Some restaurant bars offer complimentary snacks. Salty crunchies offered with cocktails may seem like a lucky break that hits the spot, especially if you’ve come to the bar famished. Bowls of nuts, pretzels, or chips are a perfect match with a beer, however, think about how many people’s hands have dug in.
And, think about how many pathogens might have been left behind. You might want to save the calories and shun gratuitous germs.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches are one type of food that can harbor Staphylococcus aureus, or a “staph” infection. If you contract the infection, you will know it right away. Severe symptoms of nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea can strike in 30 minutes.
It’s not uncommon for the symptoms, which last about one day, to hit you within six hours of consuming the tainted food. Sandwiches, as well as cheese products, salty foods like ham, eclairs, and pastries, and mixed salads like tuna, potato, and macaroni, are also common to staph. The reason is that the person preparing your food likely had an infection on their hand.
Always Look for Fully Cooked Chicken
A single drop from raw chicken can infect an unsuspecting diner. The Campylobacter bacteria lurks in uncooked chicken and other foods. The most common outbreaks, however, have occurred in poultry. According to the CDC, 24 percent of Campylobacter cases originate in chicken.
How do you know you’ve ingested the pathogen? Symptoms like bloody diarrhea, fever, cramps, and vomiting, last about a week and usually come on two to five days after consuming the meal. In cancer patients and those with AIDS, the infection can be deadly.
Caviar
If you tend to enjoy the finer things in life, you may be better off savoring them at home. Caviar has a higher markup and is almost never worth the extra cost.
You may find that caviar is a lot less costly outside of a restaurant at retail stores. So why not prepare your own gourmet meals at home for a fraction of the cost?
Anything With Corned Beef
Corned beef seems to be a brunch staple these days, but not everyone is loving it. Because this dish became popular during the days of war rations, it's cheap, but not the most delicious.
People were forced to eat corned beef out of necessity, which is why we don't see why you would choose it for brunch now... there are plenty of other delicious options.