Cups of tea at work - an unsanitary problem.

[Easy 10]

We take it in turns to make "rounds" of tea in our office, and we all have our own mugs (mine is the best, its an Albion one). Anyway, there is a slightly awkward problem in this system, and its beginning to have a negative impact on my work.

Whenever its someones turn to make the tea, then naturally enough, they come round to collect the mugs. If I am at my desk, I will politely hand them my mug with the handle facing them, so that they can easily take my mug, along with several others, by hooking a finger through the handles and carrying them to the kitchen. No problem there. Standard practice. Nice and easy.

Except this one bloke. Whenever he collects my mug, despite me giving it to him handle-first, he always, without fail, grabs it by the rim. So basically I have his thumbs and fingertips all over the area where I will be placing my lips to drink from. He could have just gone for a piss, had a shit, picked his nose, had a wank, scratched his arse or anything. And its not just my mug he does this with.

Please vote to advise me how I should HANDLE this.

 

[tedebear]

next time its your turn - pick your nose and wipe it on his cup!! there that'll learn him!!

 

[maffew]

when you collect his mug make sure you do the same having picked your nose and accidentally WIPE it on the inside of his mug

 

[maffew]

whooaa great minds....

 

[CHAPPERS]

I'd go for the comment in a jokey way. He'll still know you are serious because everything men say is for a reason, however much we deny this. He'll know not to do it again but won't have an issue with you because you were 'only joking'.

 

[Marshy]

So he dosent clean the mugs after hes collected them?

 

[Easy 10]

So he dosent clean the mugs after hes collected them?

Ummm, well I certainly don't (unless someone has had soup, or is changing from tea to coffee, in which case I'll rinse it out). I don't do washing up though - I'm at work. Why should I.

I know what I'll do. The next time he fingers my rim, I'll laugh and say "Hope you've washed your hands - I just heard you knocking one out in the bogs" really loudly.

That'll sort it.

 

[lost in london]

Other - put bits of broken glass round the top of your mug so when he picks it up he cuts himself. Simple.

However you will then be back to square one, or even square zero, because you will now definitely have some of his bodily fluids on your mug (blood), and won't be able to drink your tea when you get it.

Ignore that idea. Damn, I wish I'd voted the jokey one.

 

[lost in london]

Thinking about it, in my early barman days I handed some old guy his jug of Harveys with my fingers round the rim. He got very angry and said I might have AIDS and he could catch it. I never did it again. Do this to your colleague, it worked for me.

 

[Juan Albion]

I'd say your failure to wash the mugs is just as bad. Remember, a mug has been sitting there catching all the particles of dead skin floating in the air. Yes, you have been eating the fat bloke next to you.

 

[fatbadger]

Good grief, Easy. This is the real world, not some ridiculous fictional world which propoerly only exists on the pages of a 1950s housekeeper's manual.

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

I think the blokes got some smarts. I reckon he knows that you've got CRAP hands and therefore he has to go for the extra grip afforded by the "rim-grab". He senses that your girly hands might not be able to hold onto the mug for very long, it may well fall from your grasp mid-transfer, therefore he has to hold on tighter.

 

[Gazwag]

Why don't you buy a tray and then everybody will have to place their own mugs on that try


Or just close you eyes when he picks up the mug as what you can't see you can't know. Who know what he does to the mugs while he is waiting for the kettle to boil.

 

[alan partridge]

Ummm, well I certainly don't (unless someone has had soup, or is changing from tea to coffee, in which case I'll rinse it out). I don't do washing up though - I'm at work. Why should I.

what so you just chuck away the left over mouldy bit of drink at the bottom of the cup and carry on regardless making a new tea in the DIRTY mug, that probably has one of those tide mark rings around it and everything?

And you're moaning about this guy's finger?

Anyway, there is a very simple way to sort the problem. Smear some kind of sunstance, around the inside of your mug (after drinking your tea obviously). Then offer him your mug as you always do. Once he gets to the kitchen and finds something indeterminable on his digit he won't be doing that again in a hurry. Could backfire though if he (like you) doesn't rinse the mug out before making you another cuppa.

A sperm ear wax mix should do the trick.

 

[Juan Albion]

A sperm ear wax mix should do the trick.

Do sperm have ears then?

 

[Easy 10]

I hadn't thought of that Shelton. However, I have not divulged my crap hands to every Tom, Dick and Harry. I have only confided the crapness of my baby-soft hands to the exclusive community residing on this board, so I doubt very much whether he is aware.

Juan - its just impractical to wash up the mugs after every single use. I'd end up spending more time in the office kitchen than I do on here, which would clearly be unacceptable (to me, anyway).

Fatbadger - I'm no shrinking violet when it comes to "a bit of rough" on the hygiene issues. After all, I often dine in Preston Street. But I have to draw the line at effectively slurping on some blokes piss-stained fingers every time I have a cuppa.

 

[alan partridge]

Do sperm have ears then?

don't be daft



















ofcourse they do. They eventually have entire working bodies. Once they have sailed up a storkes bottom anyway.

 

[Napper]

Have 2 mugs and transfer the tea from the filthy rimmed one to the clean one.......other benefit being more money spent in the club shop for an albion mug

or get a little tea pot


sorted

what do I win ?

 

[Juan Albion]

Juan - its just impractical to wash up the mugs after every single use. I'd end up spending more time in the office kitchen than I do on here, which would clearly be unacceptable (to me, anyway).

I'm sorry, I apologise. I didn't realise you worked with a whole bloody regiment.

 

[tedebear]

use a straw??