Do You Believe in the 5 Second Rule?

I am a firm believer in the 5 Second Rule. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this rule, let me enlighten you. The 5 Second Rule dates back as far as anyone can remember. This technique has been used for centuries because of its practicality and non-wasteful ways. The 5 Second Rule, by definition, is when a remnant of food descends from ones hands/mouth onto a surface, thus causing one to swiftly pick up the fallen remnant and relocated it back into ones hands/mouth. The controversy of this matter is whether or not it is safe to ingest food that has been on an unknown surface: floor, restaurant table, carpet, etc. I'll have you know, this process is rather safe if you posses common sense. If you don't, here are some question you can ask yourself if caught in such a predicament.
What kind of food did I just drop? If it falls under the category "sticky" or has a sort of damp coding - suckers, ice cream, hard candy, something you have been sucking on - do not eat it. I repeat do NOT eat it! Now, if the food you dropped is hard, such as an apple, it is certainty okay to dust it off on your shirt and continue eating. As for an already bitten into apple, all you have to do is run it under the sink for bit, and it's good as new. 
Second question you should ask yourself is, what type of surface did my food just touch? If it is a surface you are familiar with - like your own kitchen floor or dinner table - then you can judge whether it is clean enough for your liking. The 5 Second Rule tends to get a bit blurry when it comes to public spaces. It all depends on how comfortable you are, and how strong or weak your immune system is. If your food has fallen on the floor of the school cafeteria, the subway, a muddy hall way, or anything that is alarmingly dirty do NOT eat it! When it comes to the outdoors I feel it is okay to eat something after it has fallen on the grass, but never if it has directly touched dirt. 
The final question is, how long was my food on the ground? In my opinion, The 5 Second Rule can safely be stretched to 20 seconds. Anything past 30 seconds, say goodbye to your food. Once again, this also applies to how long you are comfortable with your food touching unknown surfaces. 
In truth, the 5 Second Rule might not be all that safe, but it helps one from being wasteful and can help in times of need. The 5 Second Rule is very useful in times of crisis. If you dropped your sandwich at lunch are you going to starve, or pick that perfectly good sandwich up?  Pick up the perfectly good sandwich!