Be Carefull Of Buffets

[Brandy]

I'm sure all of you know this but be cautious of truckstop buffets. I was at a TA in Savannah, Ga. once and was layed over there for two days. On the first day I got the buffet and got the mac and cheese and some veggies, when I sat down I smelled something really bad, and it was coming from the steam rising from my food. I tasted it a little and couldn't really taste anything bad, but I knew something was wrong. I looked around the restaurant to see if anyone had noticed what I had and nobody else seemed to care. I told the manager that the buffet food stinks like something is spoiled and he said that if I didn't like it I wouldn't have to pay, so I left the food and didn't pay sh-t. The next day I went back and guess what the had on the menu for the buffet? The same stuff but TODAY all the food that was smelling had black pepper mixed into it, alot of blackpepper. I guess this was to mask the smell of the spoiled food that they like serving to us truckers as if we don't care and will eat anything. Feel free to add your bad truckstop food stories, don't be shy, it happens to the best of us.

Sean

 

[newthead]

That's just NASTY!

 

[RichM]

We go to a lot of buffets on the road,but usually stick to Old Country,Harvest Home and Hometown Buffets.The food is generally pretty good and parking at these places is no problem for a D unit. One truck stop buffet that I have found to be excellent is the Flying J off I 20 in Jackson MS. Around Columbia SC there is a small chain called Lizards Thicket,excellent food at low prices,some of them can be tight for a D unit but worth the effort to get in.

 

[Larry]

I would never eat at any of the buffets. The same is true of most of the physicians, nurses and other health workers with whom I had previously worked. There are several reasons this.

First. Unless you know the staff, you have no way of knowing the freshness of the food served. You do not know how old it is, and how it was stored after being prepared.

Second. How many different employees have handled the food that you are about to put in your mouth? Do they practice proper hygeine?

Third. Let's be honest. More than 50% of the people that are standing at that buffet line, DO NOT WASH THEIR HANDS AFTER USING THE BATHROOM!!! The most effective way to prevent the spread of germs is the proper washing of hands. If their urine stained, feces infected hands touch the door handles in the restrooms, the utensils at the buffet table and the condiments on the table - guess what - you are ingesting it. Not a pretty picture.

It is impossible to protect yourself 100%. Just be selective about what you are eating. Use the germ figthing cleaners on your hands. If you watch physicians in a rest room, they will use the following proceedures. They will take dry paper towels and then wash & rinse their hands thuroughly. Using the paper towel, they will dry their hands and then turn of the water with towel. They will also protect their hands with the paper towel when getting more towels or when opening doors - never allowing skin contact with the items.

I have heard people say "I do not wash my hands because I do not pee on them." Just keep this in mind. The guy in line in front of you may have the same prehistoric attitude.

I am a retired clinical psychologist and had worked in hospitals for many years. If you think I am over reacting, ask your Dr.

Drive Safe.

 

[Brandy]

Thaks for your insight into buffets, I'm now sure all of us will think twice about ordering from the menu or the buffet.

 

[RichM]

Eating out whether it!s a buffet or off the menu is a Crapshoot .You don!t know what goes on behind the kitchen doors. I used to have a friend who said when he was in college he worked part time as a waiter in a fancy restaurant and sometimes if customers were abusive and nasty they would spit into their plates before they brought them out.
I lived near Detroit for a while and my wife at that time loved Asian food,so on her birthday we went to a upscale Chinese restaurant in Livonia. She was eating something or other and lo and behold there was a cigarette butt in it.Needless to say that took care of her appetitite. Remember a few years ago at the Flying J in Burlington NC one of the food workers tested positive for Hepatitis and they wanted all the patrons who had eaten there to get tested. So it!s best to be careful and only eat at a clean decent place,my rule is the restrooms,if they are dirty chances are the kitchen and serving areas are too.

 

[DooWop]

Sorry to butt in, but this is something that has grossed me out since last July. On the way back from Allentown Pa. I stopped at the Waffle house in Carlisle. The rest room was absolutely filthy, indescribable without using some very nasty words. There was even blood on the toilet seat, and yes it was a men's room. (Anyone for HIV or hepatitis B?) Needless to say I decided to hold it. Had I looked at the restroom before I ate I would have walked out without ordering. As it was, the food was cold, awful and barely edible, the service was a joke, as the teenage waitress and the teenage cook couldn't stop from eyeballing each other, the bacon burnt, and I could go on and on. The Waffle House right outside Ft.Gordon, Augusta, Ga. was the complete opposite, and I enjoyed a great breakfast there, the previous December. As it now stands, I won't go near a Waffle House anymore, even tho I like that eggs,bacon, grits, and pancakes. About the only good thing to come out of this disgusting episode was talking to a Panther II van O/O, and the fact that I didn't get sick.

Regards
DooWop

 

[Brandy]

The only thing I hate about driving a truck is when my stomach starts to growl and I know that I haven't eatten a real good meal in a couple of days. The urge to sit down in a truckstop or restuarant and order a big meal comes to mind. But I can't, cause you see I have a stomach that is so sensitive that the least amount of bacteria from unclean hands or under cooked food sends me running to the toilet. I don't mean to sound gross nor do I want to upset anyone but, the last thing I want is to be on a 400 mile "HOT LOAD" while sitting in traffic holding back a hot load of my own. It's happened to me before and I feel it's my duty as a trucker to warn other drivers out there. Thank you.

Sean

 

[Larry]

There really isn't any reason not to eat properly when on the road. With the use of inverters you can have a 110v refrig, or you can run 12v refrig or thermo coolers/warmers. Microwave ovens are available for $60. There are also the 12 volt stoves available at truck stops. If you have a van, and do not have room for the "comforts of home", you can pull into grocery stores with deli's. I have never had a problem parking my 40 footer in a Walmart, Meijers or other store and done some shopping. With stores open 24 hours, best to avoiding parking there during their busiest times. Leave a note in the window saying what time you went shopping. I've never had a problem. Driver's can bring prepared foods from home and heat them while out driving. The engine of the truck can be used as a stove, with food wrapped in aluminum foil. A one gallon container or bottled water has lots of uses. Instead of junk food, carry bags of carrots/celery for nibbling. While I am on this "health kick", weather permitting, try to park at the far end of the truck parking area and walk up to the store. Instead of sitting for extended periods of trying to kill time, go for a walk and get some exercise.

If you have read the book "Sweatshops on Wheels", one of the things pointed out is that the american male has a life expectancy of about 75 years. The male truck driver has a life expectancy of 61 years. Major contributors to the shortened life of the driver is the fact that they do not exercise, do not eat properly, and that a large percentage smoke.

Drive Safe.

 

[RichM]

Larry your words are so true,I get amazed at the condition of some of the drivers I see out on the road,young guys that are 150 pounds overweight yet eating like starving dogs. I carry wiith me in the box one of the folding bicycles made by DAHON . I will park at a Walmart,assemble the bike and ride around the perimeter for 30 minutes.I also walk as much as possible out on the road and at home.Being a W/G team we occasionally get inside deliveries and pick ups. The last thing I want to do is get hurt so I try to stay in decent shape. I simply don!t understand how some of these folks let themselves get into a life syle that will bring on heart problems,diabetes,strokes and do on. Even when I eat at a buffet when I am no longer hungry I stop eating.Thats the key,don!t keep going back..See ya.

 

[Wild Bill]

I try to go on the assuption of the buffet like the rest of the resturant. Out of sight out of mind. I don't know how many of you have ever been in the back of a resturant...You will never eat out again!x(

I was at the 76 truckstop in Freemont, Indiana one time (I-69 exit 157. Now a Petro 2) They had dinner rolls on their buffet and you could see the cockroaches walking all over the baked goods. We tried to tell the manager discretely about the problem, not wanting to start an alarm in the place. He looked at us like we were nuts and told the buffet girl to remove them. 5 minutes later she came back with the SAME BASKET! I then give up on trying to help truckstop management and blocked the possibilites from my mind. I figured if I didn't I would never eat in a truckstop again. And given my profession I don't think that would be a good thing ;-)

My main caution on buffets is since I started driving in 1995 I have gained over 250 pounds. Majority of that is from eating buffets. I get this thing in my mind that "I have to get my moneys worth" and eat until Mike needs a 4 wheel dolly to drag my bloated behind to the truck.

I am trying to turn over a new leaf, No more (or fewer with moderation) buffets. I try to eat somewhat healthy things off of the menu and forget about the conditions in the kitchen. My motto "Ignorance is bliss" and in my case it is practically Nirvana" }>

 

[Larry]

Bill: Good luck on you quest to eat less. There are certain images that are forever burned into a persons memory. One of those is that Christmas Card of yours that you posted a while back. That is an image this driver will never forget!!!

Take care and Drive Safe.

 

[RichM]

That card still brings a smile to my face.Anyone who has that sense of humor and can poke fun at himself is truly a GREAT GUY.

 

[geo]

when i go to a new place 1st thing i do is check out the rest rooms
and if they are not clean i leave and make a point to tell management
and if they don't listen call the headquarters and they useally do something and if they don't call the city of what ever city i'm in call public health dept and make a complain and let everybody i know about the place, haven't been to any bad places

couple years ago was at a place in rochester ny and took pictures
and sent the pictures to ambest and company, and city of rochester, and state of new york and newspaper and place the last time i was
there was clean. also was pointed out as person that made there life
hell, but they did it.


just call me trouble and at the bottom of it

 

[streetsweeper]

man o man! i gotta toss in my 2 cents on this! back in the 70's ( remember those days?) i hauled produce from cali, ariz & texas to alberta. my co-driver talked me into pulling into a truckstop west of reno for chow.

we ate off the buffett. the truckstop was clen modern, up to snuff everything, except the cooks didn't properly cook the corn beef cabbage.

50 miles east of reno, i made an e-stop along highway, hugging the guardrail for support & prayed to the shoulder gods! a nev DOT inspector stopped, asked what the problem was.

i could only hug that guardrail hahaha! cured me of buffet's for darn sure :7

 

[Brandy]

HaHaHa Thats what I'm talking about StreetSweeper, man I have a bunch of stories just like that if not worse. Thats why I hate eating buffets or ordering from the menu cause you just never know.

Sean

 

[BULLRUSH]

i only eat buffets certain times of the day never late at night. just the thought of eating food thats been out for hours like cottage cheese (and you know it's out on the buffet table all day) makes me sick.

 

[Lawrence]

Larry,

I shall never eat at a buffet again after reading your post.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com


-----------------------------------------
Everybody is someone else's weirdo.
http://www.expeditersonline.com/weekly/Bean.gif
-----------------------------------------