Person’s Lunch Keeps Getting Stolen At Work Until Boss’ Daughter Goes Into Anaphylactic Shock, They Are Then Accused Of ‘Poisoning’ Their Own Food
If there’s one thing that every desk-bound soul fears, it’s for their workplace to be haunted by a relatively benign yet mysterious figure: the lunch thief. These people are brave enough to ignore the threatening post-it notes and sneak in and out of the kitchen with our tasty bites. However, their actions tend to get exposed, even if it happens in the most unexpected way.
A few days ago, Redditor Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco took to the “Am I The A-Hole” community to ask fellow members for guidance about a recent office dispute they found themselves in. Though the employee is aware they’re legally not at fault here, poor reactions from coworkers loom like a dark cloud over their head.
The user explained that after work, they help out their friend who owns a Thai restaurant. After learning how to whip up some delicious meals, the worker noticed their homemade lunches had started to go missing at work. “I was pretty sure it was one of the new hires that was doing it, but had no proof,” the user wrote. “Until now.” Well, let’s just say things didn’t turn out the way the lunch bandit planned or hoped. Read on for the whole story and let us know what you think of it in the comments!
Recently, an employee turned to the internet to ask for advice after their boss accused them of poisoning his daughter who kept “borrowing” their lunch
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
Although the worker is legally not at fault here, poor coworker reactions made them question their actions
Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)
Later on, the author added some more information to the story
Anaphylactic shock is a rare but severe allergic reaction that can lead to dire consequences if not treated right away. Usually, it’s caused by an allergy to food, insect bites, or certain medications. The symptoms often become visible within 15 minutes of coming into contact with the cause of the allergy, and they can develop suddenly and get worse very fast.
Some of the main symptoms include breathing difficulties, a tight feeling in the throat, feeling lightheaded, losing consciousness, swelling of the mouth, fast heartbeat, and more. If someone shows signs of anaphylaxis, it’s important to react quickly — use a shot of epinephrine in a person’s thigh and call an ambulance or go to the emergency room right away.
However, this alarming situation could have easily been avoided if the woman didn’t eat food from unmarked containers that don’t belong to her. Many people online wondered why she would risk her health by “borrowing” someone’s lunch when she is severely allergic to nuts? While their question may never be answered, this story serves as a reminder for every worker out there to respect their colleagues and their belongings.
Several commenters were eager to know about the peanut sauce recipe, so the author shared it in the post
As you can guess, members of the Ask Reddit community overwhelmingly sided with the Redditor but unfortunately, her boss and coworkers seem to have a different opinion. The user mentioned in the edit that they no longer feel welcome in their team and are seriously thinking about whether they should keep working in such a hostile environment.
Sadly, getting iced out by workmates isn’t all that uncommon, so we reached out to Sally Heady, a career coach and cognitive hypnotherapist based in the UK, to learn more about how our colleagues’ actions affect us and how best to handle these uncomfortable situations. She told Bored Panda that when we feel unwelcome in our group at work, it may have a really negative impact on our mental health and performance.
“Humans are tribal and need connection in order to thrive. When we lived in tribes, being accepted by the tribe was crucial for our survival. If we were on the outside, it would mean sitting further away from the fire or having a smaller share of the hunt,” she explained.
Moreover, there’s a part of our brain still hard-wired to consider isolation to be a dangerous state, Heady argued. “So when we feel rejected by our group at work, we can feel more anxious and on-edge as our brain wants us to be hyper-vigilant against the threat of isolation. If we’re anxious and stressed for a prolonged period, this can naturally lead to a drop in performance,” she said and added this might make it hard for us to think clearly and rationally.
“We will also find it more difficult to ‘read’ people accurately, as we naturally feel more defensive if we feel we don’t belong in our group. We may also feel low and depleted if we don’t get the connection at work that we naturally crave,” the career coach mentioned.
As the user explained in their post, this troubling incident made them genuinely consider quitting their day job. Heady told Bored Panda that feeling left out at work might take such an emotional toll on someone that they might consider leaving.
“The decision to leave a workplace isn’t one that should be taken lightly and questions such as financial commitments and how quickly a person thinks they will be able to find another job should all be taken into account,” she noted. “Having said that, if someone feels deeply unhappy because they don’t feel welcome at work and there’s no sign that this will change, then that person should do what’s best for the sake of their mental health and quit,” Heady advised.
It’s safe to say that finding a quick solution to being iced out at work is far from an easy task, and every situation is different. However, the career coach suggested a few things to consider when living through these experiences. “Broadly speaking, the employee can choose to raise the issue with their co-workers, or they can raise it with their boss or HR department to see if the relationship can be repaired.”
“In some cases, being ignored by co-workers can amount to bullying or constructive dismissal (in the UK) and can result in legal action. Before taking legal action, the employee needs to think about whether taking legal action will be worth the time, energy and cost involved,” she concluded.
The vast majority of Redditors sided with the user, here’s what they had to say
265Kviews
Share on FacebookA girl with food allergies ate from an unmarked container with no idea what ingredients were in it. This is terminally stupid and if she doesn't learn from this experience, it may well kill her if she does it again. There are only two AHs in this story, which are the girl and her father. HR should be firing them both!
"Terminaly stupid": definitivly. Dying that way would have earn her a Darwin award.
Load More Replies...Holy motherfirkin shirtballs... When, and more importantly HOW did food theft become normalised? This should not be a thing. Stealing is stealing and there are (or should be) consequences. And I bet there's going to be some whiny sod complaining that your shouldn't adulterate food to catch thieves because messing with people's food is wrong - well, guess what dipshot, they're "adulterating" their own food, and if it wasn't stolen, no harm done. This whole thing, not even this specific example, really makes my blood boil.
I worked at a place with food theft problems and we weren't allowed to leave for lunch. It really sucks to go hungry for 12 hours (12 hour shift work) because someone stole everything you brought and you have no money for vending machines. The guy in charge wanted nothing to do with it, he acted like I was crazy (I'm a woman so I guess I was hysterical). The second time it happened I demanded he give me money so that I could at least get a drink and crackers. I just don't get why managers are so hesitant to go after lunch thieves.
Load More Replies...She's a f*****g idiot. Who eats unmarked food KNOWING they have that severe of an allergy? I don't feel bad for her at all.
You'd be surprised at how many people I've encountered how were dumb enough to steal people's food out of the break room knowing damn well they had allergies. Suffice to say one of them ended up in the ER because they ate something that had Bleu cheese in the sauce that you wouldn't have been able to tell at sight because it was blended.
Load More Replies...As someone with a nut allergy, at this point it’s just some weird kind of natural selection tbh. Not only is she being an a*****e and stealing food, it’s pretty common for Thai food to use peanut sauce. Why on earth would she eat from an unmarked container that was never meant for her with a type of food that often contains nuts??
LMAO...she "borrowed" her lunch...girl got what she deserved. Boss needs to be reprimanded for nepotism.
Read a story like this on another site, only instead of an allergy, it was the level of spicyness. Co-irker ste someones lunch who liked thongs quite hot, and had a bad reaction to the level of heat and got the spice loving person either reprimanded or fired. I will try to find and post a link in a reply.
https://www.askamanager.org/2016/07/a-coworker-stole-my-spicy-food-got-sick-and-is-blaming-me.html Theres a link to an update on the linked page.
Load More Replies..."Use natural peanut butter bc it has less sugar" *adds a bunch of sugar to sauce*
When I clicked on this I was expecting the daughter to be a small child...not a fully grown adult. WTF is wrong with people?
The thing is, nuts smell. Could she not smell them? I can smell peanuts from across the room! One of my friends has a peanut allergy that sends her to the ER if it even touches her. The smell makes her gag!
OP even said it smelled strongly of peanut butter. Only thing I can think is maybe she had Covid at some point and it affected her smell/taste so she didn't realize.
Load More Replies...It really is absurd. If quitting wouldn't be an option, I'd buy a little chain with a (combination) lock, to put around my lunchbox. And feel surreal about having to do something like that just to be able to eat my own food.
It's just like any other recipe on the internet. Scroll through a life story before you get to the good stuff🤣
Load More Replies...It's always other people's fault with these dipshits. I really can't tell if the allergies not killing her is a good thing or bad thing. I know I'm not a good person and probably going to hell but we really can do with one less entitled moron.
Years aga I had a similar experience with pizza and people repeatedly helping them selves to my lunch. Found some stuff called "Dave's Insanity Sauce" was really hot but also really good. Started putting it on my food beforehand. Guilty party spent half the day in the bathroom and never touched anyone's food again.
I am allergic to fish and I don't just go around eating whatever because their could be fish in it. The boss and his daughter are TA.
Does BP own half of Reddit or something now? Like WTF......why are these the majority of the headline stories now........
people interact with them more, i guess. either by actually reading it and commenting, or complaining about how there are too many Reddit posts (which i agree with)
Load More Replies...My friend has a serious nut allergy and she would NEVER eat something unless she knows what’s in it and where it’s been processed. Pure stupidity here.
I had a coworker with a tree nut allergy take and eat a cookie from a bag on top of my purse...they were macadamia nut cookies that were baked on same sheet pan as some pecan toffee cookies. Thankfully her epi pen and benedryl kept her from going to hospital but who is stupid enough to eat unknown food with a severe allergy?! I didn't feel bad in the least, i didn't offer it or know of allergy.
If someone is on vaca, isn't there someone who covers the position? OP said she couldn't contact HR as the person is gone 'til' tomorrow. I'd be sure to e-mail everything as it happens, to keep it 'in real-time, and print it off as well. (I'm paranoid that the e-mails would be deleted). But regardless of the report, she needs to find a better place to work as the environment is now toxic. OP mentioned there is no advancement there for her, so she cuts her losses and leaves. If she could get a severance package, all the better.
I'm allergic to avocados. Granted it's a whole lot easier to avoid than nuts, seafood, etc. I know avocado oil is being used in foods more often now, plus it's in hair care products. If I'm interested in a new shampoo I check the label. If I go out to eat, I have to ask if anything is made with avocado oil. My allergy is much easier to deal with than others but I'm diligent about checking. I have an epi-pen just in case but I never want to use it. She did this to herself.
Taking other people's food is theft. You're making it harder for them to pay their bills and if they're diabetic you could be threatening their life, some of them NEED to eat, they can't just skip a meal. So this girl is already a jerk, but on top of that she has to be one of the dumbest people I've ever heard of. Who has a peanut allergy and just eats random food w***y-nilly?
this reminds me of a case i read about where a burglar broke into someone's home and injured themselves and then tried to sue them for it
-“My daughter BORROWED your food” -“No worries, she can vomit it back to me next week”.
Not only stole your lunch, but you stated that it even smelled nutty, and she STILL ate it! It seems that this girl has somehow "lost the plot." She must have known what she was eating, and knew it was peanut sauce before it even touched her lips.
So under this bosses logic if I stole his coke and od'd I should sue him for it?
Wow, how dumb is it to have a deadly allergy and just steal and eat stuff she doesn't know. What is wrong with this girl??? Maybe it's just natural selection.
I have food allergies. I would NEVER eat food from anyone else's home. How dumb. This only developed at 37. I also didn't steal people's food prior to that. Theft is theft and you reap what you sow.
Also, food allergies aren't the only issue people can have. I have seizures if I smell soy and some floral scents. No. Just no.
Load More Replies...It's a pity she didn't die, people like her don't contribute anything worthwhile to society.
My last workplace (with a few hundred employees) actually had cameras on the fridges for people's food. It was an auto firing if you were caught stealing food.
NTA AT ALL. First, and foremost it's your lunch. No need to feel guilty. She's a thief and if her dad is the boss then he should buy his daughter her own lunch. Why she steals she's never been taught responsibility from her father's reaction and how dare he blame you for eating what you like, it should reach her lesson next time don't steal other people's food.
Cover your a*s, report everything to HR, and then walk. Sometimes life isn't fair but you need to look out for number one.
Karma caught up with her. Good. No one likes a thief, and maybe she'll think twice now before stealing someone else's food, and buy her own. Her own fault. No pity for her.
Bad boss and worse father. He isn't just making excuses for her by calling stealing "borrowing," but is actually upset that your lunch wasn't made with her in consideration. What even happens in a person's life that makes them behave in such an irrational ways? If he had even a fiber of self respect, she (his daughter) should be FIRED. I'd quit, but only after letting him know that his lack of respect for himself and others is disappointing. Additionally, he should make the most of his time with his daughter because she's a moron and is very fortunate to have made it this long. Good riddance lunch thief and enabler. ...or, explain that you plan to file a report for theft. That'll solve the problem that is his attitude.
NTA. In fact, sue them for a hostile work environment. Spineless daddy and entitled daughter need to be shown that they are not privileged
i'd love to know how it was explained at the hospital, because there's really no way to spin this that makes the idiot daughter look good
You're nta, food thief and boss are. I hope they are dealt with by HR so you're not in a hostile environment. Gotta say Thai food is amazing, love the heat, love the peanut sauce.
holy c**p... if thats not a nominee and the most probable winner of a Darwin Award then i dont know what is.
NTA but I never understood why people put their food in the work fridge. It’s a weird habit no one thinks through especially if people Messi g with you food had been an issue. In college over 20 years ago a friend/coworker pointed this out to me as I was doing it. She was like you are going to eat lunch in about 4 hours from when you get to work & it was cold from you fridge, then you put in an insulated bag with ice box. It’s still going to be pretty cold at lunch time & is better this way as it will heat up faster in the microwave now. I never looked back
A girl with food allergies ate from an unmarked container with no idea what ingredients were in it. This is terminally stupid and if she doesn't learn from this experience, it may well kill her if she does it again. There are only two AHs in this story, which are the girl and her father. HR should be firing them both!
"Terminaly stupid": definitivly. Dying that way would have earn her a Darwin award.
Load More Replies...Holy motherfirkin shirtballs... When, and more importantly HOW did food theft become normalised? This should not be a thing. Stealing is stealing and there are (or should be) consequences. And I bet there's going to be some whiny sod complaining that your shouldn't adulterate food to catch thieves because messing with people's food is wrong - well, guess what dipshot, they're "adulterating" their own food, and if it wasn't stolen, no harm done. This whole thing, not even this specific example, really makes my blood boil.
I worked at a place with food theft problems and we weren't allowed to leave for lunch. It really sucks to go hungry for 12 hours (12 hour shift work) because someone stole everything you brought and you have no money for vending machines. The guy in charge wanted nothing to do with it, he acted like I was crazy (I'm a woman so I guess I was hysterical). The second time it happened I demanded he give me money so that I could at least get a drink and crackers. I just don't get why managers are so hesitant to go after lunch thieves.
Load More Replies...She's a f*****g idiot. Who eats unmarked food KNOWING they have that severe of an allergy? I don't feel bad for her at all.
You'd be surprised at how many people I've encountered how were dumb enough to steal people's food out of the break room knowing damn well they had allergies. Suffice to say one of them ended up in the ER because they ate something that had Bleu cheese in the sauce that you wouldn't have been able to tell at sight because it was blended.
Load More Replies...As someone with a nut allergy, at this point it’s just some weird kind of natural selection tbh. Not only is she being an a*****e and stealing food, it’s pretty common for Thai food to use peanut sauce. Why on earth would she eat from an unmarked container that was never meant for her with a type of food that often contains nuts??
LMAO...she "borrowed" her lunch...girl got what she deserved. Boss needs to be reprimanded for nepotism.
Read a story like this on another site, only instead of an allergy, it was the level of spicyness. Co-irker ste someones lunch who liked thongs quite hot, and had a bad reaction to the level of heat and got the spice loving person either reprimanded or fired. I will try to find and post a link in a reply.
https://www.askamanager.org/2016/07/a-coworker-stole-my-spicy-food-got-sick-and-is-blaming-me.html Theres a link to an update on the linked page.
Load More Replies..."Use natural peanut butter bc it has less sugar" *adds a bunch of sugar to sauce*
When I clicked on this I was expecting the daughter to be a small child...not a fully grown adult. WTF is wrong with people?
The thing is, nuts smell. Could she not smell them? I can smell peanuts from across the room! One of my friends has a peanut allergy that sends her to the ER if it even touches her. The smell makes her gag!
OP even said it smelled strongly of peanut butter. Only thing I can think is maybe she had Covid at some point and it affected her smell/taste so she didn't realize.
Load More Replies...It really is absurd. If quitting wouldn't be an option, I'd buy a little chain with a (combination) lock, to put around my lunchbox. And feel surreal about having to do something like that just to be able to eat my own food.
It's just like any other recipe on the internet. Scroll through a life story before you get to the good stuff🤣
Load More Replies...It's always other people's fault with these dipshits. I really can't tell if the allergies not killing her is a good thing or bad thing. I know I'm not a good person and probably going to hell but we really can do with one less entitled moron.
Years aga I had a similar experience with pizza and people repeatedly helping them selves to my lunch. Found some stuff called "Dave's Insanity Sauce" was really hot but also really good. Started putting it on my food beforehand. Guilty party spent half the day in the bathroom and never touched anyone's food again.
I am allergic to fish and I don't just go around eating whatever because their could be fish in it. The boss and his daughter are TA.
Does BP own half of Reddit or something now? Like WTF......why are these the majority of the headline stories now........
people interact with them more, i guess. either by actually reading it and commenting, or complaining about how there are too many Reddit posts (which i agree with)
Load More Replies...My friend has a serious nut allergy and she would NEVER eat something unless she knows what’s in it and where it’s been processed. Pure stupidity here.
I had a coworker with a tree nut allergy take and eat a cookie from a bag on top of my purse...they were macadamia nut cookies that were baked on same sheet pan as some pecan toffee cookies. Thankfully her epi pen and benedryl kept her from going to hospital but who is stupid enough to eat unknown food with a severe allergy?! I didn't feel bad in the least, i didn't offer it or know of allergy.
If someone is on vaca, isn't there someone who covers the position? OP said she couldn't contact HR as the person is gone 'til' tomorrow. I'd be sure to e-mail everything as it happens, to keep it 'in real-time, and print it off as well. (I'm paranoid that the e-mails would be deleted). But regardless of the report, she needs to find a better place to work as the environment is now toxic. OP mentioned there is no advancement there for her, so she cuts her losses and leaves. If she could get a severance package, all the better.
I'm allergic to avocados. Granted it's a whole lot easier to avoid than nuts, seafood, etc. I know avocado oil is being used in foods more often now, plus it's in hair care products. If I'm interested in a new shampoo I check the label. If I go out to eat, I have to ask if anything is made with avocado oil. My allergy is much easier to deal with than others but I'm diligent about checking. I have an epi-pen just in case but I never want to use it. She did this to herself.
Taking other people's food is theft. You're making it harder for them to pay their bills and if they're diabetic you could be threatening their life, some of them NEED to eat, they can't just skip a meal. So this girl is already a jerk, but on top of that she has to be one of the dumbest people I've ever heard of. Who has a peanut allergy and just eats random food w***y-nilly?
this reminds me of a case i read about where a burglar broke into someone's home and injured themselves and then tried to sue them for it
-“My daughter BORROWED your food” -“No worries, she can vomit it back to me next week”.
Not only stole your lunch, but you stated that it even smelled nutty, and she STILL ate it! It seems that this girl has somehow "lost the plot." She must have known what she was eating, and knew it was peanut sauce before it even touched her lips.
So under this bosses logic if I stole his coke and od'd I should sue him for it?
Wow, how dumb is it to have a deadly allergy and just steal and eat stuff she doesn't know. What is wrong with this girl??? Maybe it's just natural selection.
I have food allergies. I would NEVER eat food from anyone else's home. How dumb. This only developed at 37. I also didn't steal people's food prior to that. Theft is theft and you reap what you sow.
Also, food allergies aren't the only issue people can have. I have seizures if I smell soy and some floral scents. No. Just no.
Load More Replies...It's a pity she didn't die, people like her don't contribute anything worthwhile to society.
My last workplace (with a few hundred employees) actually had cameras on the fridges for people's food. It was an auto firing if you were caught stealing food.
NTA AT ALL. First, and foremost it's your lunch. No need to feel guilty. She's a thief and if her dad is the boss then he should buy his daughter her own lunch. Why she steals she's never been taught responsibility from her father's reaction and how dare he blame you for eating what you like, it should reach her lesson next time don't steal other people's food.
Cover your a*s, report everything to HR, and then walk. Sometimes life isn't fair but you need to look out for number one.
Karma caught up with her. Good. No one likes a thief, and maybe she'll think twice now before stealing someone else's food, and buy her own. Her own fault. No pity for her.
Bad boss and worse father. He isn't just making excuses for her by calling stealing "borrowing," but is actually upset that your lunch wasn't made with her in consideration. What even happens in a person's life that makes them behave in such an irrational ways? If he had even a fiber of self respect, she (his daughter) should be FIRED. I'd quit, but only after letting him know that his lack of respect for himself and others is disappointing. Additionally, he should make the most of his time with his daughter because she's a moron and is very fortunate to have made it this long. Good riddance lunch thief and enabler. ...or, explain that you plan to file a report for theft. That'll solve the problem that is his attitude.
NTA. In fact, sue them for a hostile work environment. Spineless daddy and entitled daughter need to be shown that they are not privileged
i'd love to know how it was explained at the hospital, because there's really no way to spin this that makes the idiot daughter look good
You're nta, food thief and boss are. I hope they are dealt with by HR so you're not in a hostile environment. Gotta say Thai food is amazing, love the heat, love the peanut sauce.
holy c**p... if thats not a nominee and the most probable winner of a Darwin Award then i dont know what is.
NTA but I never understood why people put their food in the work fridge. It’s a weird habit no one thinks through especially if people Messi g with you food had been an issue. In college over 20 years ago a friend/coworker pointed this out to me as I was doing it. She was like you are going to eat lunch in about 4 hours from when you get to work & it was cold from you fridge, then you put in an insulated bag with ice box. It’s still going to be pretty cold at lunch time & is better this way as it will heat up faster in the microwave now. I never looked back
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