Well I'm sad to say I haven't been able to see more of Boston. I got in late on my first day here - so I saw Boston from the darkness of my cab. My cabby was exactly like Estelle from Friends. She was hilarious!!
I would love to come spend more time here because what I've seen from the back of my cab has been beautiful. 
I hope Boston Veg Fest invites me back!! I had a lot of fun.I got into town and met up with Jae Steele who was sharing a hotel room with me. We headed out for dinner and ran into a snag. I'm not going to mention where we were eating but I'd love to hear what you would have done in the situation.
So we went to a raw food place that everyone raved about to me. You could see into the kitchen from where we were sitting and Jae and I were talking and getting to know each other (this was our first time meeting) when Jae made a face like she was going to throw up.
She told me that she saw the cook take a spoon from a jar of sauce and put it in her mouth and then put the spoon BACK into the jar of sauce. Then she grabbed the same spoon and portioned out this sauce on a plate. Guess who's plate it was. Jae's!!
I told her that she probably didn't see what she saw. I mean... how gross is that? So we stopped talking and started watching the cook making food. I saw her lick her pinkie finger and then put her hands into the food and started forming the plate. I then saw her pick/rub her nose with her finger and then grab some more food and do some more plating.
We were mortified.
Normally I don't watch or look in the kitchens because I DON'T want to know. I'm just try to trust and have faith that everyone in the back is clean and understands Food Safety.
Unure of what to do we called over our server who was equally horrified when we told her what we saw. She told us she was going to talk to another server about what to do but instead she went to talk to the cook. Jae and I were squirming. Ahhhh!
The server came back over to let us know that the HEAD CHEF (aka the finger licker nose picker) wanted to assure us that they only use quality ingredients and that everything was fresh. Well that didn't really solve the nose picking/finger licking problem.
Jae and I looked at each other. We were so unsure about what to do. I think if I hadn't been so hungry and tired I would have left ... but we decided to eat the food anyway.
What would you have done?
8 comments:
I would have left.
Also a call to the health department is probably in order.
That really sucks.
I am sorry that happened.
I, too, would have left, and probably written an account of it to the health department. That's disgusting and unacceptable.
What an awful experience Sarah!!
I usually don't like confrontations, unless I see someone CLEARLY doing something that EVERYONE knows is wrong - then I'm alllll over it. I would have asked the server to call the chef over, then I would tell the chef that we're leaving, the exact reason for leaving, and that we will never patronize the restaurant again and will tell all our friends to do the same. And I'd say this in a loud enough voice that at least the people at the next table would hear.
gawd! it was indeed a strange experience. i think we were just so stunned at the time... y'know how that happens when you see something that you can't believe you're seeing?
my hope is that her (the chef's) awareness has increased, so that her cooties need not spread any further.
at least the menu was full of creative culinary ideas - we can giver her that!
hope you food a good breakfast at whole foods, sarah.
xo jae
I'm a former server and will put up with a lot of gross shit, but I would've left! That food's not even cooked!
ugh..since there's only one raw restaurant in Boston proper, I can guess where you went. Yuck! For some reason I hadn't felt inspired to try the place..now I know why!
I'd like to say I would have left, but being in shock like you both were, plus being hungry and tired, I quite possibly would have stayed. But then I would have followed up with an email to the owner and/or manager of the restaurant to let them know what happened.
Sorry Sarah and jae - that stinks.
YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know what I would have done. I can imagine being in the same situation (hungry & tired) I would have just stayed too. Leaving would be such a huge tease and it probably would have brought out cranky Jae & Sarah (I know it would have brought out cranky Kelly). You guys definitely should follow up with some sort of letter to tell them that you will not be eating there again and that you are disappointed with the lack of health standards in an otherwise fine restaurant. I'm with you Sarah, just don't look. Unfortunately looking is going to gross you out a majority of the time. I once ordered a Licks veggie burger and the kitchen in Licks is wide open for everyone to see. It wasn't the guy who cooked my burger, but I watched a guy literally put his hand down his pants and scratch his bum. I almost threw up right then and there, but I was paralyzed by shock. I never did say anything, but I'll also never eat there again.
x Kelly
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