A home-cooked steak lunch between friends has led to lingering doubts about kitchen hygiene after one host let their dog lick leftover juices from a plate.
In a post on Reddit, user physicalgraffiti123 explained that they had recently prepared grilled ribeye steaks seasoned with salt and pepper for a friend.
After they finished eating, the original poster (OP) placed their plate on the floor so their dog could lick off the remaining steak juice.
But they weren’t prepared for their friend’s reaction.
“[They were] acting like this was one of the most disgusting things they have ever seen,” the OP recalled.
“They proceeded to tell me how unsanitary this was and that they never want to eat my cooking ever again because they now question my ‘kitchen hygiene’ standards.
“I replied that the plates go directly in the dishwasher and are completely sanitized, and asked how they felt about eating off of plates from a restaurant. They said, ‘It’s not the same, it’s an animal and animals need separate bowls.’
“I never thought about it from their perspective—I grew up with dogs my whole life, and this is just something we did growing up.”
The disagreement has left the OP questioning whether they were in the wrong, writing that their friend’s refusal to eat their homemade food again “cuts really deep.”
Reddit Reacts
Reddit users took to the comments to weigh in, with one writing, “I am not going to say [you are the a******], but I wouldn’t eat at someone’s house if I saw this.
“I grew up with dogs. I love dogs. But, it crosses a line of teaching dogs bad behavior. I also worked in a kitchen for a few years and would say that it does open the door of ‘what other bad habits does this person have?’”
Another added, “I don’t even lick my own plates. OP, no offense, but I would not eat at your house after learning that. It’s not that hard to put leftovers into the dog bowl.”
What Do Vets Say?
Veterinary experts have weighed in on similar habits. In a 2022 Ask the Vet column, Dr. Ken McMillan addressed whether pets should be allowed to lick people’s dishes.
McMillan wrote in DTN Progressive Farmer, “I found one study that reported one in six households allows its dogs to lick the plates. I think some of the other five households may not be telling the truth.”
“It’s true there is risk in this practice,” he noted. “Pets’ mouths can harbor bacteria such as salmonella, which are not always destroyed by dishwashing.”
‘Potential to infect humans’
An article on Dogster, reviewed by Dr. Amanda Charles, offered a similar warning: “We can’t tell you what to do. But we can say that we don’t advise you to let your dog lick your plate.”
It also notes, “Dogs have lots of bacteria in their mouths—just like humans. However, the transference between plates has the potential to infect humans with unwanted bacteria, like Salmonella.”
While dishwashers can remove most bacteria, both sources point to potential health risks and concerns about food safety.
Newsweek has reached out to physicalgraffiti123 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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