Morgan was at a sandwich shop ordering food when she noticed something gross.
While standing there, she watched the employee making her sandwich. The worker added lettuce and tomatoes, then turned her head to the side and coughed. She turned back, added seasoning, then turned the other way and coughed again. The employee was not wearing a mask. She did cover her cough with her arm, but she was coughing while actively making the sandwich. Morgan panicked because she was already paying as it was happening. After paying, the employee handed her the sandwich as if nothing unusual had happened. Morgan looked at the sandwich and said all she could think about was that it now had a stranger’s germs all over it.
The discussion turned to what someone should do in that situation. Bobby said he would have taken the sandwich but wouldn't plan on eating it because he didn’t want to make the employee feel bad. Bobby added that working in food service is hard, but if someone is coughing, they need to cough away from people and where it isn’t seen. Amy pointed out that the employee did turn away. Bobby said turning doesn’t matter and that someone shouldn’t be coughing while making food. He added that this likely happens all the time, but people don’t usually see it. Once you do see it, you can’t unsee it.
The group agreed that watching someone cough while making food would make it hard to eat. When asked if she ate it, Morgan said she took three bites, but couldn’t get it out of her head, so she threw it away. She said that even if someone turns their head to cough, if the food is right there, particles can still get on it. When asked what kind of cough it was, she said it wasn’t a small cough, it was a chest cough. Though the employee did cough into her arm, watching it happen multiple times made it harder to ignore.
Bobby said if you’re making people’s food, you should hold your breath, make the sandwich, and then go to the back to cough. Lunchbox said he would have asked for his money back and said the employee shouldn’t be making food if they’re coughing. He added that if the employee can’t go home because they need the money, they should be moved away from food and assigned another task. Amy concluded that she probably wouldn’t say anything in the moment. She would try to eat it and put it out of her mind, but probably end up in the same situation as Morgan. Eddie was the only one who said he could eat the sandwich, no problem. Germs don't really bother him, sometimes he will see spare food on a tray outside of a hotel room and eat it. Bobby added the situation just sucks and he feels bad for the employee, because she likely didn’t want to be sick and probably had to work.