“The Office Was Set Off By Bloody Screams”: Employee Is Sick And Tired Of Muslim Coworker Stealing Their Food, Puts Pork In It
Interview With Author
Probably the last thing you expect to see when you come to the office is your coworker dressed as a cartoon shark. Once the shock wears off, the second to last thing you’d expect to see is someone actually stealing your food. What is this, grade school? We thought we were all better than this!
Situations like this one, as childish as they might sound, can lead to a lot of friction in the workplace. It’s difficult to get along with your coworkers and get good results when you have to worry about someone nabbing your food every day. (No, seriously, who does that?!) What hurts, even more, is learning that ‘the lunch looter’ is actually incredibly religious.
Redditor u/pervirgin_witch shared how their Muslim coworker kept stealing their lunch. They were 100% sure of this but had no hard evidence to present to human resources. Instead, they decided to enact some ‘petty revenge’ and give the colleague a shock. One day, instead of bringing food that is ‘halal’ (lawful and permitted to be eaten by those observing Islamic teachings), she brought in a pork sandwich which is ‘haram’ (forbidden). The result was so dramatic that HR had to get involved. Scroll down for the full story, Pandas. Let us know what you think about what happened, whether you agree with the act of revenge, and what you would’ve done differently.
Bored Panda reached out to u/pervirgin_witch who told us that it’s important to never take people’s stuff without their permission. “Truth is, I would’ve shared my lunch with my coworker if he had asked. In fact, at least in my country, it’s a common courtesy to share food by asking others if they’d like some. In my opinion, there’s no shame in asking others if they’re willing to share a bit of their food and most people would probably say yes. That said, it’s beyond rude to just take food that doesn’t belong to you.” Read on for the full interview, Pandas!
There are a ton of issues that can lead to friction at work. Something that few people expect but which happens far more often than it should is people stealing food
Image credits: Timur Weber (not the actual photo)
A person shared how they got their revenge on ‘the lunch looter,’ a very religious person, who kept taking their food in the office
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)
Image credits: pervirgin_witch
In the OP’s opinion, their post resonated with so many people online because nobody likes individuals who take others’ lunch at work. “It seems to be a very prominent issue and I wasn’t aware of that, since this is my first time working at an office. The comments have been very interesting for the most part, supportive even. Although some people felt it necessary to ascribe political elements to the story, which I honestly do not understand,” the author of the post told Bored Panda.
Redditor u/pervirgin_witch shared with us that there haven’t been any other developments at work regarding their coworker. However, the OP said that they’ve started fasting, so they’re no longer bringing in any kind of lunch to work; they eat when they get back home.
“I don’t know if I could get along with “M”, as we’re both somewhat reclusive and the first impression we had of each other was quite negative. I genuinely wish him well, though,” the redditor said that they don’t hold any ill will. They revealed to Bored Panda that they’re “not a very social person” and that they keep 90% of their interactions at the office “strictly professional.”
“The remaining 10% is just the usual chit-chat you expect to have at work. Just be polite,” the OP shared their thoughts on how to get along with others in the workplace.
“The most professional and diplomatic thing to do would report the issue to management or HR,” they told Bored Panda what someone should do if they’re ever the victim of a food thief at work. “However, sometimes a little cathartic revenge is due. If you’re considering doing that, just make sure it’s something safe.”
As one redditor put it, the very act of stealing someone’s food automatically made it ‘haram’ for the person to eat. So his excuse that he was only taking the specific coworker’s food because it was the only ‘halal’ thing in the fridge falls apart immediately.
Other redditors were shocked that even after the man admitted to stealing the food, he was let off with a warning. Of course, the entire issue is more than just about food: it’s about boundaries, trust, and the very normal expectation that you won’t have to deal with sneaky ninjas nabbing your stuff when you’re not looking.
All of us are personally responsible for drawing the boundaries for what we’re willing to tolerate in the workplace. If our colleagues can’t take subtle hints about their behavior, you might have to make it crystal clear that something that they’re doing makes you very uncomfortable. Whether that’s the type of jokes they’re loudly sharing with the entire office, leaving piles of dirty dishes in the shared space, or, yes, eating that delicious sandwich that you were looking forward to tasting ever since you made it at midnight, before heading to bed.
The simple fact is that even that won’t help. Some people have a hard time changing their habits. Others believe themselves to be the victim all the time and can’t consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they’re in the wrong this time. Their egos won’t permit it.
In that case, it’s definitely worth it to get HR and management involved. Be diplomatic but firm. Make sure to focus on solving the problem. However, if things really get out of hand and it’s affecting your work performance, you might even want to consider legal help. It shouldn’t be your first reaction to minor workplace quibbles, but don’t be afraid to seek professional assistance if you’re constantly harassed at work and the tension keeps ramping up.
It’s hard to determine whether a food item or dish is ‘halal’ or ‘haram’ because you’d have to evaluate every ingredient individually. Religious people who follow Islamic teachings carefully check the product’s label or packaging to see if it is ‘halal’ certified. Someone who is serious about their faith probably wouldn’t grab random food items from a shared fridge and eat it without first knowing what’s in it.
Some ‘haram’ ingredients, according to Gordon Food Service, include: gelatin, lipase, pepsin, alcohol, vanilla extract (pure or artificial), animal fats, animal blood, animal rennet, mono and diglycerides from an animal source, whey powder, sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) or L-cysteine. Pork products are also considered ‘haram.’
The OP shared a bit more information in the comments of the viral post
Here’s how some internet users reacted to the story about the food thief
Sounds made up to me. If he's that concerned about eating halal meat he would never touch food he didn't know what it was, especially meat. Beef, mutton, chicken can still be haram if the animal is not slaughtered properly.
I share your opinion, chicken or not, if you don't have the information about the way it was slaughtered you don't eat it. May be made up to push casual racism, or may be legit. Some people who start to pretend to be serious about their religion aren't always knowledgable...
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Pepperoni and bacon have very distinct looks. With the amount of meat hey said was on there I can't imagine it wasn't showing so co worker is either an idiot or made up. Both are equally believable
This one doesn't make any sense. I'm not saying it definitely didn't happen - truth can be stranger than fiction and all - but as a narrative it smells of bull. He has strict dietary preferences but he doesn't check what he's eating? He's decided your food is 100% halal, no need to check, based off stealing your lunch 5 times? And then even though he supposedly knew he was stealing, he screams to the whole office about it? Nah.
Normally the fake stories are at least a little difficult to spot, I guess they decided to make this one easy for us.
Thank you! He's a hypocritical idiot thief and "one of those Muslims who has to remind you every day." If he doesn't actually exist, this stinks.
Load More Replies... Another obviously fake story from Reddit that the geniuses who now work for Bored Panda honed in on. What has happened to Bored Panda? It used to be good. Not just a regurgitation of Reddit.
Look, pork is haram, no matter what ok? And stealing is forbidden, it doesn't necessarily make that thing haram for you, but the Quran does mention severe punishments for theives, and it's a factor sending you to hell. So yes, in a way
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I would file this story in the Things That Never Happened category.
This is sooooo beyond me!! How can anybody think it is ok to take something that clearly isn't yours??? How? Every time i read about this topic i am speechless because i truly can not imagine a Situation where i, as an adult human without serious mental challenged would take someone elses food or stuff if it is not offered to me! Even if i am hungry with no money in my pocket i just could not Do this. Heck just asking because of Hunger would make me feel like awkward
"Nothing wrong with being serious about your religion"....I disagree. Look at history or some very religious countries in the world and you'll to what "being serious about religion" leads to
There is nothing wrong with being serious about your religion. It's very wrong to use your religion (or any other belief) as an excuse to bring harm to others, even (or perhaps especially) to save them.
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"No, no, no, I didn't boobytrap my lunch boss, I really hate this place and decided to kill myself with this almond pie with splash of cyanide. It is not my fault my stupid colleague stole it. Anyway, when you look for new hires, do we have recommendation bonus? My friend wants to work here."
It isnt a booby trap if it is something you would willingly and happily eat yourself. This sandwich sounds exactly like my ex's Subway order - one they would get at least once a week when we lived barely a block from a Subway.
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Stealing aside, any Muslim that consumes non-Halal food without the knowledge that it not actually Halal is not breaking any Muslim laws. However they should ensure the food they eat is at all times, Halal. There is one exception: Should your survival depend on it (as in, they are going to die of starvation), the person's life outweighs a dietary doctrine. How true this is I am not sure, but it was explained to me by a Muslim, so erm...ok?
It is bad for people to steal, but putting pork and jalapenos in your sandwich for the Muslim guy and saying the results were hilarious? doing that to him is damn wrong.
Technically, he didn't "do" anything to the coworker. The coworker did it to himself.
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I think this can apply to people stealing other stuff too. I once had a room mate in college who constantly used my make up. No matter where I hid it, she would find it. Smushed up my lipstick, gauged out my eyeshadows. Constantly denied it, even when I caught her. I just had enough one day and bought a locked safe and stuck everything in there but left out some other stuff on my bedside. What she didn't know is that I no longer used that concealer wand as I regularly smeared the top underneath the toilet rim. Vengeance.
Here is why he is simply a liar (you cannot simply look at it and call it halal) and a thief. HALAL: The butcher must be Muslim. The animal must be prayed over before it’s killed. The blade has to be super sharp to minimize the animal’s pain. The animal’s throat must be sliced clean from one side to the other — the knife can’t be lifted until the cut is complete. The esophagus, trachea, and both jugular veins have to be severed. All the blood must be drained before the animal can be eaten.
This happened to my ex and I at work ( no Muslim involved ) co-workers were constantly asking us we had for lunch, we’d tell them and then their response was “ it looks and taste good so we were off for 2 days and upon returning to work , then lunch break , we were asked that same question and my ex said “ oh we decided to try some neutra and possum belly , it’s delicious , would you like some “ needless to say the culprit started vomiting because they already ate some . The didn’t know it was actually Deer roast and rabbit stew 🤣🤣🤣🤣Food didn’t disappear after that day
the best lunch box thief justice story I ever heard was when they got enough of somebody stealing something out of the team members' lunch boxes almost every day in the shop... so one guy bought three egg soft tacos. He left them on the dash of his car during the hot summer for three days. Then he put them in his lunch box like normal. The thief had to go to the emergency room in an ambulance due to extreme food poisoning that afternoon. Hah! Justice! Do you know you can sing the word "Sal-mon-el-la" to the Hallelujah chorus?
Why can't that idiot thief make his own food? I mean, isn't theft punishable by cutting off a hand in his religion, since he's sooooo serious about it?
I like meat as much as the next guy but that sandwich sounds awful. The taste, textures and smells, even the differing size of the ingredients would clash and make it taste pretty bad. The bread-to-filling ratio is also horribly off. On that alone I call fake.
That sandwich is literally my ex's normal Subway order, just because YOU wouldnt like it doesnt mean others wont. And I dont like bread on my sandwiches, I just have the meat and cheese on a cracker most of the time, so its all personal taste.
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I mean, it's pretty damn difficult to confuse peperoni and bacon with chicken and veggies. Unless that guy is blind and lacks the sense of smell, I don't see how it could have happened.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. What the actual F is the mindset behind knowingly stealing someone else's lunch? Do these people also shoplift? Consider someone else's house theirs just because they want it? No one has ever been able to satisfactorily explain the thinking beyond "they're an a-hole". Which is accurate, but a little disappointing.
I think the only reason Op was the only one bringing “safe” food was because everyone else knew “M” was a thief and just resigned themselves to only bringing food he doesn’t like so he won’t take theirs.
I find this strange. Why would anybody steal some one else's good is a given but if you have such strong religious beliefs why take the chance. People are strange
You’re so naive and stupid. But, back atcha, snowflake. Trust me, you’re not the first to make that comment AND I’m still here. Next time those people strap on explosives, I hope you’re nearby.
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Something similar happened at the office where I used to work. I'm going to call the lunch thief Bob. So, the office was mostly women with maybe 2 guys on the entire floor. Anyway, there was a new mom that I'm just going to call Carol. Carol was breastfeeding and she pump and put her milk in the freezer to take home to her baby. One day Carol started to notice that some of her milk was missing. Turns out, Bob had been stealing her breast milk to put in his cereal, coffee and God knows what else! So Carol went to HR but, Bob was fired because of other stuff that he was up to.
I don't understand why this "keeps happening" after the first time I would have stopped putting my food in there
Didn't that imbecile know that the halal status was null when he stole the food? Besides, proper halal foods have certifications on them and hence would be confirmed if gotten straight from the package. He was probably happy stealing food using and using religion as a shield...
A coworker who habitually would pick up other drinks and snacks left in the office space (true, a little more of a public space not moreso than the break room) had the stupidity to pick up my to go drink at the end of a long 9 hour shift and go "Oh, wow, is this Mtn. Dew?" I have never lost my SH*T before on someone but that moment, I DID. My team lead actually got between us, I was so heated (this guy had a good two feet on me as I'm only a 5'2 woman but I guess my anger changed the odds a little). He never took my stuff again.
Personally, religious people make me sick. To most of them "religion" is just an excuse to act immoral.
if this was real...ESH. why would you willingly put pork in your food if you're aware a muslim person is gonna eat it, and why would you steal someone else's food? Sounds made up though 😭
Because the Muslim person shouldnt be stealing it and OP would have enjoyed thier lunches if they werent stolen. And lunch thieves have been hitting workplaces forever, people with no morals or who think they are more important than others.
Load More Replies... “M” is a thief who should have been fired. You can’t trust those people anyhow. They fly planes into buildings so there’s that.
Did you hear the one about the Trail of Tears? White people stealing land and murdering natives. Can't trust those people!
Load More Replies... Sounds made up to me. If he's that concerned about eating halal meat he would never touch food he didn't know what it was, especially meat. Beef, mutton, chicken can still be haram if the animal is not slaughtered properly.
I share your opinion, chicken or not, if you don't have the information about the way it was slaughtered you don't eat it. May be made up to push casual racism, or may be legit. Some people who start to pretend to be serious about their religion aren't always knowledgable...
Load More Replies... Pepperoni and bacon have very distinct looks. With the amount of meat hey said was on there I can't imagine it wasn't showing so co worker is either an idiot or made up. Both are equally believable
This one doesn't make any sense. I'm not saying it definitely didn't happen - truth can be stranger than fiction and all - but as a narrative it smells of bull. He has strict dietary preferences but he doesn't check what he's eating? He's decided your food is 100% halal, no need to check, based off stealing your lunch 5 times? And then even though he supposedly knew he was stealing, he screams to the whole office about it? Nah.
Normally the fake stories are at least a little difficult to spot, I guess they decided to make this one easy for us.
Thank you! He's a hypocritical idiot thief and "one of those Muslims who has to remind you every day." If he doesn't actually exist, this stinks.
Load More Replies... Another obviously fake story from Reddit that the geniuses who now work for Bored Panda honed in on. What has happened to Bored Panda? It used to be good. Not just a regurgitation of Reddit.
Look, pork is haram, no matter what ok? And stealing is forbidden, it doesn't necessarily make that thing haram for you, but the Quran does mention severe punishments for theives, and it's a factor sending you to hell. So yes, in a way
Load More Replies... I would file this story in the Things That Never Happened category.
This is sooooo beyond me!! How can anybody think it is ok to take something that clearly isn't yours??? How? Every time i read about this topic i am speechless because i truly can not imagine a Situation where i, as an adult human without serious mental challenged would take someone elses food or stuff if it is not offered to me! Even if i am hungry with no money in my pocket i just could not Do this. Heck just asking because of Hunger would make me feel like awkward
"Nothing wrong with being serious about your religion"....I disagree. Look at history or some very religious countries in the world and you'll to what "being serious about religion" leads to
There is nothing wrong with being serious about your religion. It's very wrong to use your religion (or any other belief) as an excuse to bring harm to others, even (or perhaps especially) to save them.
Load More Replies... "No, no, no, I didn't boobytrap my lunch boss, I really hate this place and decided to kill myself with this almond pie with splash of cyanide. It is not my fault my stupid colleague stole it. Anyway, when you look for new hires, do we have recommendation bonus? My friend wants to work here."
It isnt a booby trap if it is something you would willingly and happily eat yourself. This sandwich sounds exactly like my ex's Subway order - one they would get at least once a week when we lived barely a block from a Subway.
Load More Replies... Stealing aside, any Muslim that consumes non-Halal food without the knowledge that it not actually Halal is not breaking any Muslim laws. However they should ensure the food they eat is at all times, Halal. There is one exception: Should your survival depend on it (as in, they are going to die of starvation), the person's life outweighs a dietary doctrine. How true this is I am not sure, but it was explained to me by a Muslim, so erm...ok?
It is bad for people to steal, but putting pork and jalapenos in your sandwich for the Muslim guy and saying the results were hilarious? doing that to him is damn wrong.
Technically, he didn't "do" anything to the coworker. The coworker did it to himself.
Load More Replies... I think this can apply to people stealing other stuff too. I once had a room mate in college who constantly used my make up. No matter where I hid it, she would find it. Smushed up my lipstick, gauged out my eyeshadows. Constantly denied it, even when I caught her. I just had enough one day and bought a locked safe and stuck everything in there but left out some other stuff on my bedside. What she didn't know is that I no longer used that concealer wand as I regularly smeared the top underneath the toilet rim. Vengeance.
Here is why he is simply a liar (you cannot simply look at it and call it halal) and a thief. HALAL: The butcher must be Muslim. The animal must be prayed over before it’s killed. The blade has to be super sharp to minimize the animal’s pain. The animal’s throat must be sliced clean from one side to the other — the knife can’t be lifted until the cut is complete. The esophagus, trachea, and both jugular veins have to be severed. All the blood must be drained before the animal can be eaten.
This happened to my ex and I at work ( no Muslim involved ) co-workers were constantly asking us we had for lunch, we’d tell them and then their response was “ it looks and taste good so we were off for 2 days and upon returning to work , then lunch break , we were asked that same question and my ex said “ oh we decided to try some neutra and possum belly , it’s delicious , would you like some “ needless to say the culprit started vomiting because they already ate some . The didn’t know it was actually Deer roast and rabbit stew 🤣🤣🤣🤣Food didn’t disappear after that day
the best lunch box thief justice story I ever heard was when they got enough of somebody stealing something out of the team members' lunch boxes almost every day in the shop... so one guy bought three egg soft tacos. He left them on the dash of his car during the hot summer for three days. Then he put them in his lunch box like normal. The thief had to go to the emergency room in an ambulance due to extreme food poisoning that afternoon. Hah! Justice! Do you know you can sing the word "Sal-mon-el-la" to the Hallelujah chorus?
Why can't that idiot thief make his own food? I mean, isn't theft punishable by cutting off a hand in his religion, since he's sooooo serious about it?
I like meat as much as the next guy but that sandwich sounds awful. The taste, textures and smells, even the differing size of the ingredients would clash and make it taste pretty bad. The bread-to-filling ratio is also horribly off. On that alone I call fake.
That sandwich is literally my ex's normal Subway order, just because YOU wouldnt like it doesnt mean others wont. And I dont like bread on my sandwiches, I just have the meat and cheese on a cracker most of the time, so its all personal taste.
Load More Replies... I mean, it's pretty damn difficult to confuse peperoni and bacon with chicken and veggies. Unless that guy is blind and lacks the sense of smell, I don't see how it could have happened.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. What the actual F is the mindset behind knowingly stealing someone else's lunch? Do these people also shoplift? Consider someone else's house theirs just because they want it? No one has ever been able to satisfactorily explain the thinking beyond "they're an a-hole". Which is accurate, but a little disappointing.
I think the only reason Op was the only one bringing “safe” food was because everyone else knew “M” was a thief and just resigned themselves to only bringing food he doesn’t like so he won’t take theirs.
I find this strange. Why would anybody steal some one else's good is a given but if you have such strong religious beliefs why take the chance. People are strange
You’re so naive and stupid. But, back atcha, snowflake. Trust me, you’re not the first to make that comment AND I’m still here. Next time those people strap on explosives, I hope you’re nearby.
Load More Replies... Something similar happened at the office where I used to work. I'm going to call the lunch thief Bob. So, the office was mostly women with maybe 2 guys on the entire floor. Anyway, there was a new mom that I'm just going to call Carol. Carol was breastfeeding and she pump and put her milk in the freezer to take home to her baby. One day Carol started to notice that some of her milk was missing. Turns out, Bob had been stealing her breast milk to put in his cereal, coffee and God knows what else! So Carol went to HR but, Bob was fired because of other stuff that he was up to.
I don't understand why this "keeps happening" after the first time I would have stopped putting my food in there
Didn't that imbecile know that the halal status was null when he stole the food? Besides, proper halal foods have certifications on them and hence would be confirmed if gotten straight from the package. He was probably happy stealing food using and using religion as a shield...
A coworker who habitually would pick up other drinks and snacks left in the office space (true, a little more of a public space not moreso than the break room) had the stupidity to pick up my to go drink at the end of a long 9 hour shift and go "Oh, wow, is this Mtn. Dew?" I have never lost my SH*T before on someone but that moment, I DID. My team lead actually got between us, I was so heated (this guy had a good two feet on me as I'm only a 5'2 woman but I guess my anger changed the odds a little). He never took my stuff again.
Personally, religious people make me sick. To most of them "religion" is just an excuse to act immoral.
if this was real...ESH. why would you willingly put pork in your food if you're aware a muslim person is gonna eat it, and why would you steal someone else's food? Sounds made up though 😭
Because the Muslim person shouldnt be stealing it and OP would have enjoyed thier lunches if they werent stolen. And lunch thieves have been hitting workplaces forever, people with no morals or who think they are more important than others.
Load More Replies... “M” is a thief who should have been fired. You can’t trust those people anyhow. They fly planes into buildings so there’s that.
Did you hear the one about the Trail of Tears? White people stealing land and murdering natives. Can't trust those people!
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