expired food and food poisoing

[Girlygirl1980s]

Does anyone else have a mother-in-law like me? She thinks it is perfectly OK to eat food with expired dates on it. She thinks as long as it wasn't open, then it is OK, even if it expired years ago! She also tends to let things sit out on the counter like eggs, leftover pizza, and yesterday lasagna, which I had to eat! I have told my husband all about my fear and why I don't like eating at her house. First off, I ate some sort of cream cheese fruit dip. I couldn't see the date, and I try not to be so paranoid, but once I finally turned the container around, it said it expired in September 2005. She made two different lasangas. I saw one sitting on the counter when we got there, and we didn't eat until two hours later. When I bit into it, it was room temperature. Then I think she told someone she made it yesterday, so knowing her, it sat out on the counter since yesterday! Food is only supposed to sit out for two hours. The good news is, I didn't get sick. I took Pepto-Bismol twice, just in case. I have heard that is good for some types of bacteria. But I have told my husband that I am never putting anything in my mouth again at his mother's house![img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[shiva]

Ugh.. My grandma is like that. She lived through the depression, so nothing EVER gets thrown out. It's insane. I don't blame you from not wanting to eat there. I wouldn't either.

[liz28]

is she sick a lot?

[shiva]

I think they build up some kind of immunity toward stuff. YUK. My grandma told me that when they owned a grocery store (back in the 50's), money was tight and they actually ate the food that was going bad since they couldn't sell it.

You would definitely think that people who eat like this would be sick all the time, but I know the people who I know that do this aren't. I suppose their bodies are just used to it. Ick.

[Girlygirl1980s]

No, she and her husband never get sick. I'm suprised!

[lgood22573]

YUCK! I hate that. My mom will eat food that has expired, but she knows
better than to offer me any of it.

My mom in law lets the holiday food sit out for HOURS before she serves
it. It always freaks me out, but no body has gotten sick on it in 40 years
so....

[tcsarah]

My step-mum is like that. She has things in her kitchen cupboards that date back to the seventies!!! Granted it's only things like dried herbs, but going back to the 1970's is a bit much. She also keeps things like mayonnaise months after it's use by date. The other week my dad told me how my step-mum's young grandchildren were over and the four year old dropped his yoghurt on the carpet, she was mad so she scooped it up off the carpet and put it back in the pot and was trying to make the poor kid eat it. My dad took it away saying it's covered in hairs he can't eat that. She really is a mucky madam. She never gets stomach problems either.

[Girlygirl1980s]

That is horrible! This summer my husband and I stayed at their house to dog sit for them, and in the basement she had a whole shelf full of old food, like ketchup dated 1997 and some Marie's salad dressing that is supposed to be refrigerated even before you open it dated years ago! I guess it is encouraging to see that people do eat expired foods and foods that have sat out and do not get sick, not that I would ever intentionally eat these things.