I Found a Bug in My Food ...very Worried

Well, if you eat chocolate, nut butter, or anything that has been processed/packaged in a factory...you've already eaten a ridiculous amount of bugs. Kind of icky (depending on how you feel about bug eating), but not dangerous. The stuff you need to be worried about can't be seen by the naked eye. Take a deep breath. This isn't anything to lose sleep over. :-)

Here's my top two gross bugs in food experiences and a bonus gross out!

1. huge green worm in my hostess cupcake. I missed biting it by a gnat's a$$ hair. Haven't eaten a hostess cupcake since.

2. Huge dead moth in bottom of classmates milk carton. Something kept getting stuck in her straw so she opened the carton when she was done.

3. And I saved the best for last! When I was a dope smoking college student, my friend got me an awesome pipe. I decided to take a test toke and inhaled a cockroach into my mouth. Yep, still makes me gag to think about it.....

"Guess what? A large part of the world eats bugs, and so should you. At least that's what the United Nations says in a recent report. The gist of the report states that given the world's population will reach nine billion by 2050, we "need to find new ways" to feed ourselves."

...

“Insects are healthy, nutritious alternatives to mainstream staples such as chicken, pork, beef and even fish,” the report argues. (Yes, they’re serious.)
What’s more, edible insects are environmentally friendly — farmers don’t need to clear acres of forest to raise them, and the bugs produce fewer planet-warming greenhouse-gas emissions than, say, cows. It could be a sustainable way to help feed a growing world whose demand for protein is soaring."

Read more here: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/05/15/fight-world-hunger-by...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/1...

The way I see it, you're just one step ahead of the game. ;)

There are two ways to look at this:
1. Be grateful that we get to eat fresh food, and a good sign of fresh food is bugs. The veggies were fresh and sometimes you miss a bug or two. We are big on gardening in my house and there are always bugs on our crops. NO BIG DEAL.
2. The restaurant is run by humans, and we all make errors. Be gracious. You said you've eaten there for 4 years and not had any issues...why make an issue now? If the bug was indeed cooked, then you don't have to worry about eating it's "live" eggs. They would have been dead as soon as they hit the wok.

Please try not to pass on your OCD issues to your son. You are making a big deal out of nothing and if he sees you doing this, he is going to start doing it too. Honestly, think about it...what are you really worried about?

Your stomache acid will take care of any worries. If you like take a table spoon apple cider vinegar with tea or warm water and honey. The ACV collects icky stuff and kills it off.

I am not so scared of bugs. Roaches no way. But other bugs oh well. PPL in other cultures eat bugs for dinner. Ever watch Bizarre Foods? Keep calm dont worry about it. I doubt you will actually become sick from the well done bug. Sorry it happened and you were worried about it :(

Vegetables are grown in fields. Beetles are found in fields. Beetles are edible. They will not make you sick. If it were a cockroach I might be concerned about the cleanliness of the restaurant, but a beetle likely arrived in the produce and is no reason to be concerned.

Don't worry. You are fine.

Insects are eaten in parts of the world where meat is too expensive. They give VERY good nutrition. Germs are not a concern when the food is cooked – my problem would be with the textures you'd encounter. In fact, insects that don't crawl around in sewage are generally safe eaten raw. There was a National Geographic article on this several years back.

Restaurants usually purchase foods in bulk, and insects are sometimes found in those big quantities during preparation. They are not always found by the cooks, and I have encountered a few bugs in my food over the years. I've probably eaten even more unaware. I KNOW I've eaten bugs when I'm scarfing berries directly from the bush – you can taste them or notice the crunch. I have yet to get ill from them, other than a momentary shudder.

It doesn't hurt to let the restaurant know what you found. They generally appreciate knowing, because they can then tighten up their examination of the fresh produce or whatever, and they truly don't want to gross out their customers. They will often comp your meal, or give a coupon for your next visit.

Really... you are that worked up over a bug you did not eat.

People all over the world eat bugs daily. The big was cooked so there would be no eggs and you won't be hatching new beetles from your belly.

Yes, I would be a bit grossed out if I saw a bug in my food but I would not let myself get this worked up with worry and fear. The excess worry and fear will do more harm to you than the bug you saw.

And salmonella from a cantelope rind? You have to lighten up a bit. Make sure you wash all produce well when you get it home.

You'll be fine... someday you'll laugh while telling the story, I hope.

It was eaten, and there is nothing you can do about it. It was cooked, you aren't going to get sick or die. It's going to be OK.

Whatever you do...please...do NOT read about how many bugs (live bugs) we ingest daily without knowing. You might have a heart attack!!!

When I was in college I found a LIVE beetle in my salad at Wendy's. I had almost stabbed him with my fork when I saw him moving. EW.

Sometimes stuff gets into food. I think there are a certain number of allowable bugs in cereal boxes. I also have read we'd be surprised at how many spiders and other small bugs we've ingested over the years.

You'll be fine. The restaurant should be told so they can do something about it if they have a problem. I am a partner in a restaurant, and I disagree with one of the posters who say all restaurants have roaches. Mine most certainly doesn't. Good, clean restaurants have exterminators come in monthly so a problem never starts. We've been open 6 years and I know for a fact we haven't had a roach. Maybe a fly or mosquito gets in now and then... but that's about it.

I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure what you're so nervous/worried about.... about germs from the beetle? I'm no entomologist, but I'd be far more concerned if the beetle were *uncooked.* Sorry--I bet that doesn't help. I just mean that if it were a beetle that carried some kind of bacteria or disease, if it was cooked to a pretty high temp, then most germs would have been killed. I am so sorry--that would be horrid, finding cooked bugs in your food.... but my guess is that you're OK, germ-wise.

Hope you're able to move on from this (and don't get sick, although I can't imagine you would)... [I got a blob of stuff in a milkshake on Christmas Day and haven't been able to return to the place since (nor will I ever be able to....).] So, I do understand, and I wish you well in your Chinese-food-eating adventures! :)

Many cultures eat bugs -cooked and raw, some even alive- as a delicacy or food staple.

It won't make you sick.

However, I wouldn't eat there any more. For an insect to be cooked into food is unacceptable... When the food is not being prepared, it should be stored covered so bugs can't get in. During preparation, a place would have to be overrun or filthy for a bug to waltz across the counter without being seen, and get into the food. Either way, it shows a lack of kitchen cleanliness and I would never eat there again. Eeeeew.

Gross, for sure but you'll be fine.
I wouldn't order from there again though.
All restaurants have roaches, but they should be controlled to the point that they don't end up in the food!

I guess I would try not to panic. Your husband did the right thing by informing them, but I think he should have accepted the refund because they need to take some sort of responsibility for their food handling. "Being nice" doesn't give them license to have poor food handling techniques.

I think you could have reported it to the Board of Health - if it was just an isolated instance, fine. If it's part of a pattern, then they can inspect the restaurant.

Your "cantaloupe rind" comment in your SWH is not off the wall, actually - I've heard that and I've seen it on "The Doctors" TV show which is not known for excessive panicking. They showed how the salmonella is transferred to the edible part of the fruit just by the slice of a knife. The same has been said of getting wedges of lime or lemon in your drinks at a bar or restaurant. You SHOULD wash the fruits and vegetables even if you don't eat the rind or peel. That means melons, kiwis, even bananas. And I'm not a big "dirt and germs" person but I've also had food poisoning and it's no fun.

I think there's a huge difference between what you experienced and some of the comments of people coming home from the store with produce containing an insect. That DOES happen with unprocessed foods fresh from the farm or vine - we've all opened corn on the cob and found a worm, or found something in a bunch of grapes. Every quantity of dried beans, barley, quinoa, etc. says to pick over it and rinse it, which means looking for bugs as well as pebbles or other debris. The only way you're NOT going to have bugs is if you buy from an over-sprayed pesticide-laden crop - not exactly an appetizing alternative.

But once something's been handled by a professional chef, it should be bug free.

Here is one of my many bug stories.

Every Monday my sorority in college had a formal sit down dinner. The house mom made an announcement that the hashers would be walking around and please put our rice back in the tray. Keep in mind many girls had already started eating. Whispering ensued "There are maggots in the rice."

Overall I have pretty low standards when it comes to germs, but every now and then I get grossed out. For awhile I couldn't eat chicken when I found out they ate cockroaches. Oh, the bait for crab catching almost did me in too.

"Gnat's a$$ hair" hahaha cracked me up! I don't see any harm can come of it but I would be completely grossed out too.

I'm surprised everyone so far is so...relaxed about this.

Just because the owners are nice does not mean they get a pass on food handling laws.

Insects in food are a violation of your local health and food handling laws. Contact the county or state food inspection offices and report it. It's unfortunate you didn't do that when you had the food and didn't keep it.