AEE 2697: Do You Follow the Five-Second Rule?

This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2697. Do you follow the five second rule? Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English?

We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz, and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer. coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA. To get real-time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven-day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward slash app.

Are you a shoes on or shoes off household? If a chip drops on the floor, will you still eat it? Today, let's open up a great cultural topic for connection.

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Hey there, Aubrey. How's it going today? I'm great, Lindsay. How are you? Good, but I have a question. You ready? Yes. All right. So do you follow the five second rule?

I do for dry foods, like a cracker, a piece of popcorn. I will pick it up and put it right in my mouth, but nothing like cheese or something. Because it could get things on it, right? Yeah, I feel like.

What about you? Yeah. We justify everything. I do follow it for sure. But yeah, not if I spill some kind of like if I spill yogurt on the floor, I'm not going to lick it off the floor.

I'm so curious if people around the world know what this is, the five second rule, if this exists in other countries, other cultures. So here in the States, this the five second rule means if you drop food on the floor, you have five seconds to pick it up and eat it before it would have like germs on it. But of course, you know, wet foods like it could immediately get whatever. But in my mind, if it's a pretzel or a cracker, it's fine.

Blow it off. Same here. I think the same way. But I'm so excited that we're getting into this today because this is cultural. This is obviously linguistic because we have expressions that we use.

Particularly one which you already said at the top of the episode, Aubrey, five second rule, right? So we're going to learn a lot today. And this has been in my mind a lot too because my newborn son, he went into daycare and he got a first three days. He was no match for the germs flying around that place.

He got a nasty cold right away. Yeah. Yeah. And you still got it three weeks later. I remember when I had toddlers in Arizona at home, if their pacifier, the like plug you put in their mouth would fall on the floor.

I'd like rinse it off and put it back in their mouth. But if that fell on the floor in like the New York City subway, forget about it. We're going to put it somewhere to sanitize later or maybe just throw it away. So that depends too, right?

I'm not talking about droppings. It depends on where you are. If you're willing to pick something off the floor and eat it at a store or on the street or in New York, anywhere, I wouldn't. I'm glad you're saying this.

I just hopped these floors. They're clean. Yeah, I'm glad you're saying this so no one misunderstands us here. We're not talking about picking something off Fifth Avenue here on the...

That's a little different. Yeah. So this is really interesting. But also, I certainly know people who do not observe the five second rule. If they drop something on the floor straight in the trash, they would never put it in their mouth.

Do you know people like that, Lindsay? Sure. Yeah, of course. They're out there. We're all different. But people love to connect over germs. I ask people this a lot, especially, you know, we're going to talk about when this would best come up in a conversation, but it's a pretty common topic.

It's pretty common. And we need to know exactly what to say. And it's kind of a chunk, right? We can't say five second law. right? No, right. Good point.

We have to say five. So we're getting into this today, guys. If you love this kind of modern cultural topic that everyone kind of talks about, native speakers use this, but maybe you've never been taught this before. This is the place to learn it, right?

Right here at All Airs English. So hit the follow button right here on the show, wherever you're listening, subscribe on YouTube or follow on the podcast. Exactly. All right, let's dive in.

I thought about this episode because I read an article in The Guardian, theguardian.com. It was by Kate Lloyd just a few days ago. And it was called Is It True That You Have Five Seconds Grace After Dropping Food on the Floor? And this so The Guardian is a British publication.

And I was thinking about like, oh, interesting. I'm sure this must exist in the UK as well. But I'm curious if they don't say five second rule, because she just calls it five seconds grace, which is another way to say it. It means like you have five seconds for something.

I thought that was really interesting. Yeah. Grace, five seconds grace. I like that. Kind of you have a pass, right? This idea of you have a pass for five seconds.

Should we read the quote here? Yeah, we're going to give some details from that article. But it was really interesting as I read it. I did find myself wondering, what is this like around the world, right?

Are there some countries or cultures where people would never eat off the floor? Or are there other cultures where absolutely it's crazy not to? Or is it like in the States where it depends on the person, it depends how you're raised, and it depends where you are and how clean the floor seems, right? I know.

And when I hear the expression, eat off the floor, I kind of cringe. I feel like I wouldn't quite go that far. Yeah. But if you have dropped food on the floor, Lindsay, there is no difference.

You've eaten off the floor, right? I know. It's a very subtle term that makes me a little uncomfortable, right? It's how you spin it, right? It's how you spin it.

What are we actually talking about? We're not talking about sitting down and picking stuff up off the floor. We're talking about, oh, something, you know, a chip happened to drop down on the floor. I'm going to grab it and pick it up.

Five second rule. Exactly. Right. So let's go into some of these details. In the article, she shared that John Tregoning, who's a professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, she said that he has bad news for us.

In this The Guardian article, he shared details from three different studies about bacteria transfer. And so for you and I, Lindsay, and anyone else who observes the five second rule, this is bad news. It's just completely fabricated as in someone made it up somewhere at some point and it makes us all feel good. That kind of makes sense, right?

So basically they said that this rule is false. Bacteria transfers immediately to any food, right? And that bacteria is on surfaces for 24 hours. So for example, if like contaminated chicken touched a work surface and then two hours later you set your bread there, then

Bacteria can be transferred. So it's interesting. It's not just about floors, though, of course, floors are dirtier than like your countertops. If there's bacteria on your countertop, that also if you put food right on a countertop, it also could be a problem.

Yeah. I mean, I'm super careful about things like chicken. Yeah, me too. you know, that innocent chip that falls on the floor. It feels like it gets a pass.

But yeah, chicken, I definitely always wash my hands, right? We're trying to really be careful with anything that could actually have very harmful bacteria. And a lot of us, you probably heard this, where we'll say, you know, germs build up immunity or like, oh, that builds up immunity, right? Where if we're like, oh, if you drop something on the floor...

Which there is some truth to that. I was looking into articles about that, how like if you are exposed to germs, does it build up immunity? Somewhat. A lot of germs, these articles were saying like there's no building up immunity to a lot of diseases and germs.

But for some of it, yes, right? When we're exposed to certain illnesses or diseases, it can boost our immune system and make it more ready to fight it later. Yeah. I mean, my thinking with my son having gotten this actually honestly has a really bad cold right now.

And I'm thinking this is horrible and I'm not sleeping very well because he's coughing and I feel terrible for him. But in my head, my narrative is, oh, he's going to have such great immunity when he's older because he got sick so young, you know. Right. Exactly.

I'm building up. I've thought that as well. I'm like, I'm building up their immunity by exposing them to other kids with germs. It's good. It's good for them.

It's good. It's good. It's good. What if you and then if you rinse it with water? No, like, let's say here's the question, because I will do this if I drop like a strawberry, then I'll just rinse it in the sink.

and I'm not using anything that would actually kill germs. I'll just rinse it in the water and still eat it. What do you think? What does rinsing with water do?

Well, I do that too, admittedly, but I guess it doesn't guarantee it, right? It would maybe rinse off whatever else could maybe be on the floor that it could stick to it, right? But it definitely won't kill any germs. So if people wear shoes in your home or if your pets go outside and then come in the home, what these articles were saying is there are so many germs and

You know, things you would not want to eat that are on your floor. So it's a matter of how often you're cleaning the floor and if you're removing shoes or if there are no pets tracking anything through the home. Yeah, but it's hard. It's hard because if you open up this can of worms in your mind, you can get really obsessive and like worry about it too much too.

So we have to find this mental balance of like... We're not going to take chances, but we're also not going to obsess over it. Exactly, right? We all know a germaphobe, which some people are self-declared germaphobes, or they would never eat anything off the floor.

They're like, I'm a germaphobe. They're doing everything they can to avoid any germs. And you're right, Lindsay, really, usually a happy medium, like a balance somewhere between is a healthier place to be. Yeah, for sure.

Are you a shoes-on or a shoes-off household? Yeah. We really try to be a shoes off household. But often people will come if it's like a party and people are kind of coming and going and we're in the back as well, then it's really difficult to really keep no shoes.

So anytime anyone's over, we actually got one of those robot mops that like we'll just send to like mop the floor. That helps a ton. So then I'm not quite so stressed about it. But ideally, I would love there be no shoes in the house.

Well, this is a very cultural thing. We're a shoes-off household. We live in the city. And yeah, we definitely don't wear shoes in the house. But sometimes, you know, if you're just running back into the house to grab something, you forgot something, right?

That's where we run into issues, right? You just need to cross the kitchen and you're in the car. Your partner's waiting in the car. We've all been there, right?

Oh, I got to go grab the keys or my water and I'm leaving my shoes on. It's situations like that. And Kiefer doesn't wear shoes. He's going outside and coming in.

this when you think about that that's yeah so we wipe his feet when he comes in oh that's good but sometimes we forget sometimes we're yeah yeah it's we're not perfect perfect well this is so interesting because this is a great like we have been having a really fun conversation about this we want you to be able to have conversations about this and the best time to spark this conversation is when food falls on the floor and then if you pick it up and eat it you can say five second rule and eat it. Or if not, if you're not a person that eats food off the floor, you could throw it away. And what could you say, Lindsay?

You might say, I'm a bit of a germaphobe. What about you? Right? Because you're going to bend down. It's going to maybe stop a conversation. And so we want to have something to say.

Exactly. Right. Or you could ask them, do you follow the five second rule? Or you could say, I'm not a five second rule, girly. Do you follow the five second rule?

Right? Exactly. I definitely recommend like start that conversation. You don't have to, you could just throw it away or eat it and not say anything, but it will spark some fun conversations.

Oh, for sure. You might feel a little awkward. And anytime you feel awkward because you drop something, say something, make it a connection moment. This is very cultural in the US, right?

Name the awkwardness, talk about it, have a conversation about it, and then yeah, you'll have a fun moment. And just going back to the shoes on, shoes off, this is also a great conversation starter and connection moment. Just because having we both traveled the world a lot, we know there's a huge variation in terms of like in Japan, you would never enter a home with your shoes on. Like never.

Yeah. Right. You would never do what I just described, run across the kitchen with shoes on. And a lot of cultures are like that. There are special slippers that are just designed for the home.

And when you go into a Japanese home, even in the US, some of my friends who are Japanese, I knew that. I was like, okay, I have to make sure I take my shoes off. Right. And do you know, Lindsay, I'm curious if they have pets, are they just like wiping the feet when they get home?

Great question. We have to ask our listeners. Yeah. Leave a comment for us on YouTube because I've thought this. I'm like, I know there are so many people will be shoes off household.

But then if they have pets that they go on a walk and come in, that's so much work. It's harder. I'm sure it's worth it, especially if you are really concerned about the germs outside. But what pets are tracking in?

Oh, it makes me cringe sometimes when I take Kiefer out for a walk. Like some people have like a little pool that their dog will step into and maybe have like some kind of safe disinfectant that he can step on, step into like almost a little mini bath. Or some people have booties on their dogs too. I've seen that, but that's more for like snow.

I don't know. Yeah. Now in Arizona, the concrete and the sidewalk gets so hot that people will have like booties on the dog's feet to protect them from the heat.

Again, it's just one of those things where you have to be careful not to think about too. Don't overthink it because you'll become like, oh my God, I can't live in this house. But yeah, this is another great conversation starter, guys. Are you a shoes on or shoes off household?

Because in American culture, it really varies by the family, I think. Yes. And here's something tricky, Lindsay, I want to ask you, because often someone will arrive at our home and they'll say, like, should I take my shoes off? Right.

And I it's so tricky because I usually say yes, like, oh, yes, if you don't mind. But I feel I wish they would just not ask. I wish they would just take them off without asking. Oh, yeah.

Because it's sort of putting me in this awkward situation of how to be like, yes. Yes. Yeah. The default is good. I mean, yeah. But I understand asking.

It's just tricky because I think some hosts, some people would, you know, they'll say like, oh, whatever you want to do, or they won't want to say yes, please. They're just hoping people will take them off. It depends on a person's personality. Oh, do you remember that Sex and the City?

I don't know if you ever got into Sex and the City. There was a great Sex and the City episode where Carrie and their friends went to a party and it was a shoes-off party and they were totally offended because their shoes went with their outfits, right? I mean, it just didn't work. I guess in the city, even though it's ironic because – They're wearing like big heels with their –

heels and the right color. And then her shoes end up getting stolen and it's a whole thing. Did you see that episode? No, I haven't. But I feel like I've heard someone talking about it.

So that was very much like a moment in culture. And it's so true. Often, I'll be wearing mismatched socks. And then I go to take my shoes off. I'm like, oh, I should have thought about the socks I put on.

I do that all the time. Or then you're barefoot and I have not gotten a manicure or a pedicure, you know. Or there's like a hole in your sock or something. Sometimes that happens to me.

Can we just stay outside? We're admitting all our secrets today on the show. Oh, that's so funny. So really great. Even though this is funny, it's fun.

It's actually, this is a really important episode for conversation starters, for manners, for what to say when you walk in a household. I would say, Aubrey, I would still recommend asking, at least in American culture, should I take my shoes off when I walk, even though it does put the burden on the host a little bit or just take them off.

Don't just walk into someone's house because even in the States, a lot of people like, yes, a lot of homes are shoes on household, but a lot of them aren't. And they will be offended if you just walk into their house with shoes on. Exactly. Exactly.

All right. Good stuff. So we'll take a quick break and then we'll do a role play. Right? Yeah. There's a big difference between understanding English and participating in English.

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Okay, Aubrey, role play time. So what's going on in this conversation? You and I are friends. We're hanging out at your house. I'll start us out. Ready?

Yes. Oh, no, my cookie fell on the floor. Please don't tell me you're going to eat that. Relax. Five second rule. That's not a thing. Sure it is. Watch.

No, no, no. Put it down. It's fine. The floor looks really clean. I'm not wasting a perfectly good cookie. I guess I'm a bit of a germaphobe. You do you.

Thank you. I'm very much enjoying my floor cookie. So yeah, this could be a conversation if one of you is not a germaphobe and will absolutely eat things off the floor and another one isn't, right? You might have this exact conversation.

Yes. This would be a great conversation topic for Open Conversation Club, Aubrey. That's true. Don't you think? Yeah. Yeah. And I want to point out, I noticed as I read this roleplay, a pronunciation mistake that I really made because I was just reading when I said, sure it is like that felt weird.

And I'm like, oh, yeah. So the way we say this phrase, if you say that's not a thing, what I would say is sure it is. And the emphasis would be unsure. Sure it is.

Which is another way of saying like, yes, it is. I disagree. Right. But when I first read that roleplay, if you go back and listen, and I emphasized that.

It is, right? Sure it is. That's not the way we say that. I didn't even notice that. I noticed it as I said it. So I was like, what? Something's not right.

Something's not right. Yeah. So we showed our listeners a couple of the key phrases for connection here. I said, please don't tell me you're going to eat that.

And you said, relax. Five second rule. And yes, if you're going to eat something off the floor, this is often what we'll do. We'll just say five second rule and we eat it and somebody else might make fun of us or be disgusted.

But it's playful like this. I've had this exact conversation and I wasn't upset with the person who was making fun of me for eating, you know, a floor cookie. No, but I also have no shame about it. I'm like, yeah.

Where it is a badge of honor. Yeah. It's kind of like an identity thing. Most people come down on one side or the other and you're going to want to justify your perspective and talk about it.

It's like something that we cling to in our identities. Right. So interesting. And then I also heard the phrase, I said the phrase, I guess I'm a bit of a germaphobe.

And then I said, you do you. That's another important phrase where intonation matters, Aubrey. Yes, this is so good. First of all, you sort of admitting, especially in comparison to your friend here, you'd be like, compared to you, I'm a germaphobe.

Even if you wouldn't normally call yourself that, this isn't that negative really to call yourself a germaphobe. You're more like creating connection between us because you're saying like, okay, you would do that compared to you, I'm a germaphobe. And then using this phrase, you do you. And yeah, the intonation was say, you do you.

You do you, right? I'm kind of saying like, okay, do it. It's what you do, but no judgment. It's your life. Yeah, it's your life. If you want to get every disease of all the bacteria around here, you do you.

This is a great topic today. I love this. I feel like maybe we should ask a question in social media or something, Aubrey, and see where people come down on this or maybe inside our student community. Definitely.

Leave a comment on YouTube for sure. Come find the YouTube video. Let us know if you follow the five a second rule. Is yours a shoes off household? Give us some details about where you live and what this is like in your culture, in your country.

Yeah, really good. Where else can we go next to keep listening to the show? Yeah, we want to make sure that you don't miss a recent episode 2695, which was running on fumes, idioms for expressing exhaustion. So if you missed that one, scroll up and check it out.

All right. Sounds good. Aubrey, we'll see you next time. Great conversation today. And hopefully we both stay healthy. Yes. I'm glad we have this in common, but it's true.

I know that would have been awkward. I don't get sick very often. So maybe it's because of the five second rule building up my amenities. I don't either.

I'm sick right now because my son got sick, but I really don't get sick. So maybe, maybe there's something to that. I can just imagine all the listeners are like horrified, but I'm sure some of you out there agree with us. Yeah, for sure.

All right. Good stuff. All right, Aubrey. We'll see you next time. Take care. Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level?

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