You might have found yourself in a situation where you genuinely don’t want to eat what one of your family members has made. Maybe they’re not a great cook. Maybe your tastes and theirs don’t overlap much. Whatever the case might be, it’s often hard to say ‘no, thank you.’
But there are always limits. Sometimes, you have to set politeness aside and enforce some gosh darn boundaries. One internet user begged the internet for help with dealing with her nightmare, penny-pinching mother-in-law. According to the netizen, her MIL bullies her into eating disgusting, spoiled food. Keep scrolling to read the full story and to see the net’s advice.
Your health and safety should always be your priority. Under no circumstances should you eat food that you know for a fact has gone bad
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
A conflict-avoidant woman turned to the net for advice. She revealed how her penny-pinching, manipulative mother-in-law bullies her into eating her spoiled food
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Image source: Demeriax
Some food items go bad far more quickly than others. The signs of spoilage are hard to miss
Image credits: Monika Grabkowska (not the actual photo)
According to the Australian Institute of Food Safety, some foods are particularly likely to degrade, spoil, or become unsafe to eat if they’re not consumed quickly after purchase, are mishandled, or are improperly stored.
Some of the most perishable foods include the following:
- Dairy products such as milk and cheese
- Seafood
- Poultry
- Beef
- Pork
- Fruits and vegetables
Essentially, food spoilage refers to a “disagreeable change in the normal state of the food,” such as its taste, texture, smell, or appearance. In other words, it becomes unfit to eat.
Usually, it’s yeast, mold, or bacteria that are to blame for food spoiling.
“A typical example of spoilage is green or white fuzzy patches appearing on a piece of fruit. Spoilage caused by harmful bacteria is known as pathogenic spoilage and renders food unsafe to eat. While spoilage doesn’t always mean that the item is unsafe to eat, customers should never be served spoiled food,” the institute writes.
Some of the most common signs of spoilage in dairy products include black or green mold, curdling, or a strong smell and taste.
Meanwhile, when it comes to seafood and meat products, they often look discolored, slimy, and have a foul odor.
Food poisoning is nothing to laugh at. The symptoms can range from mild to extremely severe
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Though some foods (for example, canned or baked goods) are low-risk, they can also spoil and exhibit green or white mold.
Furthermore, spoiled canned goods can have a soft or jelled texture, a cloudy appearance, or a strong smell. On top of that, the cans themselves might bulge or release gas or liquids when you open them.
If you eat spoiled, contaminated, or toxic food, you may develop food poisoning. As per Healthline, some of the most common symptoms of food poisoning are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diearrhea
- Abdominal cramps
- Mild fever
- Weakness
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
You should immediately seek medical help if your diarrhea lasts for more than 3 days, you have a fever higher than 38.9 degrees Celsius or 102 degrees Fahrenheit, or you have difficulty seeing or speaking.
Other incredibly worrying symptoms, according to Healthline, include little to no urine output, having a dry mouth, and finding it difficult to keep any fluids down.
Depending on the source of the infection, the length of time it takes for the symptoms to appear can range widely. They can appear from just half an hour to a whopping 8 weeks.
What are your thoughts, dear Pandas? What advice would you give the author of the post to help her be more assertive? Have you ever gotten food poisoning from a relative’s cooking? How do you say ‘no’ to a family member’s offers of food if you dislike it? Let us know in the comments.
As the story started getting attention online, the author offered more context about her sensitive situation
Lots of people rushed to offer their thoughts and advice
After getting so much advice online, the author shared a small update
After some time, she shared a larger update. Here's how things went
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Image source: Demeriax
And here's what the internet had to say after reading the latest update from the woman
