A Giant Insect in my Salad?!?!

So just now I'm ripping away at a head of lettuce, and rinsing one leaf at a time. Minding my own business and thinking about what other ingredients to add. That's when I see it:

Half-tucked in the crevice of some leaves. A huge, white insect with milky-transparent skin. It was easily the size of my whole thumb, resembling a cross between a cockroach and a maggot. It's fat, limp body glistened grotesquely in against the wet lettuce.

The image was burned into my brain and my stomach. In that instant I swore off lettuce forever. I screamed. I gagged. I wretched. I freaked the hell out.  And somewhere between the third and fourth dry heave, I realized... It was actually just a piece of the stalk of the lettuce leaf. 

._.

Lol... I laughed so hard... You are too funny!

dude but I had a ladybug in my romaine last week... ;P

Aw, poor ladybug.  :(

I thought you were going to ask how many calories to log for the giant insect.

it was probably in its larva stage.

extra protein! i hear bugs have a higher bioavailability of protein than red meat.

EDIT: oops this is what I get for not reading all the way.

I grew lettuce in my garden last year and had trouble with these snail sorta things- i had to make sure they were washed really well, and i soaked them in salt water a bit too- makes the slugs fall off. Sooo, maybe it wasn't a stalk after all....let the heaving commense again! hehe -sorry!

One time I found dead worms and bugs all over a head of broccoli. It was disgusting. And I didn't notice them until I was just about ready to EAT it. Needless to say, I just can't bring myself to eat it again.

Original Post by octo-luv:

it was probably in its larva stage.

extra protein! i hear bugs have a higher bioavailability of protein than red meat.

 

EDIT: oops this is what I get for not reading all the way.

 LOL, I've done the same thing several times... It's still funny though!

Original Post by zebulancherry:

One time I found dead worms and bugs all over a head of broccoli. It was disgusting. And I didn't notice them until I was just about ready to EAT it. Needless to say, I just can't bring myself to eat it again.

 Gross!! That's too bad because broccoli is soo delicious! Maybe someday?... I have found bugs in a head of lettuce, bok choy and cabbage, luckily they were not too gross looking to put me off any of the three for life.

I've found disgusting non-food items in food about three times in my life.

1. single-serving bag of white cheddar popcorn...I had already eaten half of it before I realized THERE WERE ANTS CRAWLING ALL OVER THE POPCORN AND MY HAND. omg, I wanted to die.

2. weird fly type creature in a bag of lettuce.

3. I found a hair in my salad at Mimi's Cafe. Super awesome.

Haha, that's funny!  I do the same thing often.  It's gotten so bad that now even when I think there is a bug on me or on my food, I assume I'm making it up.  Like yesterday, I was sitting at my desk and I had my hand under my cheek, propping my tired little face up, and I kept seeing this blurry thing in my glasses.  I kept thinking I was just seeing things, but then I looked at my hand and there was a little, teeny tiny red bug on my hand. It had been reflecting in my glasses.

Also, the other day, I was looking for a pot in my kitchen and I kept thinking there was something flying in my face but assumed it was a really annoying hair.  No, after I finally found the pot I saw a little fruit fly buzzing around. 

My best friend and I used to work together and we would go to Bennigan's for lunch.  They had these awesome salads.  One time we were there and she told me I should stop getting the salad because she had gone with her husband and there was a ladybug in her salad.  She was totally grossed out and wouldn't eat it.  I just laughed and ordered my salad.  It came crawling with ladybugs.  They made me a new one, but there were still a ton of ladybugs in it.  I never got a salad there again.  Actually, we barely went there anymore after that.  Maybe that's why they closed.  Too many ladybugs in their salads!

 I once ate some maggots inside a piece of chicken when I was 12...

I didn't even throw up! I was like "Oh, Maggots" lol.. I was a strange child.

The worst is eating your favorite cereal as a kid and realizing after eating 85% of it that there are weavils (sp?) floating around in your milk.  Bleh!  No more Frankenberry for me.

Wow I dont think I will have any trouble staying within my calorie limits today LOL

I once found a lady bug in my lettuce. And this was after I put in the dressing and everything else.