Well, we’ve had a rash of lunch thefts at work these past few weeks. There isn’t much that ranks lower, in my opinion, than stealing someone’s lunch.
I haven’t been hit yet, but I’ve been pondering the idea of booby traps.
What could I do that would be on the safe side of the law? I’m assuming ghost pepper and ex-lax brownies are out of the question (even though I think the burning shits is the most perfect form of justice in this instance). I figure the same holds true for a tuna and MeowMix sandwich.
So what’s the best way to deal with the situation?
Why would a tuna and Meow-Mix sandwich be out of the question? Or at least, something that’s really gross like that? It’s not designed to make someone sick, just to be really, really gross. How about tuna, peanut butter, onions, Swiss cheese and strawberry jelly? It’s disgusting, but not something that’ll hurt someone.
Make something really delicious, and load the center of it with food coloring. Something really obvious, like blue or green. It’s pretty unlikely they’ll take a bite without getting some on their face.
Sounds like you’re not committed to the plan if hot peppers are off the menu. I suppose you could coat you lunch bag with phosphorescent paint and go around with a black light.
Guessing that would be unappealing before it ever made it into the culprit’s mouth. Seems to me that you want something they’ll bite into. I think picker’s idea is the best - creative use of food colouring.
Once I am home I will do some digging for a link but they make anti-theft powders that you would scatter inside your lunch bag they stick to everything kind of like talcum powder but when they contact the skin they stain skin very obviously. We used it on employee theft bait a few times with immense success.
Laws are often about intent. If you regularly consume ghost pepper and ex-lax sandwiches you’d have a rather good defense. If you are like most people and do not, you’d have a rather difficult time trying to prove your intent wasn’t to poison someone.
I’ve considered bait soft drinks, preferably something dark, with a nice load of food coloring. Non-toxic, so I can’t get in trouble with management, definite evidence to shame the thief.
Every time we have one of these threads, it seems people show up claiming that if you put something even slightly spicy in your food to deter the thieves you’ll wind up charged with attempted murder.