# Be Sure to try the Special-Painted Rat! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579 "2005-05-05T19:23:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/1 "2005-05-05T19:23:47Z")
In the interest of fighting ignorance, here’s a quick quiz for SDMB wanna-be restaurant owners and food service workers: There’s a dead rat on the floor. Do you: a) Remove it and sanitize the area b) Point and scream “ICKY RAT!” c) Nudge it out of the way with your toe d) Paint the rat to match the floor If you answered “d”-there may be a job waiting for you in [Oz](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15174995-13762,00.html). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/2 "2005-05-05T19:31:49Z")
How about: e) ask it if it would like an appetizer before it orders a main course ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/3 "2005-05-05T19:48:52Z")
[Homer] Mmmm, floor rat! [/Homer] Obviously, they need to start serving [Golden Puffs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315073) cereal, and then they won’t have any rat problems. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/4 "2005-05-05T23:50:44Z")
No worries… ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/5 "2005-05-05T23:54:07Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > How about: > > e) ask it if it would like an appetizer before it orders a main course It’s _dead_. Dead critters show little or no appetite. Since it’s in a restaurant, I might try performing a Heimlich (sp?) maneuver, though I’m not quite sure how one goes about doing that to a rodent. I draw the line at an attempt to revive it with mouth-to-mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/6 "2005-05-06T00:27:26Z")
The rat…was it painted a _tasteful_ color? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/7 "2005-05-06T00:41:26Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > The rat…was it painted a _tasteful_ color? That’s the best pun I’ve heard all day. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/8 "2005-05-06T01:03:27Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > It’s _dead_. Dead critters show little or no appetite. No no, it’s only **mostly** dead. The paint they used was Miracle Max Brand[sup]tm[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/9 "2005-05-06T01:08:56Z")
could have been just pinin’ for the fjords. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/10 "2005-05-06T01:13:26Z")
> [@The Courier Mail](#): > > …Gold Coast City Council health inspectors who raided Jo’s Brasserie last August photographed the rat… Oh, I _so_ wanted to read this as “Jo’s Brassiere!” ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/11 "2005-05-06T06:44:48Z")
Yeah, that was in yesterdays local paper. Worst part is that the person who runs the joint seems to have numerous convictions for similar things. Bleah. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/12 "2005-05-06T12:28:13Z")
Yeah but they serve a great rat sorbet… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/13 "2005-05-06T15:14:51Z")
Okay, I just read the linked story - WTF? Hereabouts, by the time you got to the part where you had a whole rat city in your kitchen and some unspecified fungus growth and people being served whole fish with guts and all, the health department would have shut you down six months ago! Do they not do regular surprise inspections? ---
**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/14 "2005-05-06T15:36:34Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Yeah but they serve a great rat sorbet… Is that rat tart? I’ll have a slice without so much rat in it. Try the **rat** attouie. Ow! Stop hitting me! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/15 "2005-05-06T20:02:18Z")
And I’ll have a side of vermincelli with marinara sauce. As for inspections, if there is anything like here, they have a hard enough time doing one scheduled inspection a year. About the only way to get a surprise inspection is if someone dies from food poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/16 "2005-05-06T20:30:19Z")
Jeez, I don’t see what the big deal is. The dead rat was only on the floor, it’s not like it was on a _table_. I bet if you turned the lights down low enough you wouldn’t even notice. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/17 "2005-05-07T01:44:41Z")
Had they scraped him off the floor prior to painting and tenderized him, you could have had rat pate. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/18 "2005-05-07T02:07:04Z")
> [@](#): > > The inspectors had acted on complaints from customers and staff, who alleged meals had been scooped out of rubbish bins and re-served. > > Another customer cut into a fish, only to find it had not been gutted and cleaned. So horrified were they by the discovery, they took the plate home and froze it as evidence. Mmmm…yummy. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/19 "2005-05-07T15:16:02Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > It’s _dead_. Dead critters show little or no appetite. > > Since it’s in a restaurant, I might try performing a Heimlich (sp?) maneuver, though I’m not quite sure how one goes about doing that to a rodent. I draw the line at an attempt to revive it with mouth-to-mouth. I, um, once did mouth to mouse resucitation. Really. I accidently dropped a weight off the top of a cage into it. I didn’t actually hit this little mouse, biut I scared him so bad he seized up. Whiskers went stiff, wet himself, the whole bit. Anyway, he was just a baby, barely got his fur, so I felt pretty bad. I looked at him, all limp in the palm of my hand, and blew into his open mouth. Then I did a few one-fingered chest compressions. Damned if he didn’t start up again! :eek: I ended up taking him home. He lived out his span quite happily. Oh, and his name was Lazarus! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-sure-to-try-the-special-painted-rat/302579/20 "2005-05-07T18:27:30Z")
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