I’ve been doing a lot of field work lately so the meals are
a bit sporadic.
So lunch didn’t happen today and not because I didn’t have
food, but because I couldn’t touch anything that would go into my body with my
nasty, nasty hands. On a long day in the field, the only thing that can
overwhelm your appetite is the thought of exactly how dirty your hands are. How
many hands have you shaken? Door knobs have you touched? Snotty children have
you picked up?
At home I wash my hands approximately 20 times a day—and not
because I have OCD tendencies but rather because I drink an excessive amount of
water and am constantly peeing, and then clearly I wash my hands (because I’m
not nasty).
Here I quaff much less due to non-potable tap water; also
the bathroom experience is much less pleasant. And lastly, who has time for
body functions on business trips? Not I, my friends.
A note on hand
sanitizer
You want to be able to wash your hands in a subtle way so as
not to imply “I think you’re dirty” instead of the true “I’m an epidemiologist
and just know too much about disease transmission”. However, hand sanitizer is
really smelly so everyone knows you’re using it. Then you have to offer it to
everyone and it becomes a novelty to explain. And this whole “my body just isn’t
used to the same germs” talk is usually met with suspicion. At best it comes
off bizarre, at worst rude. Not worth it, especially since TSA is going to take
it away when you mistakenly leave it in your purse.
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