Doughnut shop tissue?

So you can eat it without the glaze getting on your hands? That is what I use them for. And I’m sure they don’t want the sticky stuff on their hands either. I wouldn’t ascribe their use of the tissue to germs.

I have worked with food and we never wore gloves when we touched food. (except meat)

Yeah, but couldn’t they put in a fresh tissue and not the germ-laden one?

@AstroChuck I may never be able to go to a Dunkin Donuts again! :-)

So when you take the donut out of the bag it doesn’t get all over your fingers. Then you would have to lick the glaze from your fingers and that would spread germs.

Germophobes should not leave the house. Every surface you encounter, every micron of air you breathe, every microfiber of the clothing you and others wear is laden with germs. Germ is a general term for all microbes – both good and bad. They are a legitimate part of our ecosystem – and you NEED the good ones.

The tissue provided by donut shops is not to protect you from the server’s germs. It is to protect the confection in the bag from mixing with the rest, thereby ruining the flavor and experience. The store selling you the goods wants you to experience the donut as it should be experienced.

If the donut shop were concerned about bad germs, the servers would wear gloves, facemasks, aprons, and !then! the tissue and the bag.

You cannot possibly believe that the paper, which is most likely recycled from toilet tissue, old newspapers, old documents, cereal boxes is pure. Sure, they can disinfect it at the plant. They can expose the recycled pulp to UV rays to kill off microbes. But by the time the paper has passed through the wringer [which does not get disinfected daily], the press [which has so many inner parts covered in microbes], and the drying tables [some microbes LOVE heat!].....

You get my drift. So many places between creation of the paper to its destination [not to mention its previous life] for it to gather microbes [aka germs].

And you really think the tissue paper itself and the paper bag are pristine, and you want to look down on the server?

Seriously?

LOL. If you are eating that junk at the doughnut shop, why are you concerned about germs? Be more concerned about the artery clogging, fat laden confection you are eating. They are more likely to kill you than the germs!

Yeah, but it tastes so good!

Some germs are good for you. I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Ditto @banjo.

Recycled USED toilet paper into new paper products? huh?

Have you died yet? No? Enjoy your doughnut. :)

@seesul: The word “used” isn’t in the write-up. :)

…so then why would it be a problem if recycled? That’s why I assumed you meant used, then it’s just paper.Sorry. I do agree with you and get your point. Thanks for clarifying.

What squirbel said. I’m a biologist and in a way, some of the classes I’ve had have ruined me for life, in the sense that I’m now hyper-aware of microbes. Seriously, there is no avoiding them, no matter how you try, and they are so easily passed from one surface to another. I could easily have become a germophobe based on what I know, but I remind myself that germs are everywhere and human beings have survived a long time despite being bombarded by intruding microbes every day. In fact, human life was fairly unsanitary by modern standards up until early last century. The human body is constantly under attack by invaders and is remarkably efficient at either trapping or killing them before any damage is done.

Consider it a way to develop a healthy immune system – if you never challenge your immune system, it doesn’t know what to attack.

There are quite a few studies that link some immune mediated diseases to a lack of targets (the most graphic one I read was a hypothesis that a lack of intestinal parasites – worms – has contributed to the increasing incidence of asthma).

@AlenaD & syz

I am also a Biologist [well, that was my major in undergrad] and I resigned myself to the idea that building a strong immune system is far more important than being afraid of every germ.

Of course, out of everyone I know, I always have the shortest spells of sickness [ie colds] because I wash my hands and expel all of the bogies…and tend to wash my face area with soap after blowing if I have access to a bathroom. I can get over a cold in 2 days this way.

I guess what does’nt kill me will make me stronger. But that’s only if it does’nt kill me.

Want me to creep you out more, AC, especially if you travel a lot by air? I’ve had similar thoughts about when they wear plastic gloves when they rumble through your bags, but use the same pair over and over again while inspecting everyone’s 3–1-1 bags and the like. After that, you’re on the plane with people who sneeze and don’t cover, but travel sick because they HAVE to be there or can’t get a refund. I’ve really started following the wash your hands advice, all the time and it has helped a great deal.