When clicking onto aol I sometimes read the gentle news, and the comments that come with it, because they’re often witty, informative, sensitive, on target, and have a lot of common sense attached to them – HA! -of course not all comments. On the whole, however, there seems to be some very wise people “out there” who ought to be heard.
On Friday, Aug. 7, there was a short news item about a group of people, including a 6-month old baby, entering a Burger King, and soon finding themselves unwelcomed because the baby wasn’t wearing shoes.
The following from Heidi might make you want to gag, but it’s still worth reading:
“. . . Sending away 20 customers as a result doesn’t really fit into the equation of following the rules. BTW, I’d rather deal with the “dirt” from baby feet than the e-coli & other bacteria in the ice they put in your soft drinks. Did you know that a high school student somewhere did a project in a fast food restaurant that proved there was more bacteria in the self-service ice dispenser than there was in the toilet? NO ICE PLEASE — I’LL TAKE THE BABY FEET!!”
Actually, the reason the baby was unwelcomed was due to liability concerns. However, along with this news we’re reminded that cleanliness in many fast food places leaves much to be desired. Unwashed hands do touch the condiments, unwrapped plastic utensils, levers on drink dispensers, napkins, and, yes, the ice. However, we can’t control the world. Much of our time is spent in public places regularly eating out, picnicking in parks in the summer, clasping hands at concerts, in introductions, at meetings, etc., better to wash our own hands, be aware and choose wisely where we eat, and not obsess about things we can’t control. The fact is that there’s a very long list of things we can’t control in public places, and, come to think of it, sometimes even in shared and more personal spaces.
Keep on keeping us laughing and informed, all you wise and witty ones “out there.”
Enjoy the day; it’s a beautiful one.
www.parentdish.com was listed next to Heidi’s name.