Researcher, Professor Paul L. Dawson, from Clemson University, got the idea from the famous Seinfeld episode where George is caught "double dipping" his chip... taking two servings of dip with one chip. Some (most) would think that's just offensive.
"That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!" George Costanza was scolded while at a wake, and dipping his chip twice in the dip. That's pretty close to the truth, according to Professor Dawson.
About a year ago, food microbiologist undergraduates examined the effects of double dipping using volunteers, wheat crackers and sample dips. It was found that that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from a person's mouth to the bowl of dip sample.
"I was very surprised by the results," Dawson said. "I thought there would be very minimal transfer. I didn't think we would be able to detect it."
"I like to say it's like kissing everybody at the party — if you're double dipping, you're putting some of your bacteria in that dip," Dawson said.
The results of the research are scheduled to be published in the journal Food Safety within the next six months, he said.
Read the study from Clemson University
Double Dipping Does Transfer Bacteria - George Was Wrong! í here
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[George, attending a wake, takes a large tortilla chip, dips it into a bowl of what appears to be sour cream, takes a bite, dips it into the bowl again, and then eats the remainder of the chip.]
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| Timmy: |
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What are you doing? |
| George Costanza: |
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What? |
| Timmy: |
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Did, did you just double dip that chip? |
| George Costanza: |
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Excuse me? |
| Timmy: |
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You double dipped a chip! |
| George Costanza: |
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Double dipped? What, what, what are you talking about? |
| Timmy: |
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You dipped a chip. You took a bite. And you dipped again. |
| George Costanza: |
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So? |
| Timmy: |
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That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip. From now on, when you take a chip, just take one dip and end it. |
| George Costanza: |
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Well, I'm sorry, Timmy, but I don't dip that way. |
| Timmy: |
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Oh, you don't, huh? |
| George Costanza: |
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You dip the way you want to dip. I'll dip the way I want to dip. |
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[George grabs another chip, dips it, takes a bite and begins to reach for the dip as Timmy grabs his hand.] |
| Timmy: |
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Gimme the chip! |
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[An all-out brawl breaks out between George and Timmy.]
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