Eric Sands would have a cow if he ever learns the truth about "The 5-Second Rule."
In the eighth grade, Eric would garner a lot of lunchroom attention by doing what he called “The French Fry Stomp.” He’d take a fry, step on it and then toss it up in the air and eat it to the giddy amusement of fellow students. He would also eat just about anything, including whatever you crammed into an empty milk carton (broccoli, pudding, pickle spears, etc.). Eric was tall, gangly and goofy. He was also highly intelligent, which made his antics tragic, ironic and a lot funnier.
His younger brother was born the year before, and I imagine the new arrival got the lion’s share of parental attention and affection. Eric’s cafeteria escapades were his way to win friends and influence people. He succeeded on some level because his impression was deep enough for me to think of him about 17 years later.
His family moved to Wisconsin the summer before our class was to enter high school. I imagine he spent his remaining years of public education doing strange things to cheese.
Anyway, the results of a study investigating the validity of “The 5-Second Rule” were released a few months ago. I hadn’t heard about it until Monday when I read a blurb in one of our magazines at home.
The study was conducted in a special study program at the University of Illinois. Read the full story online here.
Some highlights:
“According to [Jillian] Clarke, a senior at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, the 5-second rule dates back to the time of Genghis Khan, who first determined how long it was safe for food to remain on a floor when dropped there. Khan had slightly lower standards, however; he specified 12 hours, more or less.
Among Clarke's findings:
• Seventy percent of women and 56 percent of men are familiar with the 5-second rule, and most use it to make decisions about tasty treats that slip through their fingers.
• University floors are remarkably clean from a microbial standpoint.
• Women are more likely than men to eat food that's been on the floor.
• Cookies and candy are much more likely to be picked up and eaten than cauliflower or broccoli.
• And, if you drop your food on a floor that does contain microorganisms, the food can be contaminated in 5 seconds or less.”
I was most surprised that it is not the male member of the species who is most often scrounging for wayward morsels on the linoleum. This is surely a blow to feminism, if not Weight Watchers. The reason? I think we guys are probably too busy belching and farting to sweep the floor for edible crumbs.
All in all, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Let dropped food lie. I can’t imagine my middle school cafeteria’s floor being clean enough to eat from. But I’d have to ask Eric Sands.
I have to ask, do you live by the 5-second rule? What have you dropped on the floor, picked up and eaten? My answer is in the comments.
It was a tortilla chip (not even a particularly good tortilla chip). Before I read this study's findings, I lived by "The Dog Hair Rule" in my house. If it didn't have too much dog hair on it, it's still good enough to eat!
I've reformed now. I only give dropped food to guests.
Depends what it is. A slice of rare roast beef? Rinse it, eat it. But I drop things regularly and the cat hair factor kicks in and makes me swear a lot, then throw the thing away.
Off-topic: My son recently got a new toothbrush -- a fancy new toothbrush -- and the cats knocked it off the bathroom shelf two days later. It landed on the floor under the tub, where there is lots of scattered cat litter and grime -- cuz I have an allergy to washing floors... so... now he refuses to use his toothbrush. I had to buy him a new one yesterday.
Pet hair is definitely a factor in the decision to eat or not to eat off the floor at my house. However, if the dog is present, as she usually is when food is around, it's a different story. It's gone. Sometimes before it even hits the floor.
Hahaha we had the 3-second rule at McDonalds when I was 17 "unofficial" of corse!
-dew
I found that having kids effects the rule, too. A cookie is still brushable after a few minutes, really. Chips are fine. However the "dog hair rule" is certainly in effect. And for some reason my dog seems to be shedding a lot more recently, making the rule flucuate on any given day.
I'm a neurotic, must ingest clean food person - if it falls, it gets thrown away (or, when I was little, I'd try talking my little brother into eating it as retribution).
I'm picky about where I eat, how it's prepared, won't eat anything out of cans (because of a Discovery channel exclusive on how tuna gets canned - Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww)... god help me if I ever go on that African safari or Amazon Adventure.
It's always been the 3 second rule where I'm from. And usually I can't eat anything if it's been on the floor. Sometime, if it's at my apartment and I really want that chip or whatever...I may go for it. But usually not.
I knew a guy like that in my high school! I remember that he licked the floor of the school bus once. Ugh. Turns my stomach to even think about it.
here is something that will gross you out...all the cooks...in the back of the house...at any chain food joint...know that five second rule.
I had previously (apparently wrongly) been under the impression that it was the "3 second rule."
It sickens me to think of how much food I've wasted because of the extra 2 seconds of "floor time" I have neglected all these years.
Well, I have to say that I definatly live by the 5 sec rule. That is of course unless I am around unfamiliar company. Also, I will not eat anything that falls on the floor in a restaraunt. That's just too scary. But I recently read something in Men's Health that said that 5 sec is the acceptable time to pick something up off the floor. Anymore and it is "contaminated"
That rule gets more liberally applied the more kids you have. Can be applied to most anything with a candy coating, but nothing that has the potential to retain crunchies or fuzzies from the floor (i.e. lollipops).
When Busy Boy was very small we went through a spell where we put his food (Cheerios and things)on the floor since he seemed to eat a lot better!
Wow, what a great topic Steak-boy. Here's what I think:
I think that I might, depending on the stickiness factor eat something within five seconds if it came off of my OWN floor. I might eat a chip, or a cookie, or maybe even a mini candy bar...anything that could be wiped off. I would never eat anything sticky, that could retain debris, such as a glob of peanut butter, or cooked pasta. That being said, I usually don't.
I wouldn't ever eat anything off of another floor. Even my dearest friends. People are freaks. Who the heck knows what was on that floor before you go there?
The woman vs. man statistic was bizarre. I would have never predicted that. My brother ate muffins out of my trash once. Seriously. They were overcooked, so I threw them away. I caught him looking for pieces that hadn't touched other trash. So gross.
Ha! That reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where George ate an eclair out of the trash ... and was of course caught.
In England, it is the 3 second rule. Higher standards obviously apply. It does not apply where there are pets in the house, in public places, outside, or if the floor is really dirty.
I'm in the same boat as Rockelle. I have two lazy and overweight toy rat terriers who can move faster than lightning if so much as a crumb falls to the floor.
Wasn't there an Oreo commercial last year that featured the five second rule?
Insanity is forgetting to believe a few lies.