# I contaminated the soup?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 27, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700 "2007-09-27T17:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/1 "2007-09-27T17:01:41Z")
I went to the cafeteria with my friend to scout around for something to eat for lunch. Their food is not usually very good (or very healthy for that matter), so we don’t go there much. The two soup tureens are stacked one in front of the other, but the front tureen spot was empty. The soup display usually has two covers- one for each tureen that is a hinged half-lid with a notch for the ladle to stick out and a plexiglass cover above both tureens which makes it hard to navigate the tall ladles sometimes. My friend and I were trying to check out the only tureen there, the one in back. We opened the lid, stirred the soup around and pulled the ladle up to see what kind of soup it was. The tureen was only about half full and the plexiglass lid makes pulling the ladle up sort of tricky. Anyway, we pulled the ladle up and saw some not very attractive greenish grey soup. I waved my hand to pull the scent our way and we identified the soup as split pea. Bleh. We moved on the the other counters. While there, a lady started yelling something to the server about the soup. The server stopped serving and quickly ran out form behind the counter and took the split pea soup back into the kitchen. Soon, she returned with another soup tureen and placed in the the previously empty, forward positioned tureen spot. I supposed the lady was yelling that the suop was old and wanted some fresh soup. My friend and I saw that there was some new soup and decided to check it out. Hey! It’s not split pea, but what is it? We stirred the ladle around and pulled it up to the top. It seemed to have some small pastas and some meatballs and some kale looking leaves. My friend turned to ask the name of the soup when the lady started yelling at the server again. Something about 'contaminated ’ soup. The server quickly ran out from behind the counter and took the soup away again. Then, the lady started yelling at us! “You can’t smell the soup! You can’t pull the soup up like that! You are contaminating the soup!” Etc, on and on and on. She was yelling and waving her arms- she was very strangely over exicted and causing quite a scene. My friend and I just left. We went back later and told the server that we did not ‘contaminate’ the soup. We were just inspecting it to see what kind it was, and that the lady was serioiously overreacting to what we had done. The server said she was sure we didn’t contaminate the soup and that that lady has caused problems in there before over food issues. So, since it’s the pit: Fuck you, soup nut. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/2 "2007-09-27T17:05:39Z")
The Soup Nutsy! ---
**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/3 "2007-09-27T17:07:11Z")
Just IMAGINE what she would have done if you had spat in it! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/4 "2007-09-27T17:09:49Z")
Well, dude, you looked at it! That’s like sticking your whole face in it! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/5 "2007-09-27T17:12:15Z")
You put the soup in the AIR! And air has GERMS in it! You put GERMS in the SOUP! Clearly, your only recourse would have been to dump a quart of Clorox in the tureen and then force it down the freak’s throat. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/6 "2007-09-27T17:12:33Z")
Oh, man, I had soup earlier this week. I hope nobody looked at it. ::shudders:: ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/7 "2007-09-27T17:13:02Z")
You probably shed a bunch of skin cells right into the soup! You’re so gross! Not to mention that by taking the lid off, you let all sorts of environmental contaminants fall right in. Skin flakes and mold spores - obviously you need to learn how to _think_ the soup into your bowl without touching it, like the rest of us. Barbarian. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/8 "2007-09-27T17:19:06Z")
Oh, my GODS! Seriously WTF were you thinking, _looking_ at the soup? I bet you didn’t just \*look \* at it, you **leered** at it. Pervert. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/9 "2007-09-27T17:21:19Z")
Split pea, more like _spit_ pea, am I right?? You know what I’m saying?? Hello? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/10 "2007-09-27T17:23:00Z")
[QUOTE=Ca3799] We went back later and told the server that we did not ‘contaminate’ the soup. We were just inspecting it to see what kind it was, and that the lady was serioiously overreacting to what we had done. The server said she was sure we didn’t contaminate the soup and that that lady has caused problems in there before over food issues. [/QUOTE] This makes me smile, because I know they’re only taking the tureen in the back, pouring the soup into a clean tureen, and bringing it back out. Anything to make the crazy lady stop yelling. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/11 "2007-09-27T17:37:59Z")
You know, you probably shouldn’t wear your “I Am Typhoid Mary” novelty t-shirt to buffet restaurants. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/12 "2007-09-27T17:38:33Z")
I was thinking that they had a spare tureen in the back (instead of on display) just because they knew it was the Soup Nutso’s regular time to come in, and they have already figured out the best way to make her shut up. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/13 "2007-09-27T17:41:34Z")
The second one was Italian Wedding soup, by the way. Now, quit breathing around the soup. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/14 "2007-09-27T17:48:23Z")
You were lucky, if you had actually pulled the ladle all the way out and dumped the soup into a bowl, then put the ladle back in the tureen they could have called the food police on you for that offense. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/15 "2007-09-27T17:50:58Z")
[QUOTE=Cheesesteak] This makes me smile, because I know they’re only taking the tureen in the back, pouring the soup into a clean tureen, and bringing it back out. Anything to make the crazy lady stop yelling. [/QUOTE] Why pour it into a new tureen? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/16 "2007-09-27T17:53:05Z")
_“Waiter, there’s sebum, subaceous glands and follicles in my soup.”_ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/17 "2007-09-27T17:54:12Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] You were lucky, if you had actually pulled the ladle all the way out and dumped the soup into a bowl, then put the ladle back in the tureen they could have called the food police on you for that offense. [/QUOTE] What if he then started eating it out of the bowl? Eww eww eww eww eww! ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/18 "2007-09-27T18:28:33Z")
Imagine her reaction if **Autolycus** had grabbed the ladle… ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/19 "2007-09-27T18:37:29Z")
I get to be the first to say, “No soup for YOU!” Heh. I’m so lame. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700/20 "2007-09-27T18:43:26Z")
Next time you smell the soup, throw in a little Soylent Green. “It’s PEOPLE! The soup is PEOPLE!” You can just try to out-nutso her. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-contaminated-the-soup/420700.md?page=2)