Did You Just Eat That?: Two Scientists Explore Double-Dipping, the Five-Second Rule, and other Food Myths in the Lab

Paul Dawson; Brian Sheldon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393609758 ISBN 13: 9780393609752

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018

A rollicking yet rigorous inquiry that follows the science of germs into the kitchen, restaurant and everywhere else you eat and drink.

Did You Just Eat That? provides the answers to perennial questions about food and germs, such as whether electric hand dryers spread fewer germs than paper towels or about picking a crisp off the ground within five seconds of dropping it.

The authors show how they have determined everything from how much bacteria gets transferred from sharing utensils to how many microbes live on restaurant menus. They list their materials and methods, guide the reader through their results and offer explanations of food safety and microbiology. Written with humour, this fascinating book reveals surprising answers to the weirdest and most commonly debated questions about food and germs.

Review:

Myth busters move over and squeamish eaters beware. Here is a fun, entertaining, fact-filled, and scientific dive into the potentially daily disgusting and dangerous encounters we can have with food--but also with easy-to-follow advice to save you! --Rachel Herz, author of Why You Eat What You Eat

If, like me, you've always been suspicious of hand driers in toilets, or worried about the transfer of germs when you pick up a menu in a restaurant, then this book is for you. Entertaining and enlightening in equal measure. --Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters

About the Author:

Paul Dawson is a professor at Clemson University whose work has been featured on NPR, CNN, Headlines News, and MSNBC, among other media outlets. He lives in Clemson, South Carolina.