What do you think of food prepared by strangers?

Question

Do you sometimes wonder how clean that stranger was ,how it was prepared and what's in it, how fresh it is ? Like at a church supper or gathering .I have had a few stomach problems in the past after sampling at these places and try now to be very picky

Answer 1

I'm choosy about what I eat at gatherings unless I know the people well.  

Answer 2

I bake for strangers frequently and no one has ever seemed concerned about the safety of my food...but I do agree that there are some things that shouldn't be eaten when you see them at a pot luck supper...salads with a lot of mayo, anything with eggs (potato salad, egg salad sandwich, some casseroles), custard, pudding, meringue pies, custard pies like pecan, etc...

Any time that you eat new things you're not used to, you may have a little bit of an upset stomach...it happens to me sometimes at home when I try a new recipe that has more grease than I usually use, or something with a ton of onions.  There are a few restaurants that give me an upset stomach every time I eat there.  

I've seen someone with food poisoning before and that's different than a little bit of stomach upset after trying something new, though.  My husband had it after eating improperly stored pecan pie at work, and he was so sick he was convinced he was dying, for about four days.

Answer 3

Honestly, I don't think about it that much. Luckily, I'm good friends with the lunch lady at my school's daughter, and I know that she is meticulously clean. Other than that, I always arrive at family functions/potlucks early in order to help prepare anyways, so I know about the food.

One time, though, a group of people from africa who held a church service at my church held a lunch for everyone at my church, and that food gave me an upset stomach. I don't know if it was because I wasn't used to eating it or what. I didn't think it tasted very good, either...

Answer 4

meats for the belly

the belly for meat

Answer 5

well i m not rlly pickyy, i mean, like in my religion im only allowed to eat this meat made specially which is much more sanitary and no pork. So i have to read the ingredients. just dotn eat meat from different peoples houses for samples i suggest never to eat meat eithr! u dnt kno how its been handled..

Answer 6

If you thought about that, you'd never visit a restaurant.  Nothing wrong with being picky (especially about food that consists of small pieces of meat or poultry, and that has been left out at room temperature), but you need to be exposed to -some- germs to keep your immune system working smoothly.

Answer 7

I think of it every time I eat anywhere but home...I am just careful where I go AND what I eat because I know it's not realistic to think I will always to be eating at home. **One of the worst things I did was to take a serve safe course...it really showed me all that can go wrong if people do not handle food properly. YUCK! I can't not even think of it when we go out to eat!

Answer 8

I know exactly what you mean.  Me and my aunt were talking about this a couple of weeks ago.  How we dont really like to eat other peoples food they make because you dont know how their kitchen looks.  It could be gross and then it could make you sick.  I will eat it if I see it being prepared or if its at a restraunt but sometimes I wont because im too scared to eat it.

Answer 9

i dont eat strangers food i bring mine own....

Answer 10

I am extremely suspect of food cooked by people I do not know.  Even at a church supper or pot-luck buffets, I wonder how long that dish was sitting out without refrigeration, especially in the summertime.

When I eat at places like that, I usually bring a main dish or salad that I then eat.  Sometimes I have soup of a light snack before I eat out.  Sometimes, I know the other person's health and cooking skill habits.

Iffy dishes:  just blame it on allergies.

You are right.  Stomach problems are no fun.

Answer 11

restaurants ar ok, but if a guy comes to ur door and asks, " want a brownie?" tht is wrapped in tinfoil, it could be piosened.

Answer 12

Most likely the issue is how long the food was at room temperature prior to you eating it. This is the BIGGEST reason for stomach issues when eating at these type of events & even at family functions. Bacteria begins to gow when food is between 41-140 degrees farenheit after 4 hours. This includes prep time