Times may change, powers will shift and kings may fall, but Seinfeld will always be relevant. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David’s classic NBC sitcom, Seinfeld, hasn’t been on the air since May of 1998, yet it continues unabated as a touchstone for the hilarity of awkward social situations. But sometimes, the laughs have to stop. Especially when you’re talking about the bacterial population of your salsa.
Science is now against the George Costanzas of the world, who think it’s perfectly okay to dip a chip/cracker/pretzel/cheese curd (or any dippable object), take a bite, then dip again.
South Carolina’s Clemson University recently published a report in which they put the double dip to the test, and the results are as expected. Double Dippers are basically putting their whole mouth into the dip, and they’re likely the type of person who would eat an eclair out of the garbage.
This graph showing the results of the double dip experiment doesn’t lie:
Other studies have shown an increase in bacteria, but when Professor of Food Science, Paul Dawson, puts the perils of this horrifying practice in plain English, it’s clear that the end of the world will be paved on the corner of a tortilla chip.
“Anywhere from hundreds to thousands of different bacterial types and viruses live in the human oral cavity, most of which are harmless. But some aren’t so good. Pneumonic plague, tuberculosis, influenza virus, Legionnaires’ disease and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are known to spread through saliva, with coughing and sneezing aerosolizing up to 1,000 and 3,600 bacterial cells per minute.
With that in mind, there may be a concern over the spread of oral bacteria from person to person thanks to double-dipping. And a person doesn’t have to be sick to pass on germs. If you detect double-dippers in the midst of a festive gathering, you might want to steer clear of their favored snack. And if you yourself are sick, do the rest of us a favor and don’t double-dip.”
In a self-fulfilling prophecy, double dippers will always have the most germs. So the notion of dipping your delectable pita chip into that spinach may seem like a risk worth taking, but it’s not. It never will be, ever.
But, this too can be overcome. We can change. We can overcome this epidemic. It doesn’t have to be this way. And if I can change, you can change and everyone can change.
