Do waiters put laxative in customers food?
Do waiters put laxative in customers food?
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fido

Original Poster:

18,699 posts

281 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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My partner and myself have visited a restaurant in SW London several times. The last two times have resulted in some explosive diarhhoea. We are not talking about the a bit of upset stomach. I mean like literally walking out of the restaurant and my tummy is making noises like that scene from Dumb and Dumber. The first time it happened I was bit taken aback my the speed of it and should have reported it to the Council but thought it might be something else we ate earlier in the day. I swear the symptom is like someone putting laxative into food. Just to add we've never complained about the food or been difficult customers - so that rules out a revenge motive - thought the table behind us did send the food back. I do find the new staff a bit odd - slightly odd jokes. We probably won't go there again (if I do I will wear an adult diaper) but just wondered if anyone has worked in a kitchen before and seen/heard staff doing bad stuff to customers?

21TonyK

13,117 posts

235 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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No. Vomiting is normally the first indication of acute food poisoning.

JimmyConwayNW

3,548 posts

151 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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I would not have gone back after the first time....

Hoofy

79,681 posts

308 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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Which restaurant? I think I live in a very similar area to you so would like to avoid.

fido

Original Poster:

18,699 posts

281 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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Hoofy said:
Which restaurant? I think I live in a very similar area to you so would like to avoid.
I think we are both near Merton/Wimbledon? This was a bit nearer my OH's parents locale in Putney & surrounds. Having said that I never have had problems around Merton and have frequented all the kebabs, fish places and goddamn awful Chinese takeaway places. What I don't expect from a £30-£40 meal is explosive sharting - still at least I am back on my target weight again for karting this weekend!

Sheepshanks

39,851 posts

145 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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fido said:
The first time it happened I was bit taken aback my the speed of it and should have reported it to the Council but thought it might be something else we ate earlier in the day. I swear the symptom is like someone putting laxative into food.
Not an area I'm greatly experienced in, but I don't think laxatives work that fast?

Zoon

7,271 posts

147 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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I don't think I'd revisit a second time.

Oakey

27,973 posts

242 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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As someone else once said on here, Norovirus is nature's way of rewarding you for ingesting someone else's fecal matter.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

171 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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Might not be anything so sinister though?

I occasionally get something like this which I suppose you'd describe as irritable bowel or something. Certain food can just trigger that response in me but I've never really been able to narrow it down to one specific thing. It could be something like a red wine or a creamy pudding that does it.

So maybe they're using some ingredient in the restaurant that you react to but many others don't and if you don't use whatever it is at home then your not going to have had the issue before?

Then again maybe they are poisoning you biggrin

Fastchas

2,814 posts

147 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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I had a day off last week and went to a garden centre with the missus to catch up with friends. We had a hot lunch and I had the cottage pie with a few chips and peas. It was lovely, as hot as lava but 10 mins later I was doubled up in pain with stomach cramps. Didn't have to rush to the toilets but hit them when I got home! No sickness and only the one toilet trip. No explanation really.
A few days later I came down with a cold with stomach pain and a tight, nervous chest pain. Friends told me they experienced the same cold.

Hoofy

79,681 posts

308 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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fido said:
Hoofy said:
Which restaurant? I think I live in a very similar area to you so would like to avoid.
I think we are both near Merton/Wimbledon? This was a bit nearer my OH's parents locale in Putney & surrounds. Having said that I never have had problems around Merton and have frequented all the kebabs, fish places and goddamn awful Chinese takeaway places. What I don't expect from a £30-£40 meal is explosive sharting - still at least I am back on my target weight again for karting this weekend!
I mainly hang out in Kingston etc so not that far. I agree with a £30 meal. I would not have gone back and if I was feeling kind would have let the manager know. I wouldn't bh on Facebook unless the manager was... stty... about it.

CoolHands

22,715 posts

221 months

Friday 28th September 2018
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I very much doubt it’s laxatives and would imagine it’s food poisoning from poor hygiene / dodgy meat.

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
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Sheepshanks said:
Not an area I'm greatly experienced in, but I don't think laxatives work that fast?
Even picolax, the most evil of laxatives, takes about 6 hours to properly kick in - and you'd taste it in any food. You're eating a slowly rotting donkey, strung up in the back yard.

kev1974

4,030 posts

155 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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There aren't many food poisoning causes that work that fast either, if you have eaten something bad like that it will normally be the next day or overnight before you start to know about it.

As it seems to be just you and people aren't calling the council about food poisoning left right and centre from that place, I would say it is more likely you have some allergy or your body objects to a particular ingredient that this establishment likes to use, but it's probably not a common one if you don't experience it elsewhere.

It could be the oil they use for cooking, I'm ok with sunflower oil, olive oil, vegetable oil etc but every so often I'll eat somewhere that has used some more unusual or exotic oil to cook with and I'll get the symptoms you describe and as quickly as you describe.

The only other time I've heard of someone getting those symptoms that quickly after eating was someone with a severe gluten intolerance, but you'd probably know about it if you suffered from that since gluten is in so much food.

anonymous-user

80 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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CoolHands said:
I very much doubt it’s laxatives and would imagine it’s food poisoning from poor hygiene / dodgy meat.
fecal matter is usually culprit, just not washing hands properly. Sounds stupid but fecal matter is common one, ice etc or chef wiping bum with hands doesn't help.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chef-prepare...

4x4Tyke

6,506 posts

158 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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21TonyK said:
No. Vomiting is normally the first indication of acute food poisoning.
I think this is far more likely than revenge.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-poisoning/

You really should report to local environmental health, it is their job to check this stuff.

I now always check the food standards rating before I go anywhere new.

http://ratings.food.gov.uk/

What type of food, did you have starters?

Edited by 4x4Tyke on Monday 1st October 09:47

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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kev1974 said:
It could be the oil they use for cooking, I'm ok with sunflower oil, olive oil, vegetable oil etc but every so often I'll eat somewhere that has used some more unusual or exotic oil to cook with and I'll get the symptoms you describe and as quickly as you describe.
That might explain why the grated "cheese" they use at work (maximum oil, minimum actual dairy content) has me off to the bog within about 15 minutes of finishing a Panini with "cheese", and I'm fine with all other dairy and cheeses!

4x4Tyke

6,506 posts

158 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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kev1974 said:
There aren't many food poisoning causes that work that fast either, if you have eaten something bad like that it will normally be the next day or overnight before you start to know about it.
It's not so simple, in normal circumstances food can take anywhere from 6-48 hours to fully pass depending on its content, dishes high in fruit & vegetable pass pretty quickly, dishes very high in protein and fat pass quite slowly. However most of that time is in the small and large intestines. Generally it takes about two hours from eating to start entering the small intestine and large meals speed that.

Also the type of food poisoning makes a difference, vomiting indicates your body is ejecting stuff from the stomach. Cramps and diarrhea from the intestines.

Salmonella is common and can have a pretty speedy onset of symptoms especially when the food is heavily contaminated, uncooked starters dressed with poorly or unwashed salad and left standing in a warm kitchen for hours.


Edited by 4x4Tyke on Monday 1st October 10:25

anonymous-user

80 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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Interesting thread. I had sausage and chips from our local chippie on Saturday night. I hadn't finished eating it when I had a sudden urge to throw up. It all looked well cooked, so I assume there was some bug or other on there. Certainly put me off chips for a while !

guindilias

5,245 posts

146 months

Monday 1st October 2018
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Aye, I got Campylobacter a few months back - apparently it can take up to 72 hours to hit you, meaning I had absolutely no idea where I'd picked it up. Not a "nice" form of food poisoning to have!