Eating with bare hands - risky or not?

Raining

Raining

Joined
Oct 13, 2006
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Suppose you are in the wilderness without any soap/disinfectants for your hands and you do not have any utensils or gloves...how much risk is there of illness by eating with your bare hands?

What alternatives are there?
 
wash them with water or sand. Consider how many slobs around never wash their hands, and yet unfortunately do not die of disease. Of course you should have a knife to carve some utensils with. . .
 
Raining said:
Suppose you are in the wilderness without any soap/disinfectants for your hands and you do not have any utensils or gloves...how much risk is there of illness by eating with your bare hands?

What alternatives are there?
Click to expand...

Rub then together, the friction makes gunk collect and alot will come off. Or, find a source of water.
 
Depends on what you've been doing. Gutted any deer lately or cleaned a fish?

I keep a picnic pocket in my gear bag, with paper towels and a viscose rayon towel, among other items. Rub them down, at least.
 
I carry alcohol gel hand cleaner for clean up and a great backup fire starter. Chlorine dioxide water treatment also makes a good disinfectant. Other than than, it's down to the stream and go for water and grit.

Like others said, it depends on what you're been handling. A dropper bottle of bleach would be handy in a kit for stuff like this. I never considered contamination from cleaning game. I worry more about other cooks when camping.
 
Hey Guys..

Serilize them with a small butane torch or a good lighter !!!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Depends if you have just been scratchin your arse I spose !!!

Even with soap and water,the way most people wash their hands still doesn't remove all the bacteria !!!
 
Are you guys saying that eating with your hands is not a good thing. I never had a problem eating with my hands. When backpacking when i pass a spring i like to get some water on my face so the same time i get most of the dirt of my hands. But if worst come to worst i see no problem about dirty hands. Out in the woods there are not that many things to kill you with some basic common sence of staying clean. If you do get anything that dirty on your hands then i wont worry about only the food i would make sure to wash hands.

sasha
 
I suppose if you use your hand to wipe your ass, then you might get sick....learn how to squat and spread 'em LOL
 
Most evergreen trees make good hand cleaners just grab a handful of newer growth rub them between your hands and dig your fingernails into the soft branch ends . Many plants have anti-bacterial properties - learn the ones in your neighbourhood.

Get rid of the store bought anti-bacterial hand cleaners - they are bad for the environment and ultimately all of us leading to drug resistant super diseases.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa029&articleID=024FEAE8-E7F2-99DF-323D8E02C4E48BF6
 
After the Bear Grylls school of outdoor dining-- chomping a handful of grubs chased with an elephant dung cocktail-- who's worried about dirty hands?
 
Chopsticks is a great idea...why didn't I think of that? Not too hard to fashion. :thumbup:
 
Raining said:
Suppose you are in the wilderness without any soap/disinfectants for your hands and you do not have any utensils or gloves...how much risk is there of illness by eating with your bare hands?

What alternatives are there?
Click to expand...

As Rat says, Go to the bathroom in any Pub or Bar and see how many do not wash their hands, even the ones from the stalls, (reminds me of a Seinfeld episode)
They they are right back at the bar shaking hands and eating Nuts and Pretzels off the counter.
In the Middle East hands are the way they eat and some of their bathroom habits are on par with the Pub crowd.
Build your immune system it will, ask Rambo :D
 
Honestly, I don't wash my hands that often. I also have a tendency, much to the dismay of my wife, to pick up food I've dropped on the ground and eat it. I also eat raw eggs in my milkshakes, sushi, carpaccio (raw sliced beef), steak tartare (raw ground beef with raw egg mixed in), and other raw meats. I've never had a foodborne illness in my entire like.
 
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