giving it a pass for something you can see being made right in front of you.
2. Soft Serve Ice Cream
If you are like most people (including kids), you use your dominant hand to work the lever on the soft-serve machine - - a lever that sees a lot of other hands, both clean and otherwise - - before switching the cone to the same hand that just touched said lever. Avoid the ick factor by using a napkin or switching to a bowl instead of a cone.
3. Scrambled Eggs
The vat of scrambled eggs you see on the buffet at breakfast each morning is likely powdered, and powdered eggs can often be wet and/or squishy. Opt instead for a trip to the made-to-order egg and omelet station.
4. Old Pizza
If the pizza has that congealed-cheese look, it’s probably been sitting out for a while, particularly if it’s a non-peak dining time. Don’t feel bad about asking for a new pizza.
5. Condiments.
Giant bottles of shared ketchup, mustard and other condiments can breed germs since so many people touch them. Ask for single-serve packets or use a napkin to dispense what you need.
6. Compromised Food
If you notice the person in front of you touching food and putting it back, realize that someone has contaminated a vegetable-only dish by using utensils meant for meat, or see that tongs have fallen completely into the food - - handle and all, avoid taking any of the potentially contaminated dishes until they’ve been replaced with fresh items.
On vacation, a buffet sounds like a great idea. But the typical buffet perfectly exemplifies the maxim that just because you can doesn’t mean that you should. You can find all kinds of food at the typical buffet. But hiding among the gems – or at least the dishes that are passable – are a few things you should never eat at a buffet.