Okay, I’m still reeling from this afternoon’s findings…
Yesterday, I went to my local chain grocer and felt like getting a lot of store-prepared food. Potato skins, potato salad, turkey breast and mashed potatoes, etc.
So, today, I my mouth was watering for the potato salad. I open up the plastic container and am just about to fork some into a bowl when I see a dead annelid looped around a hunk of mayonaissed potato.
I was/am thoroughly disgusted. I mean, if there are gonna be bugs in my food, I’d prefer not to see it. This was like a whole, dark brown, inch-long millipede-looking thing.
So now what. I go return it and what? Money back? I was pretty grossed out and a little pissed off…I kinda want damages!
What kinds of creepy-crawlies have you found in store bought food that, presumably, was there in the store and how did you handle it? And what did the store do?
(It’s still in the fridge with “don not eat” Sharpied onto the back of the receipt).
Count your blessings. You could’ve found half a worm.
Back to the store, demand to see the manager, and bitch like crazy. See how many coupons they’ll give you to shut you up. Money back is a given, but they won’t pay “damages” because you haven’t been damaged. But hold out for tons of coupons.
I was looking to buy lettuce at a produce market once and saw a slug very visibly attached to a leaf. I wondered how the person inserting it into the plastic bag had missed it, and then I got the hell out of there without buying anything. Of all the creepy crawlies, squishy slimy slugs gross me out the most. I know they’re mostly harmless… but still… ICK!
I once found a huge, fat, mint-green beetle in a bag of salad. The green color was what freaked me out more than anything. I wondered if they dyed the lettuce or something.
Had a bowl of “Great Grains” cereal. Casually looked down at my spoon an instant before I shoved it in and noticed half a honeybee sitting right on top as pretty as can be (for half a bee). I wasn’t too upset because the poor bugger gave his life (in the blades of a threshing machine no doubt) to pollinate the plants that I was eating. [Edit: “her” life.]
My grocery store gives double money back on anything that is their house brand fresh products, like meat or deli items. It’s not exactly damages, but it’s something.
I found a big (dead) spider in a bowl of grapes a few weeks ago. It was round and shiny and blended in with the grapes well enough that I didn’t notice it for a while (I noticed it before putting it in my mouth, at least).
A similar thing happened to my boyfriend and I. There was a local supermarket that had an eat-in salad bar where you could fix your salad, pay for it and then eat it in the store in a little dining area. He was finishing his salad and I still had a bit left when he found a green caterpillar or larva or some sort. I immediately lost my appetite. He called a store worker over and they said that the lettuce in their salad bar comes from those bags of pre-washed lettuce. They did refund one of our salads. I couldn’t eat salads for a couple months after that.
Yeah, a worm in potato salad is kind of gross. But damages? You don’t really get damages for being grossed out or pissed off. I’m sure they’ll give you your money back, and probably a coupon or something.
As for bugs in salad, I think that’s just part of life. Salad ingredients grow outside, in the dirt, where they are feasted upon by various insects. Restaurants serve a lot of salad, and bugs are pretty small - it’s inevitable that some are going to slip through. If it’s a non slimy bug, like a beetle, chances are I’ll pick it out and keep eating. A worm or a slug, I’d send it back but wouldn’t make a big deal about it.
I went out to lunch with some co-workers a while back, and my friend had a bug in his salad. Ick. His meal was comped and we all got free desserts, so I guess it sort of worked out. Haven’t ever been back, though.
I just got back from the store. I was very polite and didn’t seriously expect damages
I asked to speak with a manager. The girl was like, “Regarding what?”
“Something gross in my food.”
Big grin. “Sure. No problem.”
The manager came and I said I was in the the day before yesterday and picked up some potato salad and there was a worm in it. I handed it over. He examined the container from every possible angle for like 2 minutes, then finally says, “Yeah. That’s not good.”
We have a Harvard man upon us!
He apologized. Said he’d refund my money. Was thankful I brought it into them and brought it to their attention. He said they’d send it up to their lab for analysis. (Rrrriiiggghhht).
I suggested a recall.
Got my $3 and change back and left politely. Will I be going to that store anytime soon? No. I also won’t buy store prepared food. I used to work in the consumer unit at a TV station, if we got a call about this, we definitely would jump on the opportunity…but like I said, I used to work in TV. I’m not giving them any material!
I’m off to watch Andrew Zimmern now, just so that, in my head, what could’ve happened wouldn’t seem so bad.
I picked up a package of fresh haddock and saw dozens of tiny orange worms squirming around on it. Pretty disgusting. I handed it to the fish clerk, and he didn’t seem too distressed. He said something like ‘Yeah, haddock can be pretty wormy’. He’s right, of course, and from what I gather from friends in the restaurant business if you eat fish you eat worms. Blech.
