Mealbreaker (n.): a nasty, non-edible surprise found in food while it is being eaten; often lawsuit-provoking, sometimes fabricated, always disgusting.
Susan Mosher, of Kingwood, TX, was halfway through the BLT she'd ordered for dinner with her husband at a local Cracker Barrel when she noticed something red on her fries. It wasn't ketchup. She called the waitress over to complain. The waitress went into the kitchen to investigate. The waitress had bad news for Mosher: the red splotches were human blood.
Apparently, the chef in charge of preparing Mosher's meal had cut himself. Cracker Barrel procedure calls for cooks to remove themselves from the food prep area in the case of a cut. Maybe it was a busy night, maybe the chef hadn't noticed he'd cut himself until too late—but he did not follow procedure.
Mosher was understandably upset. She talked to the manager, who tried to reassure her and offered to comp the meal. This was not enough; Mosher and her husband left the restaurant in anger. They complained to Cracker Barrel corporate. Mosher explained that she is a 20-year cancer survivor, and is now worried that she could contract a blood-born illness. She asked Cracker Barrel to test the offending chef for communicable diseases, but company representatives told her they could not legally compel him to undergo such testing. They sent her two $50 gift cards to try and assuage her. This only added insult to injury.
Mosher has talked with a lawyer about potential future action.
There is one silver lining: though the blood was undoubtedly revolting, doctors say that Mosher's chances of contracting a blood-borne disease by eating blood—even if it is infected—are extremely low.
It's not like this have never happened before. People find gross things in their food all the time. Sometimes it's dangerous, sometimes it's just gross—but it's always a mealbreaker. Here are 14 mealbreakers from the past few years:
