Is it okay to leave a tip (money) on the table?
 

This information comes from Annie's Mailbox, a regular column in the Daily Sun.

Annie said there was a study done about a year ago, at New York University, and it was found that dollar bills that were tested contained 3,000 different forms of bacteria. Some could cause the following:

1) gastric-ulcers

2) pneumonia

3) food poisoning

4) staph infections

5) acne

Also, there was fungi, plant pathogens, DNA from animals, and even minute amounts of diphtheria and anthrax.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/0...-dollar-bills/

Is it safe to put tips on the table in restaurants? The waiters then pick up the tips with their bare hands and continue serving customers.

The health department is fussy about how the kitchen is kept, it must be just so, but don't they have anything to say about the filthy money situation?

They are picking up a lot worse. Used napkins, plates, utensils, items off the floor, menus touched by hundreds before. I don't think I'll worry about it. 😁

So should we wash our money before we go to a restaurant to prevent contamination either to the table or to the server or perhaps both?

Or perhaps we should just use our credit/debit cards and avoiding handling dirty money

I knew the replies would be that bacteria is everywhere anyway so why worry about it. That's true; bacteria are everywhere. That being the case, why does the health department bother inspecting restaurant kitchens?

Because salmonella is not everywhere?

Don't answer that. It's a rhetorical question.

If I were you I would use Apple Pay.

Sorry, that's not a question. Here's a rhetorical question: Didn't I list "food poisoning" in my opening post?

Do you pay the tip with Apple Pay too?

But even if you do, the waiter has been touching other peoples money all day long.

I was making a point. A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point, rather than to elicit an answer. Wikipedia

Apart from requiring everyone everywhere to wear HazMat type outfits, what does the OP propose to solve or mitigate this supposed problem?

The only solution is to stop eating.

Holy bowlegged Sarah!

Somehow I knew Sarah was about to show up.

I always make it a point not to put my spoon, fork, knife on the table, but on a napkin. Usually after each customer they wipe off the table and seat with the same rag which is used who knows where else. I'm not a germ freak and realize that some exposure is a good thing, but just have a thing about putting my fork on that table that just wiped off the seats. The rags are probably used all day and without disinfectant.

I grew up eating dirt and my kids grew up chewing on the disgusting handles of grocery carts and keys. We lived. Don't think the money is an issue. Health department needs to look at the big picture of cockroaches, and food not kept at the right temperature etc.