I've decided to make Thursdays my "Question of the Week" day because I always have questions and am always interested in people's answers.
This Week's Question: If you were given the wrong leftovers from a restaurant would you eat it?
Last week at my food pantry dinner, the subject of sharing food with others came up, but the discussion went one step further.
One person recounted her recent visit to a local restaurant for lunch. She had a fish sandwich, but only had 1/2 of it and asked her waiter to wrap it for her. The next day she went to have the leftovers, but when she opened the container finds a fresh chicken salad -- obviously another patron's take-out order.
While she got a fresh salad, the take-out person got a 1/2 eaten fish sandwich.
If you were that person would you eat the leftovers?
Would you eat them if starving and no time to get anything else?
If a Freegan, would you eat the leftover if someone tossed it in the trash that day?
35 comments:
When I worked in a restaurant, I knew dishwashers that would eat out of bus pans!
In general, I love having leftovers because it means I don't have to cook! But, I don't think I could bring myself to eat a stranger's leftovers. I would be too worried that the person might be sick and I would end up catching something. Especially with a sandwich, where you don't know if the person even washed their hands before touching it. This is an interesting question.
If it was like untouched mozzarella sticks that hadn't been half eaten, maybe. Probably not because you never know if that person coughed over it. Woa Im paranoid. lol. =P
Not sure if I'd eat someone else's leftovers.
Now...if I was starving...
I do eat my kid's leftovers, but,then, I know what they do or don't have. I'm usually there watching the whole eating situation.
It's interesting because there is definitely this attitude that the second it gets put on some one else's plate and any where their hands or mouth...even if never touched by them...the food is somehow unfit for consumption by someone else.
Yet that same food if dropped on the floor by me, dropped on someplace where people walk...if I dropped it, it's ok for me to pick it up and still eat it.
My answers: no, no. maybe but probably not.
Now if it was steak, ...
I probably wouldn't to be honest! Never if there was a bite out of it or anything, but if it was one half of a sandwich and I was ravenous I may think twice about my answer. Good question!
No no, I would not eat some random persons gnawed on food. I do have a few standards.
no way...and i probably would not ask for my own back at that point...
merry christmas to you and yours!
I don't think I would. I'd be too worried about germs. Maybe that's slightly paranoid of me, but I can't help it!
Yeah, i ain't gonna lie. As long as it wasn't pork or shellfish, which i never ever eat, then i would eat them. I don't know if the waitstaff or cook has been touching my food, and lets face it, they probably have, so the germ thing doesn't bother me.
It depends how broke I was. In some situations- I would totally eat that sandwich. I would just slice off a thin slice of where it was previously chewed on.
No. Absolutely not. It would be fed to the garbage can.
EEK. I don't think so.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!!
No I wouldn't eat it.Something too weird about eating someone else's food.
Merry Christmas!!
nope, I don't think I could eat someone else's leftovers; if I did, I would probably imagine I was deathly sick the moment after I ate them
Merry Christmas!
betty
No way
Too many diseases to consider contracting
Nope, I wouldn't eat anyone else's leftovers. They might have a cold and the flu like I do :-(
Buy MY leftover, you bet. I love leftovers.
Merry Christmas!
xo
If it was some food that was newly made like a takeout order and was untouched.. I might consider it.. But more than likely I wouldnt eat it. But if it was someones slobbed down half eaten sandwich or some cold knawed on fries, I'd have to give a big no-no to that.
Nope. Not even if I was really, really drunk.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
I never take a risk with anything I put in my mouth (Food, that is)
Secretia
I'd eat the salad, but not the sandwich.
If it was a take out order, that was obviously untouched maybe. But a half eaten order, never.
I don't think so! Ewwww regarding Otin's comment! Yikes!
Hugs!!
I have eaten street food in third world countries, believe that the five second rule should be extended to ten, and generally think that Americans are too scaredy-fraidy, when it comes to food. However, for some reason, the notion of eating some strangers sandwich remains is a bit off putting.
Wow, it´s lonely in the eat the stranger´s leftover corner. I really didn´t think i would be all alone.
Visiting from Berowne's....
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't, but if I were starving, sure. It beats having to run something down and then scrape it off the pavement and into the cookpot....
I don't think I could go that far. I would just drink a crap load of coffee to fill me up. Ah ha ha
Never.
And we are not great about eating leftovers of food I make. haha.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit it but....yes i would likely eat it depending on what it was and how it looked. Food is my weakness. Besides I've had far worse in my mouth than someone's leftovers.
Nope. I would not eat a strangers half eaten leftovers. And the only reason I would be a freegan is if I really were homeless and couldn't afford food. Restaurants and stores really do throw a lot of unused food out.
I definitely would not eat the wrong left-overs...yikes!
Stopping by to say hi - from your newest follower!!
~WM
Otin – okay, I already emailed you how grossed out I was by this comment, but reading it again…still grossed out.
Eyegirl – I’m the same way with leftovers, especially if the meal is tasty.
Melanie’s Randomness – That’s not paranoid. I’m always afraid if I send back my food the waitstaff will spit on it.
Sunshine Mama – Eating kid’s leftovers doesn’t count. Every friend I have who is a mother does it. I think it a right of passage.
Dan – if a steak and you were a freegan, you’d be out with Molly and she’d take it from you before you had a chance.
Dree – I’d think I’d have to be starving before considering.
La La La Leah – I’m happy to hear it.
Brian Miller – LOL….
Herding Cats – germs? You think people have germs?
Iasa – LOL
Prosy – what about taste? What if it was something you’d never eat?
Monkey Man – but you’re a monkey…..isn’t this something a money would do?
Iva – Thanks and Happy Holidays to you too!
Natasha – I think I’d wonder if it came from the busboy bin.
That corgi – Okay, this made me laugh
Corvedacosta – what’s a little disease amongst strangers?
Joanna Jenkins – Leftovers are the best. I have one sister who never eats a leftover – so sad. Hope you’re feeling better.
AriSpark – nice description “slobbed down” …and I agree.
Kys – oh yeah, forgot about the drunken factor. I’m always amazed at the food combos I eat when drunk and early a.m. (notice the later it is in the evening, the weirder combos)
Secretia – LOL
Unknown Mami – I’d eat the salad if I was in the mood for it.
Green-Eyed – Otin’s comment still grosses me out.
Restaurantrefugee – hmmm…..10 second rule in 3rd world countries, but taken aback by eating a stranger’s leftovers. Maybe it’s the initial ownership of the order.
Iasa – you’re not alone.
Jeanne – are you from Oregon where it’s legal to roadkill?
Kristin – LOL…
JennyMac – Really? Why not? You love to cook and can tell you make tasty things.
OP – You’re right , but I still can’t another stranger’s leftovers….other things sure. Wonder why I never thought twice about that?
Goose – I wish they could share food with shelters, but they can’t. Freegan as a lifestyle when not poor disturbs me for some reason. It’s as disturbing to me as Parmalot (the milk you can store in your cupboard).
Working Mommy – Particularly if it was something I didn’t like. Thanks for stopping by, I’ll come visit.
i wouldnt eat anyones left over. i always fear ill get some weird disease or the person had some weird disease.
unfortunately, I'll eat anything.
so says my ass.
oh boy, with the way things are with me lately I would have to say I would eat them. germ-phobe that I am. I would heat them up at such a high temperature so I could (unrealistically) believe all germs were killed!
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