# I have eaten the inedible. What will happen to me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130 "2005-03-25T02:10:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/1 "2005-03-25T02:10:25Z")
I like edamame beans. I have found them tastier with pods intact. I just bought some in a ready-to-eat box and the back says that the pods are inedible. Is there any harm to keep eating the pods? I did not notice ant effects from eating them previously. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/2 "2005-03-25T02:41:21Z")
It will not be an [alien](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/) that burst through your torso, although some guy named Jack will thank you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/3 "2005-03-25T02:48:06Z")
> [@](#): > > I did not notice ant effects from eating them previously. Maybe ants don’t think they’re edible, either. (Owww! Stop hitting me!) ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/4 "2005-03-25T03:02:14Z")
I don’t know if there’s anything special about the pods but I would assume that like other non-digestible stuff (chewing gum, parts of corn kernels, etc) it’ll just be excreted normally. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/5 "2005-03-25T07:54:34Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > I don’t know if there’s anything special about the pods but I would assume that like other non-digestible stuff (chewing gum, parts of corn kernels, etc) it’ll just be excreted normally. “it’ll just be excreted normally”…[translating]…“you’ll just shit them out” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/6 "2005-03-25T11:13:53Z")
No they won’t do you any harm. But I have to ask - how the hell do you manage to eat the pods? When I’ve tried them they’ve been as fibrous as all hell (assuming hell is fairly fibrous). The beans themselves, however, are salty manna from heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/7 "2005-03-25T12:07:22Z")
Corn is inedible, but that doesn’t stop most Americans from gobbling it down. All roughage is, by definition, inedible. It just means that it’ll pass through your intestines without getting absorbed into them. No big deal. “Unpalatable” is a whole 'nother matter. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/8 "2005-03-25T17:10:10Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > No they won’t do you any harm. But I have to ask - how the hell do you manage to eat the pods? When I’ve tried them they’ve been as fibrous as all hell (assuming hell is fairly fibrous). Uhm . . . I ate 'em myself. Hubby and I decided to order something different at our favorite Japanese resturant. They came as a side dish. We ate the pods, which, of course, required vigorous chewing, thinking, “Well, this isn’t very good.” Then we noticed other diners discarding the pods. We looked at each other, laughed a little, and hoped no one else had seen. We lived. No side effects. I assume they “passed” as all things must. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/9 "2005-03-25T19:31:44Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > No they won’t do you any harm. But I have to ask - how the hell do you manage to eat the pods? When I’ve tried them they’ve been as fibrous as all hell (assuming hell is fairly fibrous). Well, they are fibrous and pretty chewey, but very tasty. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/10 "2005-03-25T19:34:03Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Uhm . . . I ate 'em myself. > > We ate the pods, which, of course, required vigorous chewing, thinking, “Well, this isn’t very good.” > > Then we noticed other diners discarding the pods. We looked at each other, laughed a little, and hoped no one else had seen. Lord, I’ve done the same thing. Lived to tell about it. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-eaten-the-inedible-what-will-happen-to-me/296130/11 "2005-03-25T19:37:18Z")
Didn’t they make a movie or three about all you pod people?