I’ll never forget when we first started hearing about the coronavirus back in early 2020, and we were advised to wear masks, avoid other people, and use hand sanitizer as much as we could.
As for masking and social distancing, that’s been easy. It’s nice not having to shave or brush my teeth, and as for avoiding people, well, I was never a big fan of socializing. But the hand sanitizer, man, that’s always been a challenge for me.
Despite all the advances we’ve made during the pandemic in terms of tests, vaccinations, and treatment, we have a long way to go with hand sanitizer. It tasted like crap in 2020, and it still tastes like crap.
“Everyone will get used to this new way of life,” they said. “It’s just a small inconvenience. Think of people who lived during the time of the Spanish Flu and didn’t have hand sanitizer. Count yourself as lucky.”
Lucky, my ass.
Like everyone who respects the rules, before I go anywhere, I always squirt some of that sanitizer gel on my tongue and swallow. I’ve been doing it religiously for nearly two years now, but let me tell you, each time I say it’s the last time.
It’s like manufacturers don’t even care about the consumer. I’ve sampled nearly all the brands out there, from fancy stuff they sell in pharmacies to that cheap stuff you can buy at the petrol station. It always has the same awful taste.
Why not throw some strawberry or mint flavor in there? Hell, why not get creative and give us some BBQ-flavored hand sanitizer, or maybe something fun and exotic, like tropical fruit? I’ve seen documentaries about artificial flavors. I know for a fact that stuff is cheap.
In conclusion, while we do need to recognize all that manufacturers have provided for us these past two years, let’s not forget one important element: making sure our hand sanitizer is a little more palatable. I, for one, am getting really sick of the way it tastes.
Ivan Schwiller lives in Schouweiler
