Author Topic: Overheard at Work 2  (Read 1117139 times)

a1pharm

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3000 on: April 27, 2021, 07:33:42 PM »

I find the people who call this these semantics are generally the ones that are trying to change the subject from the most recent mass shooting by pointing out that someone else is "ignorant" of actual weapons classifications.  Generally, people will call a weapon that was created and used for assault, an assault-weapon or an assault rifle.  And it's not incorrect.  But by changing the subject from something seriously fucked up (mass murder) to something so esoteric (do we know what the initials stand for), gun advocates succeed in changing the narrative.  I also notice that Armalite has become the most well-known gun manufacturer ever since this tactic was developed.  I'm sure they're very pleased that you are advertising their mass-killing machines. 

I find that the people who intentionally obfuscate assault rifles and then yell “semantics” are intentionally blurring the lines between what a true assault rifle is, an automatic weapon which are highly regulated and largely illegal, and a common semi-automatic like an AR-15, because they want them outlawed. And outlawing them is easier if people think “assault rifle” = automatic weapon. Politicians and gun control advocates absolutely try and confuse the two to engender support for banning all of it.

It’s disingenuous and dishonest.

I think you missed the point.  Some people abhor the killing of other people, and you get upset when they don't invest more time in researching something irrelevant (like the difference between an assault rifle vs. Armalite vs. automatic weapon vs. who gives a shit).  Guns shoot bullets that sometimes kill people and this irritates everyone.  Half of people are irritated that guns are being fired at other people, and the other half are irritated the first half aren't calling the gun the "right" noun.  You decide which half is being more unreasonable.

Peaksandvalleys

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3001 on: April 28, 2021, 12:35:31 AM »

I find the people who call this these semantics are generally the ones that are trying to change the subject from the most recent mass shooting by pointing out that someone else is "ignorant" of actual weapons classifications.  Generally, people will call a weapon that was created and used for assault, an assault-weapon or an assault rifle.  And it's not incorrect.  But by changing the subject from something seriously fucked up (mass murder) to something so esoteric (do we know what the initials stand for), gun advocates succeed in changing the narrative.  I also notice that Armalite has become the most well-known gun manufacturer ever since this tactic was developed.  I'm sure they're very pleased that you are advertising their mass-killing machines. 


I find that the people who intentionally obfuscate assault rifles and then yell “semantics” are intentionally blurring the lines between what a true assault rifle is, an automatic weapon which are highly regulated and largely illegal, and a common semi-automatic like an AR-15, because they want them outlawed. And outlawing them is easier if people think “assault rifle” = automatic weapon. Politicians and gun control advocates absolutely try and confuse the two to engender support for banning all of it.

It’s disingenuous and dishonest.

I think you missed the point.  Some people abhor the killing of other people, and you get upset when they don't invest more time in researching something irrelevant (like the difference between an assault rifle vs. Armalite vs. automatic weapon vs. who gives a shit).  Guns shoot bullets that sometimes kill people and this irritates everyone.  Half of people are irritated that guns are being fired at other people, and the other half are irritated the first half aren't calling the gun the "right" noun.  You decide which half is being more unreasonable.

Actually everyone is upset that guns are being fired at other people. It plays into your narrative to call one side heartless though so I understand why you say one side is irritated only about semantics, unfortunately it is incorrect.  The question of what should be done about the issue is where opinions differ. Semantics are also important when you are proposing solutions and outlawing something that was previously legal. You have to draw the line somewhere and you need to be VERY specific about where you draw it. Personally, I believe we would be better off with gun education and inner city community investment than gun control but that's because these bans have been attempted before and have not impacted gun deaths. Looks good for optics though to get re-elected...

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3002 on: April 28, 2021, 04:01:58 AM »

I find the people who call this these semantics are generally the ones that are trying to change the subject from the most recent mass shooting by pointing out that someone else is "ignorant" of actual weapons classifications.  Generally, people will call a weapon that was created and used for assault, an assault-weapon or an assault rifle.  And it's not incorrect.  But by changing the subject from something seriously fucked up (mass murder) to something so esoteric (do we know what the initials stand for), gun advocates succeed in changing the narrative.  I also notice that Armalite has become the most well-known gun manufacturer ever since this tactic was developed.  I'm sure they're very pleased that you are advertising their mass-killing machines. 


I find that the people who intentionally obfuscate assault rifles and then yell “semantics” are intentionally blurring the lines between what a true assault rifle is, an automatic weapon which are highly regulated and largely illegal, and a common semi-automatic like an AR-15, because they want them outlawed. And outlawing them is easier if people think “assault rifle” = automatic weapon. Politicians and gun control advocates absolutely try and confuse the two to engender support for banning all of it.

It’s disingenuous and dishonest.

I think you missed the point.  Some people abhor the killing of other people, and you get upset when they don't invest more time in researching something irrelevant (like the difference between an assault rifle vs. Armalite vs. automatic weapon vs. who gives a shit).  Guns shoot bullets that sometimes kill people and this irritates everyone.  Half of people are irritated that guns are being fired at other people, and the other half are irritated the first half aren't calling the gun the "right" noun.  You decide which half is being more unreasonable.

Actually everyone is upset that guns are being fired at other people. It plays into your narrative to call one side heartless though so I understand why you say one side is irritated only about semantics, unfortunately it is incorrect.  The question of what should be done about the issue is where opinions differ. Semantics are also important when you are proposing solutions and outlawing something that was previously legal. You have to draw the line somewhere and you need to be VERY specific about where you draw it. Personally, I believe we would be better off with gun education and inner city community investment than gun control but that's because these bans have been attempted before and have not impacted gun deaths. Looks good for optics though to get re-elected...

I'd settle for a mandatory loss of your CCL for failing to secure your weapon in public.  In a neighborhood near me, in a single night, six different guns were stolen out of unlocked vehicles.  Of course, all of the owners claim to be responsible gun owners...

RetiredAt63

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3003 on: April 28, 2021, 05:53:27 AM »
I'd settle for a mandatory loss of your CCL for failing to secure your weapon in public.  In a neighborhood near me, in a single night, six different guns were stolen out of unlocked vehicles.  Of course, all of the owners claim to be responsible gun owners...

I have a devious mind, to me that would be the perfect way to sell a gun illegally.  You give me money, I will leave my car unlocked and you can "steal" it.

And to second Sibley, this is no longer overheard at work, and we have had gun control debates ad nauseum over on Off Topic.

I'm retired, so no good "overheard at work" tidbits any more, sorry not sorry, nyah nyah.  ;-)

JAYSLOL

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3004 on: April 28, 2021, 09:57:32 AM »
I’ll see if I can get this back on track a bit.  Follow up on the new guy that was complaining about being broke while spending all of his $2k/m side income as “fun money”.  He told me yesterday that he is avoiding doing taxes as long as he can because he doesn’t want to see the number that he’s going to owe from getting taxable income assistance last year.  Right before he ate out for lunch again. 

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3005 on: April 28, 2021, 10:36:00 AM »
I'd settle for a mandatory loss of your CCL for failing to secure your weapon in public.  In a neighborhood near me, in a single night, six different guns were stolen out of unlocked vehicles.  Of course, all of the owners claim to be responsible gun owners...

I have a devious mind, to me that would be the perfect way to sell a gun illegally.  You give me money, I will leave my car unlocked and you can "steal" it.

And to second Sibley, this is no longer overheard at work, and we have had gun control debates ad nauseum over on Off Topic.

I'm retired, so no good "overheard at work" tidbits any more, sorry not sorry, nyah nyah.  ;-)
1.  That is actually a good idea!
2.  Sorry Sibley, and sorry to the rest of you.   I saw an older post and responded.  I won't engage here.  And I'm not really interested in having the debate elsewhere either. 
3.  I recently retired too!  So many people from work are STILL calling me to talk things over/gossip.  It's as if they having nothing better to do!!! (sometimes I answer, sometimes I don't

Sibley

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3006 on: April 28, 2021, 12:39:02 PM »
I suspect my coworker is going to make an unwise vehicle choice. She drives 60 miles per day, and is currently driving her fiancé's vehicle because her 2000 truck is very unreliable. She knows that she should prioritize gas mileage. She WANTS a Jeep Wrangler, or if not that, a truck. She's also 23, so my guess is the want is going to outweigh the should.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3007 on: April 28, 2021, 12:50:05 PM »
Now I know why the squeaker is so grim

In other news, my manager was just promoted. We've got a new bungee boss who is deferring to our absentee team lead and absorbing his lack of clue.

I, however, have a job offer in a different division and my last day is in mid-May. It sucks to leave my crew but I cannot abide this level of dysfunctional incompetence.
@TheGrimSqueaker ,
Last day as in taking the new job offer or retiring for good?
Just a transfer. I came late to Mustachianism and want to kill my mortgage before retiring, and I'd like to check a few things off my bucket list first, so I'm not retiring yet.

StashingAway

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3008 on: April 28, 2021, 12:59:58 PM »
I suspect my coworker is going to make an unwise vehicle choice. She drives 60 miles per day, and is currently driving her fiancé's vehicle because her 2000 truck is very unreliable. She knows that she should prioritize gas mileage. She WANTS a Jeep Wrangler, or if not that, a truck. She's also 23, so my guess is the want is going to outweigh the should.

Well that's an easy one. Get the plug in hybrid Wrangler.

Sugaree

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3009 on: April 28, 2021, 01:07:21 PM »
I suspect my coworker is going to make an unwise vehicle choice. She drives 60 miles per day, and is currently driving her fiancé's vehicle because her 2000 truck is very unreliable. She knows that she should prioritize gas mileage. She WANTS a Jeep Wrangler, or if not that, a truck. She's also 23, so my guess is the want is going to outweigh the should.


Hell, I'm almost 40 and drive a Jeep 60 miles a day.  Hence the reason I'm trying to find a vanpool to join.

Sibley

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3010 on: April 28, 2021, 05:49:36 PM »
I suspect my coworker is going to make an unwise vehicle choice. She drives 60 miles per day, and is currently driving her fiancé's vehicle because her 2000 truck is very unreliable. She knows that she should prioritize gas mileage. She WANTS a Jeep Wrangler, or if not that, a truck. She's also 23, so my guess is the want is going to outweigh the should.

Well that's an easy one. Get the plug in hybrid Wrangler.

I will mention it to her.

JAYSLOL

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3011 on: April 28, 2021, 07:31:08 PM »
I suspect my coworker is going to make an unwise vehicle choice. She drives 60 miles per day, and is currently driving her fiancé's vehicle because her 2000 truck is very unreliable. She knows that she should prioritize gas mileage. She WANTS a Jeep Wrangler, or if not that, a truck. She's also 23, so my guess is the want is going to outweigh the should.

Well that's an easy one. Get the plug in hybrid Wrangler.

Looks like a $50k base price for one of those.  The gas savings are likely to pale in comparison to the monster of a car payment.  How much does she make?

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3012 on: April 28, 2021, 08:16:17 PM »
*sigh* Yesterday, a coworker showed up at work with a new (or very recent model year) Ford Ecosport Titanium.  According to Ford's website, it starts at about $27k.

She used to drive an old, beat up Pontiac that was on its last legs, so I don't blame her for getting rid of it.  However, she and her husband seem to have consistent money problems, he is underemployed, and I can think of a dozen vehicles options in 30 seconds that would have met their needs and been waaaaay cheaper.  In fact, my coworker's husband is picking up what amounts to minimum wage work so they can make the car payment.

Today, we had a sudden rainstorm, and I hoofed it out to make sure my windows were closed.  My car was fine, but my coworker's car's sunroof was open.  I called over to her, and she was horrified that the inside of her new car was getting wet.

She's a great coworker, does her job really well, works hard, etc.  But my heavens, I shake my head at her financial choices some days.

A few things I took away from that interaction today:
1) I enjoy the fact that, because my car is old, I don't have to worry about a scratch in my car's paint, or rain getting in through the window for a couple minutes.
2) I am glad that I've learned to do my own car repair and maintenance, so that I can keep driving my old jalopy.  Sure, it needs more upkeep than a new car, but it's WAY cheaper than a car payment.
3) I'm glad that, between buying used cars and paying cash, we don't have a car payment.  Sure, it's not mathematically optimal, but the peace of mind is awesome.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3013 on: April 29, 2021, 03:34:23 AM »
No kidding, blech.  We have been eating out once/ week because of COVID (getting takeout)

I don’t follow this logic.  What about Covid makes you eat out more often?

I’ve eaten out far less during Covid because it’s such a pain in the ass to disinfect (I reheat everything to 165).  I am aware that there’s “no evidence” for food borne Covid spread, but I also don’t know what studies have been done to prove/disprove the hypothesis.  Whenever I see that there’s “no evidence” for something I ask what evidence might be Availabe.  For example, has someone innoculated food with Covid and fed it to 100 monkeys?  No.  Has someone done intense contact tracing of an unmasked symptomatic line cook to see if any of their customers has contracted Covid?  Maybe?  I haven’t seen that study.  I’m willing to accept that it’s an unlikely avenue for transmission but also know that restaurant back of house is and has always been filthy so I don’t really trust those guys to take any precautions unless I’ve personally visited the kitchen

You try to find out where people have infected themselves if you catch them positive. You find a lot of reasons, but food is basically never the reason. There are one or two (where a cook was having heavy symptoms and not wearing a mask so you can imagine what was in the food) and a few maybes, but generally you can say it is safer to eat food from outside than to go shopping and grabbing the cart without desinfecting it (and this is already a relativly low-risk thing) and yourself afterward.

Quote
Unless you are elderly or have significant other issues, the odds of dying of Covid are infinitesimal.
When does elderly start for you? Even 20 year olds have been around 0,2% death rate - and that is with the "old" virus, the newer mutations seem to be more dangerous.


By the River

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3014 on: April 29, 2021, 07:11:46 AM »
*sigh* Yesterday, a coworker showed up at work with a new (or very recent model year) Ford Ecosport Titanium.  According to Ford's website, it starts at about $27k.
...

Because reasons, I'm in the market for a car again.  My preferred car is something 2 or 3 years old coming off a lease with relatively low mileage and then I keep it for 8-10 years.  Last purchase was a 2 year old Honda Accord with 25K miles.  Its been a great car.   The cheapest I've found in this category is listed over $23,000.  That's nuts.  Anyway, if your coworker got the base model and keeps it a long time, they may not do bad. 

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3015 on: April 29, 2021, 07:43:33 AM »
*sigh* Yesterday, a coworker showed up at work with a new (or very recent model year) Ford Ecosport Titanium.  According to Ford's website, it starts at about $27k.
...

Because reasons, I'm in the market for a car again.  My preferred car is something 2 or 3 years old coming off a lease with relatively low mileage and then I keep it for 8-10 years.  Last purchase was a 2 year old Honda Accord with 25K miles.  Its been a great car.   The cheapest I've found in this category is listed over $23,000.  That's nuts.  Anyway, if your coworker got the base model and keeps it a long time, they may not do bad.
Well, the base model starts at $20k.  They got the Titanium, which starts around $27k.

I'm a fan of buying cars at around 100,000 miles.  That's when a bunch of maintenance comes due (shocks, timing belt, fluids, etc) so there's a bump in ownership cost, so people tend to trade them in.  I'm happy to do that maintenance myself in exchange for saving a bunch of money. :)

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3016 on: April 29, 2021, 08:12:34 AM »
*sigh* Yesterday, a coworker showed up at work with a new (or very recent model year) Ford Ecosport Titanium.  According to Ford's website, it starts at about $27k.
...

Because reasons, I'm in the market for a car again.  My preferred car is something 2 or 3 years old coming off a lease with relatively low mileage and then I keep it for 8-10 years.  Last purchase was a 2 year old Honda Accord with 25K miles.  Its been a great car.   The cheapest I've found in this category is listed over $23,000.  That's nuts.  Anyway, if your coworker got the base model and keeps it a long time, they may not do bad.
Well, the base model starts at $20k.  They got the Titanium, which starts around $27k.

I'm a fan of buying cars at around 100,000 miles.  That's when a bunch of maintenance comes due (shocks, timing belt, fluids, etc) so there's a bump in ownership cost, so people tend to trade them in.  I'm happy to do that maintenance myself in exchange for saving a bunch of money. :)

You can’t go by MSRPs with Fords.  They tend to discount heavily, especially relatively unpopular models like the Ecosport. A quick glance at KBB suggests <$25k without trying too hard.

Paper Chaser

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3017 on: April 29, 2021, 08:39:29 AM »
*sigh* Yesterday, a coworker showed up at work with a new (or very recent model year) Ford Ecosport Titanium.  According to Ford's website, it starts at about $27k.
...

Because reasons, I'm in the market for a car again.  My preferred car is something 2 or 3 years old coming off a lease with relatively low mileage and then I keep it for 8-10 years.  Last purchase was a 2 year old Honda Accord with 25K miles.  Its been a great car.   The cheapest I've found in this category is listed over $23,000.  That's nuts.  Anyway, if your coworker got the base model and keeps it a long time, they may not do bad.
Well, the base model starts at $20k.  They got the Titanium, which starts around $27k.

I'm a fan of buying cars at around 100,000 miles.  That's when a bunch of maintenance comes due (shocks, timing belt, fluids, etc) so there's a bump in ownership cost, so people tend to trade them in.  I'm happy to do that maintenance myself in exchange for saving a bunch of money. :)

You can’t go by MSRPs with Fords.  They tend to discount heavily, especially relatively unpopular models like the Ecosport. A quick glance at KBB suggests <$25k without trying too hard.

This is a valid point. Autotrader shows 45 brand new EcoSports with the Titanium trim level for under $20k. Those dealers might be stacking discounts in order to advertise those prices as bait, but still... I really hope nobody is paying $27k for a tarted up EcoSport.

The real issue is that buying an EcoSport, new, and in the highest trim level is an all around terrible decision. They consistently finish last or very near the bottom in comparisons with other vehicles in their class. They depreciate quite a lot too.

US News ranked them dead last in the sub compact CUV category and said:
"The 2021 Ford EcoSport doesn't compare favorably with most vehicles in the subcompact SUV class. It suffers from an underpowered base engine, a harsh ride, and limited advanced safety features, which is why it ranks near the back of the segment."
"Is the Ford EcoSport a Good SUV?

No, the 2021 EcoSport is not a good subcompact SUV. Though this Ford has easy maneuverability in tight spaces and abundant cargo room, its negatives far outweigh its positives. Driver visibility is poor due to thick roof pillars and a narrow rear window. Taller folks will find the rear seats very tight, and there aren't many standard or available active safety features. Additionally, this Ford delivers a bumpy ride over uneven pavement, and acceleration is slow."

All that in a tiny CUV with a tiny engine and they can't even get 30mpg highway. There are just so many better choices...

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3018 on: April 29, 2021, 08:49:03 AM »
There are “better choices” but a lot of those come with higher (real world) price tags. Let’s face it, pretty much any modern car is pretty good. Someone buying a less good but cheaper Ford over a “better” Honda or Toyota is not making a terrible decision IMO.

Dee_the_third

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3019 on: April 29, 2021, 09:10:18 AM »
This is reminding me, I used to have a coworker who totaled a car once every other year (or at least it seemed that way). It was baffling to me. She sort of accepted it as the way things inevitably were going to be, or just bad luck.

I've met much worse drivers. I think she was just bad at driving defensively, somehow.

Paper Chaser

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3020 on: April 29, 2021, 10:10:29 AM »
There are “better choices” but a lot of those come with higher (real world) price tags. Let’s face it, pretty much any modern car is pretty good. Someone buying a less good but cheaper Ford over a “better” Honda or Toyota is not making a terrible decision IMO.

Yeah, there aren't very many truly bad new vehicles (although Fiat and Alfa sure try). My point was that there are many better uses for that money. The EcoSport buyer has to be the type of person that doesn't research major purchases in the slightest. I'm not surprised at all to hear that zolotiyeruki's coworker that consistently makes poor financial choices also made a poor choice in transportation. People that make poor choices in one area of their lives often make poor choices in other areas too.

If a person has to buy new, and it has to be a sub compact CUV, the Mazda CX3 has very similar pricing, while looking better, having nicer materials, being more refined in nature and getting 10% better fuel economy. It's also got better crash safety scores than the EcoSport. The Korean models from Hyundai/Kia are again similar on pricing to the EcoSport, but offer a far superior warranty. And those are just the better options in that segment and price bracket.

If we loosen restrictions and allow used vehicles as well, a $20-25k budget buys a very nice Avalon hybrid that has more space, nicer appointments, higher quality, and trounces the EcoSport's fuel economy. If you're loyal to the Ford brand, you can get 1-3 year old Fusion hybrids and PHEVs with well under 30k miles for that price, and again have a nicer, safer, more efficient vehicle (I like my Fusion PHEV a lot).

Sometimes I'm just a little baffled when I see people make the choices that they do. They may not all be awful choices, but good grief. At least put in a little effort to try and get the big things right and avoid hamstringing yourself.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3021 on: April 29, 2021, 12:23:08 PM »
Quote
Sometimes I'm just a little baffled when I see people make the choices that they do. They may not all be awful choices, but good grief. At least put in a little effort to try and get the big things right and avoid hamstringing yourself.
My stepfather ONLY buys Fords.  Only.


dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3022 on: April 29, 2021, 01:06:43 PM »

You try to find out where people have infected themselves if you catch them positive. You find a lot of reasons, but food is basically never the reason. There are one or two (where a cook was having heavy symptoms and not wearing a mask so you can imagine what was in the food) and a few maybes, but generally you can say it is safer to eat food from outside than to go shopping and grabbing the cart without desinfecting it (and this is already a relativly low-risk thing) and yourself afterward.


Ok I don’t want to crap up this thread with a Covid debate, especially since widespread vaccine availability is mooting most of it and I’m sure we have other threads for Covid which I really don’t want to join

But ill say that I understand hypothetically how we could detect/trace food borne transmission and because the US basically gave up on rigorous contract tracing early on I don’t think we ever collected enough data to disprove the hypothesis.  Correct my if I’m wrong, meaning an actual scholarly article, and PM if necessary so as not to foam the thread

And it would have been super easy for someone to do this research too.  Get a hundred monkeys and place active Covid on their meals.  See if they contract it.* As far as I know, nobody did this.  Again, correct me if I’m wrong.  I’d legitimately love to see the study and wouldn’t be surprised with either result.  I’m just disappointed that there was all this opportunity for basic research that wasn’t done (although I have scientist friends who assure me that data is coming someday, although they don’t specifically know who is analyzing it they feel confident someone somewhere is)


*note also that the respiratory Covid may not be the only form of infection.  Early on there were reports of Covid shedding in feces, which could indicate a gastrointestinal infection, presumably not as life threatening, but I didn’t see much since early reports

Dee_the_third

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3023 on: April 29, 2021, 07:20:58 PM »
And it would have been super easy for someone to do this research too.  Get a hundred monkeys and place active Covid on their meals.  See if they contract it.* As far as I know, nobody did this.  Again, correct me if I’m wrong.  I’d legitimately love to see the study and wouldn’t be surprised with either result.  I’m just disappointed that there was all this opportunity for basic research that wasn’t done (although I have scientist friends who assure me that data is coming someday, although they don’t specifically know who is analyzing it they feel confident someone somewhere is)

There's two very good reasons nobody did this - because it would have been fucking expensive, and it wouldn't have proven anything. Proving a negative is hard, e.g. COVID is NOT spread by contact transmission, cats are NOT the primary cause of the decline in songbird population, polymer networks with extensive long-range intermolecular interactions are NOT described by a de Gennes reptation or Rouse model. You get the picture. The reason it's hard is that there's usually a few counterexamples. Is COVID spread by contact? We could probably find a few cases where it possibly happened, sure.

It's much easier to accumulate positive examples until your colleagues scoff at a paper with a negative example. Sure, here's a case of possible foodborne COVID transmission. But there's
 two hundred thousand cases over here that were most likely respiratory transmission. Your single case is probably an anomaly or a lazy contact tracer. Is the single negative example sometimes a thread that unravels the established theories of an entire subfield? Sure, it happens sometimes. But not all the time.

So is COVID spread via physical contact? Unlikely. We don't say no, because scientists are cautious about making provably false statements. But it's much more likely it spreads via respiratory droplets,

"But maybe if we'd done the monkey experiment we would have had evidence! We just don't know!"

I don't really do in vivo studies so this is just speculation, but let's think this through. We acquire (say) 1,000 rhesus monkeys at a prohibitive cost of 5 million dollars, and hire a bunch of cheap postdocs and grad students to run the study. Let's say the facilities and staff are free, though they most certainly would not be. You feed them COVID laced mangoes.

Two possible outcomes:
1. They don't get COVID. Maybe we didn't give them enough. Maybe we waited too long between dosing and ingestion and the virus died. Maybe eating mangoes and COVID simultaneously reduces the potency of the virus. Maybe monkeys are less susceptible to oral COVID infection than humans are.
2. They get COVID. Maybe monkeys are more susceptible to COVID infection via the oral route than humans are. Maybe COVID manages to reproduce on room temperature mangoes but not room temperature bread. Maybe we gave them more COVID than a human would eat, even if the symptomatic line cook full on sneezed onto their food.

Meanwhile, while you're frantically trying to get your funding agency to give you more money for the followup experiments, the theory that "COVID is spread largely by people breathing in droplets breathed out infected people" explains most of the cases, and getting people to wear masks so they stop breathing air from all over the room and just the little pocket in front of them seems to reduce infection rates.

tl;dr Microwave your food if it makes you feel better. Just wear your mask.

DadJokes

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3024 on: April 30, 2021, 05:00:11 AM »
"I don't want to continue this debate about covid in a thread that has nothing to do with covid, but I'm going to do it anyway, because I have to have the last word."

Y'all just let it go.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3025 on: April 30, 2021, 10:05:02 AM »
"I don't want to continue this debate about covid in a thread that has nothing to do with covid, but I'm going to do it anyway, because I have to have the last word."

Y'all just let it go.

I’m just letting people know I won’t respond here further on that topic - in fact Dee_ has had the last public word and I’m happy to listen and respond to all opinions through PM.  Thus, I’m not stopping the conversation, just suggesting we move it elsewhere because there was already a complaint about off topic discussion.  Seems only polite to me, and I suggest this is how all such off topic issues are handled here.

I didn’t originally realize what thread this was when I responded to the first post about Covid
« Last Edit: April 30, 2021, 10:07:17 AM by dragoncar »

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3026 on: May 01, 2021, 01:16:00 AM »
No kidding, blech.  We have been eating out once/ week because of COVID (getting takeout)

I don’t follow this logic.  What about Covid makes you eat out more often?

I’ve eaten out far less during Covid because it’s such a pain in the ass to disinfect (I reheat everything to 165).  I am aware that there’s “no evidence” for food borne Covid spread, but I also don’t know what studies have been done to prove/disprove the hypothesis.  Whenever I see that there’s “no evidence” for something I ask what evidence might be Availabe.  For example, has someone innoculated food with Covid and fed it to 100 monkeys?  No.  Has someone done intense contact tracing of an unmasked symptomatic line cook to see if any of their customers has contracted Covid?  Maybe?  I haven’t seen that study.  I’m willing to accept that it’s an unlikely avenue for transmission but also know that restaurant back of house is and has always been filthy so I don’t really trust those guys to take any precautions unless I’ve personally visited the kitchen

You know what the funny thing is? My immune system is compromised. I get sick all the time. Everything makes me sick, going to parties, meeting kids, going to work, taking public transit, visiting dinner parties.

I know what restaurant kitchens often look like. But the one place where I've never contracted food poisoning is a restaurant, take-out or dine-in. I've given myself food poisoning, other people have given me food poisoning with their home-cooking, but somehow I've either been lucky or restaurant chefs are more aware of hygiene than people would think.

I have no idea about how Covid is contracted so I'm definitely not going to discuss that. I don't reheat my restaurant food but if you feel that's something you need to do, please do it. Better safe than sorry.

I share your concern about gastro-intestinal Covid. A family member stared having gastro symptoms in late Feb/early March 2020 and turned out to have Covid. It wasn't until 10 days later when they were hospitalised that they found out about the Covid (because of a routine test) because they were only having classic stomach bug symptoms and not lung symptoms. By then my family member already had symptomless severe pneumonia in both lungs. Coughing only started another week later right before death. Another family member that helped washing sheets and clothing when my sick relative had accidents got very sick with Covid too. It's impossible to prove how they got infected but my sick family member was not coughing at that point.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3027 on: May 02, 2021, 01:31:05 AM »

I know what restaurant kitchens often look like. But the one place where I've never contracted food poisoning is a restaurant, take-out or dine-in.

Guess you've never eaten the chili at wendys (literally gave me food poisoning thrice before I stopped going there -- the final time I was admitted to the hospital for fluids.  I was young and stupid and would eat wendy's on the way home from WORK)  Never given myself food poisoning and I'm usually a "leave it out on the counter all day" kinda guy.  I tend to overcook my food though, so don't ask me to make you a medium rare hamburder without signing a waiver

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3028 on: May 02, 2021, 04:33:37 AM »

I know what restaurant kitchens often look like. But the one place where I've never contracted food poisoning is a restaurant, take-out or dine-in.

Guess you've never eaten the chili at wendys (literally gave me food poisoning thrice before I stopped going there -- the final time I was admitted to the hospital for fluids.  I was young and stupid and would eat wendy's on the way home from WORK)  Never given myself food poisoning and I'm usually a "leave it out on the counter all day" kinda guy.  I tend to overcook my food though, so don't ask me to make you a medium rare hamburder without signing a waiver

We don't have Wendy's in my country, so maybe that's why! And I'm careful with the type of food I order.  I'm not a big meat eater but I'd maybe order a medium rare steak at a fancy restaurant, but when I'm at an outdoors music festival I'll stick to the French fries and use a hand sanitizer before I eat and after I've touched basically anything. Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M. They have pretty strict hygiene standards and their standards are the same around the world, and both have open kitchens so you can see what's going on. Apparantly Wendy's isn't like that?

The story why we don't have Wendy's in the EU is actually an epic FU money kind of story: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/wendys-locations-europe-netherlands-goes-restaurant  The guy could have accepted a ton of cash but he decided he'd rather have his restaurant.

I remember being in a small town in a central European country on a summer day and the temperature was over 40C. I wanted to grab lunch but properly stored food was nowhere to be found - I'm not going to eat a pre-prepared sandwich from an uncooled display at a bakery with an indoors temperature of over 30C. I don't think I've ever been happier to see a big yellow M in the distance. I'd much rather eat at the local bakery but I'm not going to risk it under these circumstances.  I've only ended up in hospital with food poisoning once (salmonella) and fortunately I didn't cook that dinner! But I think I gave myself food poisoning twice before I figured out my freezer wasn't working properly anymore.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3029 on: May 02, 2021, 05:38:28 PM »
The story why we don't have Wendy's in the EU is actually an epic FU money kind of story: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/wendys-locations-europe-netherlands-goes-restaurant  The guy could have accepted a ton of cash but he decided he'd rather have his restaurant.

That's interesting! I remember going to Wendy's in Cork, Ireland. It was the first fast food restaurant I'd even been to, so it must have been the mid-'70s. I remember McDonald's opening in Dublin in May 1977, and the lines were out the door for months. Wendy's had been around for a while at that point, but the Cork city location was the only one, as far as I know.


gooki

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3030 on: May 04, 2021, 03:52:24 AM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2021, 03:55:20 AM by gooki »

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3031 on: May 04, 2021, 06:17:53 AM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what that feels like :( Don't they normally have signs on every ingredient that shows when it was put in the sandwich bar and when it's supposed to be tossed out? In here they also make a point of making the staff wear gloves and showing they get discarded right in front of the customer? That's what I like about them. I'm not a very massive fan of the food itself. If it wasn't for the rigid safety procedures I wouldn't visit them.

I am naturally a fairly adventurous eater, and I really do try to eat local foods as much as possible, but it very much depends on the country and the season. In the UK and Scandinavia it's much less common to leave foods at room temperature in summer than in some places in Central Europe, for example, so I feel much more comfortable getting lunch from a small independent business.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3032 on: May 04, 2021, 12:06:16 PM »

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what that feels like :( Don't they normally have signs on every ingredient that shows when it was put in the sandwich bar and when it's supposed to be tossed out?

I am convinced this problem owes a lot to our crappy franchise arrangements.  Franchises like McDonald’s and subway set standards like that.  But there are a lot of flailing locations that are basically run by the local owner who either directly works there or micromanaged his staff.  And he has a personal profit motive to save every penny (corporations have profit motive but they don’t see you taking an extra packet of sauce as taking food out of their kids mouths).  I’ve heard stories of owners just changing the expiration dates, for example, so as not to throw out product.  I’ve personally seen the intense penny pinching with napkin counting.  This is far more likely to happen at a smaller location where the owner has only one franchise.  The larger more visible locations are often corporate run (eg airport international).  Not every chain is a franchise either.  I tend to like corporate own location better as they better recognize the liabilities involved in food safety (which is why they made those policies to begin with).  If there are a lot of impromptu signs around the store, it makes me very wary (2 napkin limit, one sauce per 6 nuggets, one refill per visit, etc) because that level of penny pinching inevitably means cut corners on food safety

Now if your location is busy, you probably won’t see an issue with expired product because it’s constantly getting used up.  Unless it’s something that people don’t order often (eg chili) that sits there all day and is supposed to get changed out but for some reason isn’t

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3033 on: May 04, 2021, 12:29:28 PM »

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what that feels like :( Don't they normally have signs on every ingredient that shows when it was put in the sandwich bar and when it's supposed to be tossed out?

I am convinced this problem owes a lot to our crappy franchise arrangements.  Franchises like McDonald’s and subway set standards like that.  But there are a lot of flailing locations that are basically run by the local owner who either directly works there or micromanaged his staff.  And he has a personal profit motive to save every penny (corporations have profit motive but they don’t see you taking an extra packet of sauce as taking food out of their kids mouths).  I’ve heard stories of owners just changing the expiration dates, for example, so as not to throw out product.  I’ve personally seen the intense penny pinching with napkin counting.  This is far more likely to happen at a smaller location where the owner has only one franchise.  The larger more visible locations are often corporate run (eg airport international).  Not every chain is a franchise either.  I tend to like corporate own location better as they better recognize the liabilities involved in food safety (which is why they made those policies to begin with).  If there are a lot of impromptu signs around the store, it makes me very wary (2 napkin limit, one sauce per 6 nuggets, one refill per visit, etc) because that level of penny pinching inevitably means cut corners on food safety

Now if your location is busy, you probably won’t see an issue with expired product because it’s constantly getting used up.  Unless it’s something that people don’t order often (eg chili) that sits there all day and is supposed to get changed out but for some reason isn’t

Subway is also one of the worst franchises for profit margins. There's not a lot of space between individual locations and most people need two to three locations and to be an owner/operator to earn enough of a profit to live on. There's more incentive to cut corners in an operation like that, which is why so many ingredients are consistently unavailable, why the vegetables tend to look wilted and awful, and why the "tuna salad" is mostly mayonnaise.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3034 on: May 06, 2021, 05:12:30 PM »

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what that feels like :( Don't they normally have signs on every ingredient that shows when it was put in the sandwich bar and when it's supposed to be tossed out?

I am convinced this problem owes a lot to our crappy franchise arrangements.  Franchises like McDonald’s and subway set standards like that.  But there are a lot of flailing locations that are basically run by the local owner who either directly works there or micromanaged his staff.  And he has a personal profit motive to save every penny (corporations have profit motive but they don’t see you taking an extra packet of sauce as taking food out of their kids mouths).  I’ve heard stories of owners just changing the expiration dates, for example, so as not to throw out product.  I’ve personally seen the intense penny pinching with napkin counting.  This is far more likely to happen at a smaller location where the owner has only one franchise.  The larger more visible locations are often corporate run (eg airport international).  Not every chain is a franchise either.  I tend to like corporate own location better as they better recognize the liabilities involved in food safety (which is why they made those policies to begin with).  If there are a lot of impromptu signs around the store, it makes me very wary (2 napkin limit, one sauce per 6 nuggets, one refill per visit, etc) because that level of penny pinching inevitably means cut corners on food safety

Now if your location is busy, you probably won’t see an issue with expired product because it’s constantly getting used up.  Unless it’s something that people don’t order often (eg chili) that sits there all day and is supposed to get changed out but for some reason isn’t

I agree on you being wary of locations penny-pinching. My memory of one Subway in particular was that they were only including one napkin with the order - I asked for more. And with that restaurant being so common that was also the last time I went to that location. As you alluded to, if they are cutting corners one the things you can see, where might they be cutting where you cannot see?

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3035 on: May 06, 2021, 09:27:30 PM »
I agree on you being wary of locations penny-pinching. My memory of one Subway in particular was that they were only including one napkin with the order - I asked for more. And with that restaurant being so common that was also the last time I went to that location. As you alluded to, if they are cutting corners one the things you can see, where might they be cutting where you cannot see?

My supply of (free) napkins/tissues in car and my coats comes from restaurants that put too many napkins on the table. Giving one napkin seems like good business sense... as long as they provide more if you need them.

But Subway...  first, yuck.  Second, wayyyyyyyy too many decisions to make there.  Can't do it.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3036 on: May 08, 2021, 06:50:12 AM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3037 on: May 09, 2021, 12:39:29 PM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

Food poisoning is s strange thing. Sometimes it can break out several days after the bad food - even though I never understood how that is possible. What I want to say: I would give it no more than a 50:50 chance it was actually the subway food. Maybe even while setting up the camp your husband gut some dirt in the mouth with the offending bacteria. Easy if the ground is not wet.

OtherJen

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3038 on: May 09, 2021, 06:02:16 PM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

Food poisoning is s strange thing. Sometimes it can break out several days after the bad food - even though I never understood how that is possible. What I want to say: I would give it no more than a 50:50 chance it was actually the subway food. Maybe even while setting up the camp your husband gut some dirt in the mouth with the offending bacteria. Easy if the ground is not wet.

Sometimes that's how long it takes the pathogenic bacteria to reach a critical mass in the gut. But 24 hours isn't an unusually long incubation time.

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3039 on: May 11, 2021, 03:12:40 AM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

Food poisoning is s strange thing. Sometimes it can break out several days after the bad food - even though I never understood how that is possible. What I want to say: I would give it no more than a 50:50 chance it was actually the subway food. Maybe even while setting up the camp your husband gut some dirt in the mouth with the offending bacteria. Easy if the ground is not wet.

Sometimes that's how long it takes the pathogenic bacteria to reach a critical mass in the gut. But 24 hours isn't an unusually long incubation time.
Yes, but the point is that you can't be sure by far that it was the subway food (or any other single meal for several days before).

It's a reasonable guess, but still just an educated guess.

NorCal

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3040 on: May 23, 2021, 07:51:00 PM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

Food poisoning is s strange thing. Sometimes it can break out several days after the bad food - even though I never understood how that is possible. What I want to say: I would give it no more than a 50:50 chance it was actually the subway food. Maybe even while setting up the camp your husband gut some dirt in the mouth with the offending bacteria. Easy if the ground is not wet.

Sometimes that's how long it takes the pathogenic bacteria to reach a critical mass in the gut. But 24 hours isn't an unusually long incubation time.
Yes, but the point is that you can't be sure by far that it was the subway food (or any other single meal for several days before).

It's a reasonable guess, but still just an educated guess.

True story.

I've been to various parts of the globe, including active war zones and parts of Asia that aren't known for their food hygiene.  I eat local pretty much everywhere I go.

Two places that have bad enough food to make me incredibly sick.  The first was poorly cooked unidentified meat from an Iraqi local.  The second case was bar food in London. 

Be careful with that British food.

Don't worry about that Thai street food though.  Or the interesting menu choices in a Chinese Seafood restaurant.  Sea Cucumber and Duck tongue are quite tasty if you can get past the texture.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3041 on: June 03, 2021, 09:09:20 AM »
Quote
Funny, when I'm abroad and I'm not sure what I can eat and what I can't, I tend to stick to American restaurant chains like Subway and the big yellow M.

FWIW I got the worst ever food poisoning from Subway. Had to go to a after hours doc, was folded over in pain. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance to get to ER. Never ever am I having subway meatballs again. The fuckers must have been sitting in the warmer all week festering. Perfect temperature for bacteria to grow.

Sorry to hear you're missing out on awesome international cuisine.

My husband’s Subway food poisoning ruined our camping trip last summer. (He grabbed Subway for lunch the day before we left. Symptoms kicked in after we set up camp.) I don’t normally eat fast food, but that pretty much cemented my decision to avoid it.

Food poisoning is s strange thing. Sometimes it can break out several days after the bad food - even though I never understood how that is possible. What I want to say: I would give it no more than a 50:50 chance it was actually the subway food. Maybe even while setting up the camp your husband gut some dirt in the mouth with the offending bacteria. Easy if the ground is not wet.

Sometimes that's how long it takes the pathogenic bacteria to reach a critical mass in the gut. But 24 hours isn't an unusually long incubation time.
Yes, but the point is that you can't be sure by far that it was the subway food (or any other single meal for several days before).

It's a reasonable guess, but still just an educated guess.

True story.

I've been to various parts of the globe, including active war zones and parts of Asia that aren't known for their food hygiene.  I eat local pretty much everywhere I go.

Two places that have bad enough food to make me incredibly sick.  The first was poorly cooked unidentified meat from an Iraqi local.  The second case was bar food in London. 

Be careful with that British food.

Don't worry about that Thai street food though.  Or the interesting menu choices in a Chinese Seafood restaurant.  Sea Cucumber and Duck tongue are quite tasty if you can get past the texture.

I traveled 6 months in Asia and the only time I got a food poisoning was in Vietnam when I ate at a tourist restaurant that was full of westerners. In China, I went to all kind of local restaurant were I only had a basic idea of the menu due to an app. I always choose buy places with locals.

The first time I got a food poisoning was in Switzerland, the night before a wedding with a four or five course menu. I look like a ghost in the pictures as I am even more pale then usual.

I really like food so I try to avoid american fast food restaurants. Part of the experience is to eat good local food.

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3042 on: June 03, 2021, 01:08:14 PM »
"Well we are both splitting the car payment, so my payment is the same for my Jetta, but I get a new BMW M-series"
"She NEEDS a fancy car to impress her clients, boss, and co-workers if she wants to move up the ladder"

"Her boss was poor only 5 years ago, we went to their wedding, it was probably all in only $20k"

TheFrenchCat

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3043 on: June 03, 2021, 02:51:35 PM »
"Well we are both splitting the car payment, so my payment is the same for my Jetta, but I get a new BMW M-series"
"She NEEDS a fancy car to impress her clients, boss, and co-workers if she wants to move up the ladder"

"Her boss was poor only 5 years ago, we went to their wedding, it was probably all in only $20k"
Guess we must be in abject poverty, since ours was less than half that.  What on earth are they talking about?!  20k is a lot for a wedding.

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3044 on: June 03, 2021, 03:01:54 PM »
"Well we are both splitting the car payment, so my payment is the same for my Jetta, but I get a new BMW M-series"
"She NEEDS a fancy car to impress her clients, boss, and co-workers if she wants to move up the ladder"

"Her boss was poor only 5 years ago, we went to their wedding, it was probably all in only $20k"
Guess we must be in abject poverty, since ours was less than half that.  What on earth are they talking about?!  20k is a lot for a wedding.

***Adventine side-eyes her $200 civil wedding and silicone wedding rings (16 for $26 total)***

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3045 on: June 05, 2021, 12:55:31 AM »
How do you even know how much a wedding costs?

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3046 on: June 05, 2021, 02:48:35 PM »
How do you even know how much a wedding costs?

I wonder this too!

I've been to one wedding that clearly cost a lot--e.g. there were many large and beautiful fresh flower arrangements--but I couldn't begin to put a price tag on it. And never mind knowing what was a gift, what was DIY, etc.

Sanitary Stache

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3047 on: June 05, 2021, 10:56:56 PM »
People in the wedding industry can make pretty good estimates on prices. At least to the scale of costs.

Plina

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3048 on: June 06, 2021, 12:00:10 AM »
Or some relative or friend at the wedding mentioned it or the boss herself.

Michael in ABQ

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Re: Overheard at Work 2
« Reply #3049 on: June 06, 2021, 10:28:19 AM »
How do you even know how much a wedding costs?

Catering is going to cost at least $15 per plate and can be multiples of that.

Renting a venue usually starts at $500 and can easily be thousands.

Photographer/Videographer will be $1,000+ in most cases - especially if it's multiple people.

Flowers, clothing, rings, etc.

A wedding with 50-100+ people with nice food and a nice venue is probably going to be in the tens of thousands unless it's obvious all the food was homemade and it's held in a free/cheap venue (backyard of friend/family member, etc.).


Our wedding in a courthouse was a almost nothing (I had a suit, friend made my wife's dress) except gold wedding bands that were around $1,000 (gold was much cheaper back then). The "reception" afterwards was maybe a few hundred more for lunch in a restaurant with a small group of family and friends.