I'm doomed! Something I ate...



D

D.Currie

Guest
For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
me. Same as last time.

Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it, or
else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
appealing.

The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we eat
a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with spicy
foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people might
complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign. The
things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on top.
Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was in
there.

I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so I
have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
with.

As I type, my stomach is making noises like I'm about to give birth to an
alien being. It's not happy with something I fed it. I just wish I knew what
it was.

Last time, I joked about how I might bring my own food and explain that I'm
on some sort of restricted diet, but I don't think I'd be able to get away
with that. And like I said, there's no way we can get away with not going
there for dinner on somewhat regular occasions.

Comments, suggestions, and sympathy are welcome.

--
Donna
 
D.Currie wrote:
> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
> me. Same as last time.
>
> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it, or
> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
> appealing.
>
> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we eat
> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with spicy
> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people might
> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign. The
> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on top.
> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was in
> there.
>
> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so I
> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
> with.

If you ate beans both times and were sick both times, I'd bet on the
beans. However, one of the worst food poisonings I have ever had was
from ham which I cooked myself. To this day I have no idea what
happened - no one else got sick from it, but I did - extremely,
go-to-the-ER-and-get-3-bags-of-IV-fluids sick. I think food poisioning
is one of the worst feelings there is. You have my depest sympathy!
-L.
 
"-L." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> D.Currie wrote:
>> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable
>> as
>> me. Same as last time.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
>> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it,
>> or
>> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
>> appealing.
>>
>> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we
>> eat
>> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with
>> spicy
>> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people
>> might
>> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign.
>> The
>> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
>> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on
>> top.
>> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was
>> in
>> there.
>>
>> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last
>> time
>> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so
>> I
>> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
>> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
>> with.
>
> If you ate beans both times and were sick both times, I'd bet on the
> beans. However, one of the worst food poisonings I have ever had was
> from ham which I cooked myself. To this day I have no idea what
> happened - no one else got sick from it, but I did - extremely,
> go-to-the-ER-and-get-3-bags-of-IV-fluids sick. I think food poisioning
> is one of the worst feelings there is. You have my depest sympathy!
> -L.
>

Beans are the usual veggie, but the "home-canned" thing was a new twist.
They're normally frozen ones. This time, I couldn't tell you what they were.
There was an odd taste, but I'm not a big fan of bacon-fakin-bits on
anything, so I figured that was what was I was tasting.

The ham there usually isn't cooked. It's sliced from the bone and
microwaved. Never sees the oven at all. But last time it wasn't ham that did
us in because that time we had some version of meatloaf. I don't remember
what was served with it, but mashed potatoes and green beans are pretty much
standard.

Donna
 
I hate to ask....but are they clean people? Are they good about washing
produce, and washing their hands thoroughly? All that good stuff?
 
Sorry about your tummy episode. Could it have been the whipped topping
on the dessert, by any chance?

Speaking for myself, if I had been the hostess, I would be disappointed
if my guest hadn't told me about it. Especially since this was the
second occurance. It might be something they could correct.

Anyway, cheers, and feel better soon.
Nancree
 
Could it be something in their water?
I have a friend that when we go to her house I can not drink the water. It
makes me sick.
It doesn't seem to bother their family, I guess they are used to what ever
is in there.
Did you have coffee? Creamer that you don't usually have. Dry creamer can
go bad and you can't tell by looking at it. (I don't use dry creamer, but
from the sound of it the ppl you are eating with may)


"D.Currie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable
> as me. Same as last time.
>
> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it,
> or else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
> appealing.
>
> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we
> eat a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with
> spicy foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that
> people might complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be
> pretty benign. The things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes,
> green beans, and store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like
> substance on top. Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so
> I know what was in there.
>
> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so
> I have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
> with.
>
> As I type, my stomach is making noises like I'm about to give birth to an
> alien being. It's not happy with something I fed it. I just wish I knew
> what it was.
>
> Last time, I joked about how I might bring my own food and explain that
> I'm on some sort of restricted diet, but I don't think I'd be able to get
> away with that. And like I said, there's no way we can get away with not
> going there for dinner on somewhat regular occasions.
>
> Comments, suggestions, and sympathy are welcome.
>
> --
> Donna
>
 
D.Currie wrote:
> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
> me. Same as last time.


My guess is the oil. People buy a big bottle of oil and continue using
it after it has gone rancid. But that doesn't explain why your hosts
don't get sick too. Perhaps they're using some sort of fake oil that's
supposed to be good for people on diets. Some people are sensitive to
it while others aren't. That could explain why you get it worst, your
husband a little, and your hosts not at all.


--Lia
 
On Mon, 8 May 2006 19:47:36 -0600, D.Currie wrote:

> The ham there usually isn't cooked. It's sliced from the bone and
> microwaved. Never sees the oven at all.

Oh. My. God.

Not that it's very dangerous - I eat raw (ready to cook) ham all
the time, but this is hardly a way to cook for guests.

-sw
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"D.Currie" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Comments, suggestions, and sympathy are welcome.

Lots of sympathy from me. An unhappy stomach because of something eaten
is truly the worst. Ok, maybe labor is the worst but this is a very
close second.

It seems that if you eat there often that you should know them well
enough to say something. Can't you just call and ask how they are
doing. If they are fine (or not) then you could comment that you and
husband aren't feeling well and thought it might have been something you
ate. And, I would ask about the beans.

Even if you really feel you can't say anything then I would at the least
skip the beans next time. Or, perhaps at the next invitation suggest
you meet at a restaurant or the weather is so lovely how about a picnic
and bring your own basket?

marcella
 
D.Currie wrote:
> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
> me. Same as last time.
>
> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it, or
> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
> appealing.
>
> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we eat
> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with spicy
> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people might
> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign. The
> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on top.
> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was in
> there.
>
> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so I
> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
> with.
>



Improperly home canned green beans can harbor botulism. That can kill
you, your husband and your hosts. I would not eat there again. At the
very least, ask them to get rid of all of their home canned green
beans.

Rusty
 
"D.Currie" <[email protected]> writes:

>For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
>me. Same as last time.

Can you just eat a very little food when there? Or ask if you could
bring something more than bread (i.e. a side or entree) and fill up on
it? If there's other people there you might want to ask them if they
had tummy problems after eating at the person's house.
I hate to say it, but they may have some cleanliness issues. Or their
water might be the problem, I used to work in an old building with water
that made me ill.
Good luck, hope you get better.

Stacia
 
Rusty wrote:
> D.Currie wrote:
>> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
>> me. Same as last time.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
>> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it, or
>> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
>> appealing.
>>
>> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we eat
>> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with spicy
>> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people might
>> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign. The
>> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
>> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on top.
>> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was in
>> there.
>>
>> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
>> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so I
>> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
>> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
>> with.
>>
>
>
>
> Improperly home canned green beans can harbor botulism. That can kill
> you, your husband and your hosts. I would not eat there again. At the
> very least, ask them to get rid of all of their home canned green
> beans.
>
> Rusty
>


Why? They obviously did *not* get botulism. The symptoms are all wrong.

Best regards,
Bob
 
zxcvbob wrote:
> Rusty wrote:
> > D.Currie wrote:
> >> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
> >> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
> >> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable as
> >> me. Same as last time.
> >>
> >> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
> >> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it, or
> >> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
> >> appealing.
> >>
> >> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we eat
> >> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with spicy
> >> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people might
> >> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign. The
> >> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
> >> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on top.
> >> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was in
> >> there.
> >>
> >> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last time
> >> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so I
> >> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
> >> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
> >> with.
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > Improperly home canned green beans can harbor botulism. That can kill
> > you, your husband and your hosts. I would not eat there again. At the
> > very least, ask them to get rid of all of their home canned green
> > beans.
> >
> > Rusty
> >
>
>
> Why? They obviously did *not* get botulism. The symptoms are all wrong.
>

Right. They got "lucky" and it was just food poisoning. What's in the
next jar? Why play russian roulette?

Rusty
 
"Steve Wertz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 8 May 2006 19:47:36 -0600, D.Currie wrote:
>
>> The ham there usually isn't cooked. It's sliced from the bone and
>> microwaved. Never sees the oven at all.
>
> Oh. My. God.
>
> Not that it's very dangerous - I eat raw (ready to cook) ham all
> the time, but this is hardly a way to cook for guests.
>

The lack of interest in cooking there is legendary. Guests or no guests.

Donna
 
"nancree" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sorry about your tummy episode. Could it have been the whipped topping
> on the dessert, by any chance?
>
> Speaking for myself, if I had been the hostess, I would be disappointed
> if my guest hadn't told me about it. Especially since this was the
> second occurance. It might be something they could correct.

I'm trying to figure out a way to broach the topic.

>
> Anyway, cheers, and feel better soon.
> Nancree
>

Thanks. I'm better than last night, so I have high hopes for tomorrow.

Donna
 
"Jude" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I hate to ask....but are they clean people? Are they good about washing
> produce, and washing their hands thoroughly? All that good stuff?
>

The house is clean. Cleaner than mine, most days. As far as washing things,
I don't know for sure. She like to have almost everything plated well ahead
of guests' arrivals, and then she just microwaves what needs to be hot.

I'm really hoping it's one thing that I can avoid in the future, because if
it's a cleanliness issue, I'm doomed for sure.

Donna
 
"Knit Chic" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Could it be something in their water?
> I have a friend that when we go to her house I can not drink the water.
> It makes me sick.
> It doesn't seem to bother their family, I guess they are used to what ever
> is in there.
> Did you have coffee? Creamer that you don't usually have. Dry creamer
> can go bad and you can't tell by looking at it. (I don't use dry creamer,
> but from the sound of it the ppl you are eating with may)


They live in the same town we do, so it's the same water. They use dry
creamer by the ton, so they probably go through it fast enough for it not to
spoil. But I had coffee and DH didn't.

Donna

>
>
> "D.Currie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable
>> as me. Same as last time.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
>> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it,
>> or else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
>> appealing.
>>
>> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we
>> eat a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with
>> spicy foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that
>> people might complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be
>> pretty benign. The things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes,
>> green beans, and store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip
>> like substance on top. Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the
>> bread, so I know what was in there.
>>
>> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last
>> time about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any
>> canning, so I have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to
>> me, but I attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they
>> were cooked with.
>>
>> As I type, my stomach is making noises like I'm about to give birth to an
>> alien being. It's not happy with something I fed it. I just wish I knew
>> what it was.
>>
>> Last time, I joked about how I might bring my own food and explain that
>> I'm on some sort of restricted diet, but I don't think I'd be able to get
>> away with that. And like I said, there's no way we can get away with not
>> going there for dinner on somewhat regular occasions.
>>
>> Comments, suggestions, and sympathy are welcome.
>>
>> --
>> Donna
>>
>
>
 
"Julia Altshuler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> D.Currie wrote:
>> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable
>> as me. Same as last time.
>
>
> My guess is the oil. People buy a big bottle of oil and continue using it
> after it has gone rancid. But that doesn't explain why your hosts don't
> get sick too. Perhaps they're using some sort of fake oil that's supposed
> to be good for people on diets. Some people are sensitive to it while
> others aren't. That could explain why you get it worst, your husband a
> little, and your hosts not at all.
>

Rancid oil is nasty for sure. But unless it was in the green beans, I can't
think of anywhere she would have used oil. Maybe butter gone bad, though. Or
margarine. I put some of her margarine concoction on my bread.

I know they got sick twice during lent when they had fish, but I don't know
if there's any connection there. And it was something like fish sticks,
baked.

Donna
 
"Marcella Peek" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "D.Currie" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Comments, suggestions, and sympathy are welcome.
>
> Lots of sympathy from me. An unhappy stomach because of something eaten
> is truly the worst. Ok, maybe labor is the worst but this is a very
> close second.
>
> It seems that if you eat there often that you should know them well
> enough to say something. Can't you just call and ask how they are
> doing. If they are fine (or not) then you could comment that you and
> husband aren't feeling well and thought it might have been something you
> ate. And, I would ask about the beans.

I'm going to let DH broach the topic. He'll see them before I do, probably.


> Even if you really feel you can't say anything then I would at the least
> skip the beans next time. Or, perhaps at the next invitation suggest
> you meet at a restaurant or the weather is so lovely how about a picnic
> and bring your own basket?

No matter how many restaurants or picnics or times they eat here, there's no
way to avoid going there. And these end up being the type of invitations
where if this weekend isn't, then how about next weekend? The one after?
There's no way to get out of it completely.

But yeah, I'll be avoiding the green beans. Right now, the thought of them
makes me a little queasy.

Donna
 
"Rusty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> D.Currie wrote:
>> For the second time in a row, I'm ill after eating at a certain person's
>> house. And trying to figure out exactly what it is that's causing this
>> intestinal disaster. DH is also not feeling well, but isn't as miserable
>> as
>> me. Same as last time.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there's no way we can get out of eating there again in the
>> future. So I need to figure out what's making us sick so we can avoid it,
>> or
>> else plan on possibly being sick after meals there. Which isn't very
>> appealing.
>>
>> The thing is, neither of us have food allergies that we know of, and we
>> eat
>> a very diverse range of foods at home and elsewhere. No problems with
>> spicy
>> foods, the cabbage family, onions, cukes, or anything else that people
>> might
>> complain about. The food we had last night seemed to be pretty benign.
>> The
>> things we ate in common were the ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and
>> store-bought pumpkin pie with some sort of cool-whip like substance on
>> top.
>> Bread and butter-like substance. I brought the bread, so I know what was
>> in
>> there.
>>
>> I'm thinking it may be the beans. I think there was some comment last
>> time
>> about them being "home-canned" but this person doesn't do any canning, so
>> I
>> have no idea what that comment meant. Beans tasted weird to me, but I
>> attributed it to the bacon bits or whatever it was that they were cooked
>> with.
>>
>
>
>
> Improperly home canned green beans can harbor botulism. That can kill
> you, your husband and your hosts. I would not eat there again. At the
> very least, ask them to get rid of all of their home canned green
> beans.
>
> Rusty
>

She can't have too many of them in stock. She must have gotten them from
someone else, I'm darned sure she didn't can them herself. And for all I
know, she might have meant that she bought fresh beans instead of frozen.
She's not always precise about cooking terms. But I'll find out, for sure.
I'd like to blame it on something specific that I can avoid in the future
rather than being afraid of eating there every time. And there's no way to
avoid eating going over there.

I may just go the easy route and join some religion and/or cult with strict
dietary restrictions that would preclude eating anything she cooks. Or maybe
one with a lot of fasting. Sure, I'll come for dinner. Bread (that I made)
and water, please.

Donna
 
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