How seriously do you take the 5 second rule?

Question

I'm just curious. i mean, when you're outdoors you're with dirt all the time. You flip your kayak/canoe and get some good gulps of river water up your mouth and nose. You fall and eat dirt. It hasn't killed me or anyone else I know yet. no one who i camp with brings sterilized napkins to set their food down but some people really freak out when i use a rock as a temporary table for my pretzels. hey, they think its horribly contaminated but believe their hands which have touched trees and dirt since they last washed them are magically clean. I don't really understand it because most people survived 12 years in a public school system without spraying everything with lysol.

Answer 1

Depends where we are camping honestly, I do get a bit creeped out but I would not sterilize everything, using a rock as a "table" for pretzels I see nothing wrong with that

Answer 2

After being a Scoutmaster for 7 years and seeing all sorts of dirt-contaminated food being eaten  with no side effects, I don't have a problem with the 5 second rule, as long as you use common sense. I often eat berries in the woods, and God knows what animals contaminated the berries before I got there.

Btw, I have gotten food poisoning from a fast-food restaurant, and a high-end steak house. Give me the dirt-sprinkled hamburger patty in the woods any day.

Answer 3

that is one cool story. I did laugh out loud. I use a lot of earth ware to

cook on, like big flat rocks, 1in, thick, just wash them off before using them, I lay my food on them, they make great coasters, & tables as you brought out. i've even seen people play with their animals & not even wash up. then I get criticised for what I do, I know exacticaly what you're talking about. I won't put you down for it. I've survived in the wilderness for years, all I had with me was a knife. In viet nam our troops survived on, get ready for this, "maggots", & what are flies?

maggots that've hatched. I thought this deserved a star, so I gave youone.

Answer 4

Oh-oh.

I thought it was the 5 hour rule...

Answer 5

i always use the five second rule.. i'm always hungry so why not one germ  won't kill me