Let’s just admit it: We’ve all double dipped. Whether you’re at a frat party, a family dinner, or black-tie event, it just seems wrong to eat a chip without any dip. The logic when you take that half-eaten chip back for round two goes something like, How bad can it be, right?
As it turns out, double dipping can spread more harmful bacteria than you might have realized. In 2009, Clemson University food safety professor Paul Dawson wanted to find out just how bad this common cocktail party habit is so he gathered a team of researchers and conducted a study that was published in the Journal of Food Safety.
To understand how bacteria spreads at your standard buffet table, Dawson and his colleagues dipped crackers in three categories of “dip”: water, acidic water, and real-life dips (salsa, cheese dip, and chocolate dip). What they found was fairly surprising. According to the study, bacteria was most easily transferred through plain water—about 5,000 bacteria per milliliter to be specific. With acidic water, at a pH of 6.0, which better simulates the real food we eat, a cracker with a bite taken out of it transfers about 3,800 bacteria per milliliter. As for the actual dips we eat in daily living, the thinner the consistency, the more likely it is to spread bacteria from a slobber-coated chip.
To put it in simpler terms, bacteria is more likely to stick on the chip when you double dip in something thick like guacamole. With a thinner dip like salsa, the bacteria is more likely to spread throughout the rest of the bowl. You can find all of strains of bacteria transferred—Streptococcus, Prevotella, and Veillonella—in a healthy person’s mouth, but taken out of that context, they can sometimes cause infections.
“This is still significantly more bacteria than there should be,” Dawson says of their findings, and while “the odds are pretty low that it’s going to be dangerous, that is how common colds are spread.” Case in point, if you’re sick, just stay away from the communal foods altogether—for everyone’s sake.
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We could start a rumor.
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.