A new Clemson University study finds that the five-second rule only applies when you can be sure the floor you dropped the food onto is free of salmonella or E. Coli contamination.
The New York Times reports that 5-second rule-ology began in 2003, when Jillian Clarke, an Illinois high school student found that, of the 70% of women and 50% of men who knew the 5-second rule, a majority followed it.
Even if he didn't admit to learning about the 5-second rule from his kids, the Times' reporter is woefully ill-informed.
In his documentary short Parenthood filmmaker Errol Morris showed that real men not only knew and observed the 5-second rule, they taught it to their children as early as 2000. They also drove Station Wagons. Passat Wagons, to be exact.
The Five-Second Rule Explored, or How Dirty Is That Bologna? [nyt]
P. Dawson, I. Han, M. Cox, C. Black and L. Simmons (April 2007), "Residence time and food contact time effects on transfer of Salmonella Typhimurium from tile, wood and carpet: testing the five-second rule," Journal of Applied Microbiology 102 (4), 945-953. [abstract - blackwell-synergy.com]
Related, but not peer-reviewed: The MythBusters debunked the five second thing. [wikipedia]
"Parenthood" (2000), directed by Errol Morris [errolmorris.com]
Previously, and now contradicted by the facts: Morris's "Drive a wagon, wear a skirt" commercial for Miller High Life
3 Comments
Errol Morris is a genius - thanks for sharing this.
Also, seeing as I read your blog every day, I was hoping you might take a moment and check mine out.
Maybe Baby follows our journey through the world of infertility and attempted parenthood with a sense of humor and an ear toward sticking my finger into the eye of the gloriously bizarre world around me.
I'd appreciate your feedback/guidance/ridicule - all are willingly accepted.
When I read the NYT story I was surprised that the author did not know about the five second rule until recently. My dad taught me this rule and that was in the 70s.
I find the 10 second rule preferable to the 5 second rule. Sometimes the 15 second rule is good too...
Leave a comment
Comments may be edited for typos and formatting, but that's about it.
Extremely negative comments may prompt an invitation to reconsider,
but the only candidates for immediate deletion are irrelevant, self-
promoting links and PR spam. Read details here.
Daddy Types will not disclose or sell your personal info. Thanks for weighing in!