So I’m at the Subway on Neihu road section one, and had just placed my order for a Classic Italian. While looking at the meats, wondering which of the grayish nothing-like-the-photo meat I’d be getting this time, I notice a nice little cockroach on the INSIDE of the glass! Oh well that’s just one little baby cockroach, I tell myself, I wonder how the little bugger snuck in there? Then I see his friend pop out… .
“Uh… excuse me… I’m not going to be needing that sandwich anymore… you’ve got a cockroach infestation.” (in chinese)
The workers look at me with blank faces and barely muster an “okay…”. And I left.
You know what they say about how many cockroaches you don’t see for every one you do? This was in the middle of the day, with people all around… that has got to be a serious infestation.
So besides warning all of you not to go to this particular subway location, I’m curious as to how you all would have handled this situation? Should I report this location to some kind of sanitation department? God knows how many people have unwittingly eaten cockroach meat in their sandwich there…
Ah dammit. Over the last year there were two Subways where I consistently ate, and the one at Neihu Rd became the go-to place after poor service drove me away from the other.
My coworker just found a dung beetle in his fried noodles, if that helps you feel better. He was halfway through.
The mystery meat with the noodles was more disturbing, IMHO.
At least, Subway is mostly clean and reliable when it comes to its sources, and they act quickly on customer’s complaints, in my experience. Yes, service may vary. And roaches are rampant this year, and it is really hard to get rid of them.
When paying for my stuff at a 7-11, I pointed out to the clerk a huge cockroach crawling on the shelves behind her. She looked back at me with a “So what?” look on her face. I guess it’s a good thing 7-11 things are wrapped.
[quote=“drvelocity”]So I’m at the Subway on Neihu road section one, and had just placed my order for a Classic Italian. While looking at the meats, wondering which of the grayish nothing-like-the-photo meat I’d be getting this time, I notice a nice little cockroach on the INSIDE of the glass! Oh well that’s just one little baby cockroach, I tell myself, I wonder how the little bugger snuck in there? Then I see his friend pop out… . “Uh… excuse me… I’m not going to be needing that sandwich anymore… you’ve got a cockroach infestation.” (in chinese)
The workers look at me with blank faces and barely muster an “okay…”. And I left.You know what they say about how many cockroaches you don’t see for every one you do? This was in the middle of the day, with people all around… that has got to be a serious infestation.
So besides warning all of you not to go to this particular subway location, I’m curious as to how you all would have handled this situation? Should I report this location to some kind of sanitation department? God knows how many people have unwittingly eaten cockroach meat in their sandwich there…[/quote]
Haha I’ve conditioned myself to be able to do that with hair, but bugs I don’t think I can handle… unless it’s a little gnat or something, that I’m cool with.
It’s all part of fitting in to a new culture.
Stage 1: You think bugs are disgusting and leave the premises when you see one.
Stage 2: You pick them out of your meal when you spot one, but continue eating the meal.
Stage 3: You eat the bugs found in your meal.
Stage 4: You add your own bugs when none are found in your meal. Leave the premises if they forgot to add some.
When it comes to food, cockroaches should be the least of your worries.
It’s what you don’t see/know about the supply source and chain that should
be of concern.
And actually the presence of cockroaches means the food’s probably OK to eat
because they’re going for it and there’s no sense in arguing with creatures who’ve
been around for about 100 million years (the modern cockroach).
This thread just encourages me to do what I have been thinking about for a while - resort to an all liquid diet. The alcohol will surely kill some of the germs.
I found a nail in my noodles in Shijir, a cockroach in instant noodles from Carrefour, and a cigarette butt in my steamed veggies in Banciao.
In my honest opinion, Subway(and any other Western chain) standards are miles higher than 99% of local restaurants. The cockroaches are disturbing, but hell, I occasionally see a cockroach in my own kitchen - this hasn’t stopped me from eating my own culinary creations as of yet.
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