Love your analogy.
I feed my gta 1/2" pieces of raw, frozen, Tiger Shrimp (thawed of course) once a day.
He's a little particular and will disgorge or drop anything that's too big or still in he shrimp shell.
I put the shrimp up to his tenticles and he snaps it up from my fingers.
As a scuba diver, I have learned to respect the underwater life and as such, I don't touch anything when diving.
I practice the same with my 55gal tank and dont touch the little guy so I've never been stung in the many feedings.