# This'll kill your appetite: gross stuff found in food **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417 "2000-11-02T18:49:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/1 "2000-11-02T18:49:18Z")
I heard a revolting thing yesterday. A pizza restaurant near my office has been closed and according to gossip, it’s because someone got a mouse on their deluxe. Ugh. Just now, I opened a container of yogurt for lunch, and found a black hair, fortunately before I started eating. Inevitably, nasty food stories remind me of [this story](http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/features/97/06/19/bugs.html), which appeared in the _Providence Phoenix_ a few years back. Gotta love those alternative newspapers. Any other horror stories out there? ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/2 "2000-11-02T19:52:48Z")
That article is really gross! My brother found a fried cockroach in his McDonalds french fries a few years ago. He didn’t take them back or bitch to the manager or anything. He just threw them away. He should’ve sued them like that old woman who spilled her coffee did. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/3 "2000-11-02T20:29:42Z")
I’ve found hair in my food at restaurants more times than I care to remember. I found one of those cellophane-tipped appetizer toothpicks in a hamburger once. Add to that the 2 times I got food poisoning after eating stuffed mushrooms, and you see why I go out to eat maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I once found a piece of wood in a pack of frozen spinach. The grossest thing to me was when I _used_ to eat (urf) lamb. Blecchhh. The thought of lamb will almost make me vomit. I bought a leg of lamb once, got it home, and there was still wool on the bottom part. This is from a store, not a farm or anything. Yeah I know, it’s from an animal, but I don’t hunt, so I found it to be disgusting. I prefer my meat to be as far removed from alive as possible. ---
**Author:** ![hypergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/49beb7/32.png) [@hypergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hypergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/4 "2000-11-03T04:36:31Z")
I found a fingernail in my pizza once a few years ago. But I go to the same place every week and nothing lke that has happened since. It was pretty yucky though. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/5 "2000-11-03T04:59:44Z")
Worms in burgers (like worms in chestnuts). Pubic hairs in chinese food. Longer hairs in pizza. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/6 "2000-11-03T05:06:50Z")
Boil _everything_ before you eat it. Carry a pocket acetylene torch for use when a boiling of water is unavailable. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/7 "2000-11-03T07:38:24Z")
I once found a bandaid in my cream of mushroom soup. The restaurant owner was a little more than relieved I found it, since I was the manager. Doesn’t change the fact that it was in my lunch, though. Worse yet, since I knew the finger from whence it came. Apalling. ---
**Author:** ![hightechburrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@hightechburrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hightechburrito)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/8 "2000-11-03T08:03:48Z")
My mom once found a penny in a Jack in the Box taco. I still think they’re good. ---
**Author:** ![weyrdchic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@weyrdchic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weyrdchic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/9 "2000-11-03T12:21:50Z")
I haven’t exactly \ found \ anything in food, but I’ve seen some pretty gross-looking stuff in the cafeteria… “Why is this the color that it is?” is a favourite lunchtime quote of mine. Which lead to conversations about squeeky beef, and how to turn it into a pickup line, but this is a gross thread, not a perverted one. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/10 "2000-11-03T13:48:50Z")
My brother-in-law found a huge worm in a can of spinach. The worst thing was that he had cooked it and was eating the spinach in a pasta dish when he found the worm. Er, actually…the worst thing was that he found **half** a worm. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/11 "2000-11-03T13:58:12Z")
When I was a little kid I bit into a piece of chocolate cake and discovered a very large mosquito. Later when I was a kid, dad bought some mini Reese’s peanut butter cups (less than an inch in diameter). This was back when they were arranged neatly in a box in a box instead of a bag. I put the box in the freezer (nothing like a frozen Reese’s!). When I took a candy out I noticed the tops looked funny on a few of them. There were grubs just under the chocolate coating. Didn’t eat them. My dad died a almost two years ago. When we were cleaning out the house, I brought some boxes of muffin mix home with me. I made one box and had muffins. A few weeks later I decided to have some more. I found silky “shells” of little worms in the mix. So I got out another one. Same thing. And another. Same thing. Seems a sure bet that the box I _did_ consume had a little extra in it. Good thing I no one else ate them! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/12 "2000-11-03T15:40:59Z")
I was at a local greasy diner (the place was dirty, but you couldn’t beat the prices for the portions, and everyone from work ate there), and I noticed my biscuit was a lot tougher than normal. It had a BIG wood chip baked into it. I also found a splinter just a little bit shorter and thinner than a toothpick–INSIDE a soft drink bottle. A friend got a box of doughnuts from a local shop. His surprise: a chicken bone inside one of the doughnuts! ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/13 "2000-11-03T16:00:26Z")
Looks like **AndyKeats** and I had the same idea - he posted [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44718) yesterday (before I did, too). I guess there’s no shortage of nasty stories… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/14 "2000-11-03T16:35:15Z")
I got a fly in my school lunch pizza once. Luckily it was on top so I saw it before I ate it. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/15 "2000-11-03T16:56:43Z")
I had a friend who was working a construction job. The owner of the construction company was a family type guy, and his wife and kids would often stop by and have lunch with the crew. Everybody brought stuff, and things were often shared. Someone once brought some Fig Newtons, and everybody was munching happily. There were about 4 left in the box, and my friend asked one of the kids if they wanted some. The boy said “No.” My friend urged him on, saying “Come on, there’s only 4 left, we need to finish them off.” The kid still refused. Finally, she asked him “How come you don’t want any?” The kid said “Because there’s worms in them.” My friend broke open one of them, and there were several maggots in it. She broke the rest of them, same thing. This was _after_ the crew had eaten most of the box. Needless to say, they were all a little pissed the kid hadn’t said anything earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Attilathenun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Attilathenun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attilathenun)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/16 "2000-11-03T22:42:13Z")
I once heard that someone found a piece of CHICKEN in some KFC ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/17 "2000-11-04T15:43:00Z")
Not the typical RAT?! Wow has that place gone downhill. Imagine, selling chicken! ---
**Author:** ![yESTERDAY\_mAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a87d85/32.png) [@yESTERDAY\_mAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yESTERDAY_mAN)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/18 "2000-11-04T15:53:03Z")
When I find hair in food I just pull the hair out and eat the rest of my meal. If it looked like pubic hair, though, then I might just stop eating. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/19 "2000-11-04T16:15:04Z")
As bad as all of these cases are (and they are pretty bad), we should all feel somewhat lucky that overall the food we eat is not grossly contaminated, relative to 100 or even 50 years ago. That having been said, I have never found a gross item in food myself - ever. My Mom had broken glass in a salad (posted in the other thread) and I know a friend who bit on a steel bolt that was baked into a pizza (thnkfully, no tooth damage). But overall, pretty uneventful. ---
**Author:** ![BornDodgy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@BornDodgy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornDodgy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417/20 "2000-11-04T18:44:39Z")
My favorite pub was once closed by the health department cause the scabies broke out in there… it was then renovated I suspect it is an urban myth… or that is what I would like to believe… I guess the people who started that talk think that goths and rastas (the main part of the people who hang around in there belong to those two groups) are generally filthy and likely to get something like scabies. dodgy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thisll-kill-your-appetite-gross-stuff-found-in-food/39417.md?page=2)