תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן הֲלָכָה בִּסְעוּדָה: אָדָם יוֹצֵא לְהַשְׁתִּין מַיִם — נוֹטֵל יָדוֹ אַחַת וְנִכְנָס. דִּיבֵּר עִם חֲבֵירוֹ וְהִפְלִיג — נוֹטֵל שְׁתֵּי יָדָיו וְנִכְנָס. וּכְשֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל, לֹא יִטּוֹל מִבַּחוּץ וְיִכָּנֵס, מִפְּנֵי חֲשָׁד. אֶלָּא נִכְנָס וְיוֹשֵׁב בִּמְקוֹמוֹ וְנוֹטֵל שְׁתֵּי יָדָיו, וּמַחֲזִיר הַטָּפִיחַ עַל הָאוֹרְחִין.
The Gemara proceeds to discuss a related topic. The Sages taught a halakha with regard to a meal in a baraita: A person who exits a meal to urinate washes one of his hands, the one that he used to brush off drops of urine, and enters to resume the meal. If one left, spoke with another, and lingered outside, he washes both of his hands and enters to resume the meal. Presumably, during the lengthy conversation he was distracted from maintaining the cleanliness of his hands, requiring him to wash his hands again. And when one washes his hands for the meal he should not wash them outside and then enter, due to the concern that doing so will arouse suspicion that he did not wash his hands. Rather, he enters and sits in his place and washes both his hands, and returns the jug of water to pass among the guests and ask if anyone requires water, to make certain that everyone is aware that he washed his hands.
אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: לָא אֲמַרַן אֶלָּא לִשְׁתּוֹת, אֲבָל לֶאֱכוֹל — נוֹטֵל מִבַּחוּץ וְנִכְנָס, דְּמִידָּע יְדִיעַ דַּאֲנִינָא דַּעְתֵּיהּ. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: וַאֲנָא אֲפִילּוּ לִשְׁתּוֹת נָמֵי, מִידָּע יָדְעִי דַּאֲנִינָא דַּעְתַּאי.
Rav Ḥisda said: We said this principle with regard to making certain that one washes his hands in public only when he enters to drink; however, if he enters and intends to eat he may even wash his hands outside and enter. Why is this so? It is because it is well known that he is fastidious and would not handle food without cleaning urine and the like off his hands. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And I can even wash my hands outside when I intend only to drink, because they know that I am fastidious and that I certainly washed my hands before I entered to eat.