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Okay-okay-okay -- first, you actually bought a nutmeg grinder? That is so AWESOME! I thought I was doing well with pepper after giving up on grinding coffee!!

Secondly, I've always liberated myself to partake of the samples. Your post changed that, jmhd, thanks. *CACKLE* I know it's not you -- it's that @#$%ing unsupervised kid who changed me for life. For nothing but health reasons, thanks for sharing.

When I was little, and my mom and I went into a store, she always played a little game of sorts with me...it wasn't really a game, but being little and getting attention, I guess it seemed like it to me. Of course I would want to reach out for things, but because she was ALWAYS RIGHT at my SIDE (such a pain for an explorative youth), she would say in a whisper but with a comical smile, "Don't touch!" and she'd join her hands below her waist, wanting me to play some kind of monkey-see-monkey-do thing. And I did! She overplayed the hand-clasping, and I made sure I imitated her as best as I could...worked for her. What a sucker I was!

Yeah - I thought the nutmeg grinder was cool too! There have been a few times where I needed some fresh nutmeg and I used to have some stored in a littler nutmeg grater. But, we always forgot to refill it. As soon as I saw the pre-filled grinder, I grabbed it. Can't wait for a reason to use nutmeg!

But yes, I can't so much blame the kid for reaching for popcorn as when I was a kid I probably would have done the same thing BUT the difference is that my mom or dad would have been hot on my heels showing me the proper way. I remember mom teaching me NOT to double dip (you know, grab a chip, dip it, take a bite and go back to another dip off the bitten chip). A kid doesn't think and until my mom pointed out that we don't do that, the thought that it may have been wrong had not crossed my mind. I also remember my dad teaching me not to chew with my mouth open. We were sitting at our dining room table and I was about 6. He stopped me and said "Thats disgusting. Chew with your mouth closed. No one wants to see the food in your mouth. It is not proper." Before that point, I had no idea.

Yes - it was gross that the little boy reached in and grabbed some popcorn with his dirty kid hand BUT, I feel that it is the job of mom AND dad to police and teach. They were too busy letting little Timmy run around and stay out of their hair so they could shop. Mom was at the front of the store oblivious. The rest of the store wasn't so oblivious to little Timmy's actions though. Ick!

Ewww, these stories are gross! Alas, I will never look at a sample bowl the same way again... I agree that parents should have to pay for what the kids contaminate and ruin.

Yeah, kids will be kids, we all know that. BUT, parents should be parents and stop this kind of rude behavior and that's where the problem is. Store workers, etc. shouldn't have to do it but I cheer them on whenever they do take a stand!

What I've seen before at parties is little 4-year-old Jimmy will be selecting his chips because he's a "big boy" now. He reaches in, grabs a whole handful, and mom grabs his wrist and shakes the chips out of his hand.

I've seen this over and over with different kids and parents and I just think, okay, stay away from THAT chip bowl.

I mean, if an adult did that, it would be practically taboo.

Too funny! It doesn't bother me that much. I do tend to stay away from any samples unless it's offered from a "hostess" and we never eat at buffets.

If we are at parties attended by children, my dh, will not eat anything in a communal bowl. At get-togethers at our home, we usually give the kids their own bowls so they won't be in ours.

I too, have seen mothers shake their kids hands so the snacks go back into the bowl! Ewwwwwwwwww!

.................:: HUG! :: ^_^ I'm thrilled that you did that! If ANYONE else went through and did that, I bet that woman would have been horrified, but because it was her kid it was o.k.?

Seriously, was I the only kid taught "take only what you're going to eat"? I remember it being a sort of game to grab just that ONE chip without touching the rest of them, and using tongs was fun, like simplified chopsticks.

Ok, this is embarrassing, but am I the only one who doesn't know what 'lumpia' is? (sheepishly slinks off)

Whatever it is, I love the way you handled the situation!

I assumed it was a sort of cookie or small treat.

Look. We both learned something:

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Thanks for that Cherry! I had just assumed it was a sweet/pastry. Wow, I wouldn't have got that in a million years!

Thanks, Cherry - very informative. I, too, had never heard of it but assumed that it was some sort of traditional American thing, when apparently I couldn't have been more wrong!