Cockroach on the wall - do you never return?

[Pan]

A post by jeunefilleparis in this thread inspired me to ask the following question: If you see a roach crawling on the wall of a restaurant whose cuisine you really like, but you've never seen any contamination in the food, will you boycott the restaurant forever? I can think of a couple of instances in which I haven't. On one of my visits to DiFara's in Brooklyn (some time ago, not a recent visit), I saw at least one roach on the wall and, in fact, had to smash it when it was walking toward our pizza. That didn't stop me from coming back. Also, at one time (again, not recently), I saw roaches walking on the wall near the dessert display at the 97th St. and Amsterdam, Manhattan, branch of El Malecon. So I didn't order dessert there for some time but did not stop coming, and haven't seen any roaches there for a few years. On the other hand, years ago, there were a number of roaches on the counter where I was eating at Benny's Burritos on 6th and A in the East Village, and when I mentioned it to the waitress, she was unsurprised and unapologetic - very matter-of-fact. More than one came toward my food, and I had to smash them. I was not happy and never returned.

I have a different reaction to visible insect contamination in food. My father got a large black fly boiled in his soup at La Rosita, a good Dominican restaurant on 108 St. and Broadway, in 1992, and I have yet to return, despite the fact that it was 12 years ago and doubtless, a fluke occurrence. A few years ago, seeing a small roach boiled in my tea and getting an empty roach egg sac in my spicy cabbage respectively caused me to permanently stop going to the Malaysian-Indonesian restaurant on Doyers and a Shanghainese restaurant on Mott that I forget the exact name of (both in Manhattan's Chinatown).

Since I'm editing this for writing style and such-like anyway, I'll add that I'm remembering a Far Eastern Economic Review article I read recently (I would have provided a link to the article online except that that would have required me to pay a fee for a yearly subscription), in which a columnist said that his English wife became "truly Asian" when, instead of having a fit when she saw a fly in her soup in Bangkok, simply pushed it to the side and continued eating the delicious soup. Insects are essentially just extra protein, after all, and if the dish they've contaminated is properly cooked, I don't see how they can really hurt us. Am I and some of the rest of us overreacting to the unexpected presence of insects in our food?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Reminds me of the time when dining at a Greek restaurant owned by a famous San Diego celebrity at Seaport Village. The place was completely overrun by "water bugs" -- you know, the cockroach varietal that are bigger than a large man's thumb.

Now I understand that they are by the sea and it may be difficult to eradicate them. But when I complained about the proliferation of them and the one that was making a bee-line for my salad on our table, the OWNER shrugged his shoulders saying, "what can we do? We're by the water and they are everywhere..."

Now up until that point, I had lived by the beach almost my entire life and never saw as many as I did in that restaurant that night.

I never, ever ate there again.

[scott123]

I've found a roach in my Indian food once and kept going back. The food was just too good. I do inspect the food carefully when I eat there. If I found another roach I would probably severe my ties. But one roach, if the food is to die for, no skin off my back.

[Oceangroveguy]

Roaches, gaaaaah!

They were the end of long love affairs with the Mexican Gardens on Waverly Place, and Tennessee Mountain in Soho (although I confess I was so enamored of the sausage enchiladas at MG that I might have gone back once after first seeing roaches...but not twice). This was back in the early 80's.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I've found a roach in my Indian food once and kept going back. The food was just too good. I do inspect the food carefully when I eat there. If I found another roach I would probably severe my ties. But one roach, if the food is to die for, no skin off my back.

You are a braver man than I, Gunga Din.

[Pan]

I admit to being somewhat phobic about roaches since my experience in 1975 of being in Bangkok during flash floods at the beginning of their monsoon season and having waterbugs crawling up my legs to try to save themselves from drowning in knee-deep water that flooded the holes in the streets where they were living. That didn't make me too phobic to live with roaches for most of the following two years in a traditional Malay village house, whose space between floorboards made it part of the environment, with waterbugs, big spiders, and big, disoriented sticky-footed beetles part of the indoor/outdoor fauna (those unfortunate beetles, called kabur in Malay, didn't understand electric light and committed suicide every night by crashing into the light fixtures, but I digress). Nevertheless, undoubtedly, phobias play a part in my reactions and the reactions of many people to these kinds of food contamination.

[jschyun]

If it's obviously negligent, then I wouldn't go back.

At one Mexican restaurant, long ago, I got a fly perfectly encased in some grated cheese from a can on top of my beans. They could have easily plucked it out, but maybe it was a garnish? Never went back, even though I ate around the fly. Anyway, it was a dubious recommendation from a friend.

--ack pressed too soon

Edited July 6, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[KarenS]

I live in Hawaii, a place with a lot of cockroaches. Yes, you must be ultra clean in the kitchen. Being clean is not enough to stop them from coming inside. They will fly, crawl though cracks, etc... A place infested with roaches is different then one showing up on the wall. Insects are everywhere and in everything. I have currently been without a roach sighting for two weeks. Our house was tented for termites then (a price you pay for living in the tropics- must be done every 7-10 years). I have a huge respect for organic farmers- their job is not easy!

[Pickles]

Cockroaches in the daylight? That means MAJOR infestation, my friends. Only the weakest members of the colonies venture out for food or water when there's light around. A roach IN my food? Better be a ladies' room nearby for me to ralph in. I couldn't tolerate it. No way. And go BACK? To the same restaurant? I don't care if my Mom owned it...no way!

Some roach facts taken from my Sanitation Handbook (4th edition):

Females live 60 days-2 years and can have MILLIONS of offspring.

Roaches carry diseases such as salmonella, fungi, parasite eggs and viruses.

The have a vile, strong, greasy odor.

Many people are allergic to them.

Not very appetizing is it?

Edited July 6, 2004 by Pickles (log)

[McDuff]

a fly perfectly encased

Who's that guy, cookbook writer, Lee something something, look in his book of Southern Desserts at the picture of a chocolate pudding. Talk about flies perfectly encased. How did that get by?

If I remember his nombre, I'll edit this.

[Hest88]

Nah. It takes a lot more than that to keep me from my favorite food.

I once saw a dead mouse floating in the moat of one of those sushi boat places. I didn't tell my companion for a year because it was our staple sushi lunch places.

Granted, if the roach thing or mouse thing seemed indicative of a much larger problem I'd think twice about going, but the occasional visitor I'd just assume was an anomaly.

[Epice]

I was drinking a cup of Turkish coffee at the end of lunch in a long-departed restaurant on Third Ave. in NYC when I realized that there was something in my mouth that wasn't coffee. I spit it out. It was a dead roach. I screamed.

The very alarmed-looking waiter came rushing over to find out what was wrong. When I showed him, he looked relieved, and explained to me that it was really hard for them to notice when the roaches had got into the ground coffee, since the coffee and the roaches were pretty much the same color.

It was the relieved look on his face--"Oh, thank goodness it's just another one of those pesky coffee roaches!"--that made me call the Board of Health as soon as I got back to my office. The restaurant was shut down for multiple sanitary violations a couple of days later. Leaving aside that a roach in my mouth is non-negotiably NOT ALL RIGHT, the presence of one generally means the presence of a whole lotta others.

[ronnie_suburban]

Roach in the restaurant, I would, and have returned...the one caveat being if I saw many of them (even though seeing one usually indicates the presence of many).

Roach in the food, I doubt I'd be back, but if I liked the place enough I might be able to look the other way. It's never happened, so I can't say for sure.

=R=

[beans]

One small island resort I worked we'd see one regularly on a wall, hiding in the canned juices/sodas, in an empty ice well, etc.... Part of the reason I couldn't stand working there a moment longer (and I did quit), despite it was supposed to ultra exclusive and a wee bit of paradise. The general manager continually assured me they weren't roaches and really were "woodland beetles." Ha. Nothing like waking up in your little boarding room and seeing one staring at you while standing on the ceiling over your bed. I was there a little longer than two months and never once was the place ever sprayed by exterminators, and we had two bars, one restaurant, health spa recreational and cottages/hotel like rooms members stayed in. During one of my sole Mondays off of work and island, I purchased some heavy duty Raid to outline all of my walls, flooring, cracks, doors, etc. Smelled bloody awful but was better than being eyeball to eyeball ever again.

I've seen one on the bartop next door to where I work and didn't think much of it. That restaurant was clean and we had to coordinate our bug nights to effectively deal with the situation. (Instead of any running to escape our gassing them out -- we're literally on the water -- would run their direction and then when they'd fumigate, they'd run in our direction. All have been nicely eliminated now that we have coordinated with our neighbour. )

The only time I remember being wholly disturbed by the sight of roaches while dining out was a now defunct restaurant. Not in the food, but three were on the wall near our booth. I feared they would crawl into our jackets that were resting not too far away from them. Never went back.

Edited July 6, 2004 by beans (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

I live in New Orleans. We have a few roaches.

Roaches on the wall-depends on whether they cover the wall or they are just cavorting about. A few friendly prehistoric insects don't worry me much.

Roaches in the food-not going back. Ever.

[beans]

I live in New Orleans. We have a few roaches.

...or they are just cavorting about.

I think it is your word choice and general demeanor that made me laugh.

[andiesenji]

The last time I was in Florida for one of the dog show circuits, (several years ago) friends took me to a Cuban restaurant that was like an insect zoo. There were no bugs in the food, but there were a lot of the ubiquitous "Palmetto bugs" and one galloped along the chair rail behind one of my friends and she just swatted it off onto the floor. Sure looked like a roach to me, but a darn big one. The food was good but I checked everything carefully before taking a bite.

This reminds me of the scene in Victor/Victoria where Julie Andrews has a roach in her purse and tries to dump it into her salad so she could get out of paying for her dinner and also the dinner of Robert Preston - - and the pandemonium that followed when it crawled up the leg of another diner. Hilarious.

However there was one restaurant I went to in Mexicali quite a few years ago just at sunset and where we sat on a terrace about five feet from a wall that I thought at first had a curtain hanging in front of it becuase it seemed to move.

When I mentioned it to one of my friends he said it was scorpions on the wall catching the last rays of the sun. I left...........

Some things I can take but scorpions, big spiders, and such things are not my cup of tea.

Not a bug story but another thing that startled me while eating in a Mexican restaurant in Guadalahara was having a lizard, maybe a gecko, gallop across my plate after a moth. I scooped out the little footprints and deposited it on a leaf at the side of my plate and continued eating.

[Pan]

I have a well-justified fear of scorpions: They can make people very sick. Palmetto bugs are pretty - as long as they're outside. Inside, they're just big, flying roaches with spots on their backs; get 'em OUTATHERE!!!!!!

[cakewalk]

I have a well-justified fear of scorpions: They can make people very sick. Palmetto bugs are pretty - as long as they're outside. Inside, they're just big, flying roaches with spots on their backs; get 'em OUTATHERE!!!!!!

The apartment building I lived in in Jerusalem was once infested with scorpions. It taught me to appreciate cockroaches.

[lesfen]

After we had finished a meal at a local Mexican joint, a cockroach fell from the ceiling, onto our table. We trapped it under a glass and called the waiter over and his response was, "oh, yyyeah." End of story. Now, I've worked in many kitchens and I know how hard it is to keep the bugs out, no matter how clean your place is... but if one of those critters makes it's way out into the dining room, you should have some sort of apology on deck, doncha think?! I never went back because I figured if Skippy had that sort of reaction to cockroaches from above, I'm guessing the place was chock full of them.

[elfin]

I was on a second date and eating Indian for the first time. The cook/waiter/buser came out with a apron that had not been washed for weeks and looked like he had just slaughtered a goat. As the food was being served I saw a large cockroach scurring across the wall. I did not know what to say and to whom. The food was fantastic and I married the guy. Now we travel all over the world and have eaten at far dirtier places-I guess he was just testing me!

[bleudauvergne]

Only once was it bad enough to keep me from going back. A Taiwanese place in the 6eme Lyon. We were seated at the table in a very dimly lit dining room. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see them everywhere. They were oozing along the corners, from under the carpet, on the walls, one was actually on the next table (which was not occupied). The false ceiling was vibrating ever so slightly and they were partially slipping out from behind it, always in motion, it was horrifying, not just because of the ones I could see, but the thought of the thousands I could not see. Every couple of minutes my eye would catch another one. We just stood up and left. I was afraid one would get into my purse or the cuff of my pants and infest our home. It was so icky. We inspected each other before going into our apartment.

[chefs13]

Roaches in a restaurant... nope I wouldn't go back. I absolutely hate those things.

To be honest with you, I've seen so many things go on in a variety of restaurants, even so called 5 star that I don't even like eating in restaurants at all. I know how clean and sanitary I am and could never even phantom being any other way while cooking, but not everyone is like that.

[beans]

One thing to keep in mind: roaches don't eat human food. They have no interest. As lesfen stated, the place can be spic and span and the occasional roach may trapse by. They *love* boxes. Just think of how many boxes of sleeves of plastic cups, etc. are in dry storage of any given restaurant. We got a fantastic bug guy and I haven't seen any in about five years. We even got rid of those huge spiders that loved the ceilings of our outdoor bars.

And they're not just in restaurants... think about being in those last rows of coach on take off.

[sequim]

Roaches are a part of life in some parts of the country. When I lived in Chicago, I had them in every apartment I lived in - that certainly didn't keep me from eating there! If I had to choose my bug, I'd choose roaches over flies any day. I don't really like finding them in my food, but it's not really a calamity. As someone said, in other parts of the world, crawly things are food.