Pilots who have had some time on. What is the most vile thing you have ever eaten during a trip (between legs or on a layover). What were the circumstances and what was the outcome.

Ate a couple of beef samosas early one morning from a coffee shop at JK International Nairobi. One tasted a bit odd, but you generally eat a samosa in two bites so I didn't really get a chance to register this properly. Three hour and thirty minute leg after that breakfast and the runs start to make their presence known as we're starting our approach to destination. It was so bad, I started to sweat. There was GPS jamming affecting us just to make things more interesting. Not the best time to leave the flight deck! I was on the verge of telling the FO to request a couple of orbits while I ran down the back. I managed to hold it until we landed, told the cabin crew to keep everyone seated after parking (the lav's right at the back), and made the dash of shame right after setting the park brake and shutting down.

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prex10@reddit

I had a massive allergic reaction to enchiladas out of MCO once. Never had that happen in my life.

Same meal hasn't made it occur again.

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ThatLooksRight@reddit

You went BACK FOR MORE?!?

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prex10@reddit

I'm a sick person

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ThatLooksRight@reddit

ZaZa’s? It better not be. I like that place.

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flyinboxes@reddit

Pork “sausage” in China. Turned out to be the kind of sausage some have between their legs

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CommuterType@reddit

The "monkey meat stew" at the hotel buffet in Lagos. It was super spicy so I tried to just chew it up and swallow it down but there was a big chunk of greasy gristle that wouldn't chew, so I had to just sit there and smile in pain. No ill effects later though

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SATSewerTube@reddit

Crew meal which was all I had to eat that day. It knocked me down so hard I had to bang out mid-pairing, stayed in the overnight hotel for two more nights, and finally tried to make my way home.

Absolutely miserable….but at least I could sit on the toilet and lean over into the bathtub…

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blanc84gn@reddit

That qualifies for an OJI for future reference

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Ramrod489@reddit

Been exactly there, done exactly that. My CA was a saint and walked 2 blocks (un-asked, he just did it) to a CVS and got me some liquid IV. I raised holy hell via PDR, FSAP, CPO and they actually tracked the food back to some cook who wasn’t taking temperatures properly.

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VP1@reddit

Literally broken a rib on the toilet leaning over the tub. Oof

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blanc84gn@reddit

I gotta say that when I eat eggs, the whole FD is filled with sulfur…..I feel really Sorry for the other guy

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Anonymous5791@reddit

B.GOOD in KBOS. How the fuck that place is still in business is beyond me; I've had a lot of disgusting and poorly made burgers in my life, but that place takes the cake. I swear to god it was like someone shit on the griddle and pressed it into a burger.

My stomach was reeling for days after that one.

I swear the name must be an attempt at irony... there was nothing - and I mean nothing - good about it.

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minfremi@reddit

It’s sustainable!

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RGN_Preacher@reddit

I never order ubereats unless the company buys.

Was working in Canada and the dollar was going far so I figured I’d order some sushi rolls. $5/roll sushi was a price I haven’t seen in a decade and I was like hell yeah.

Two hours later there I am dying of food poisoning for the next 2 days in a five star hotel that wouldn’t even bother to bring me ginger ale - told me to go down to the fitness center and grab it from the vending machine while I could barely reach out of bed for the phone. Called MedAir to help me find a hospital to go to in the morning since it was like 3 AM.

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minfremi@reddit

Go to Japan. You’ll learn to never eat that crap for that price ever again.

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valspare@reddit

"Most vile thing you've eaten" & "between legs".

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ok, let me get my mind out of the gutter.

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theboomvang@reddit

Five guys burger in IAD before a DH home. I had always wondered who takes a dump in an aircraft LAV, well I found out that day somewhere around V2.

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elkab0ng@reddit

I’m usually in favor of a big greasy burger, but there’s something about five guys in particular that resembles a colonoscopy prep.

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PendragonDaGreat@reddit

I'm so glad it's not just me. I've been to Five Guys like 5 times, and 4 have them have ended with me stuck on a toilet for a while.

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PipsqueakPilot@reddit

When 22 flight duty days were common taking a dump in the lav ended up being pretty commonplace. The levels of gross it could reach when the lav hadn’t been serviced in days was…something. Especially with a plane load of grunts.

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Bluedevil1992@reddit

At least in the -17 you guys had a lav! No such accessory in the -130, and the honey bucket was to be avoided at all costs. Made for some interesting visits to tower or port-o-potties during those multiple hops in the AOR.

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keep_it_irie@reddit

"Ay, caramba!"

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flyingkea@reddit

It’s funny because a lot of office workers are allllll about that dump on company time, yet for us, we try to avoid at all costs.

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mfsp2025@reddit

Nothing sucks more than needing to take a dump at work..

Had to take one really bad while flying over the Chicago skyline on approach to 28C. Held it in. Landed. Then ran to 4 different bathrooms before finding an open stall in the terminal. Even the crew lounge had occupied stalls.

It was that day I realized everyone has to take a dump at 7:30am on a Wednesday.

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PipsqueakPilot@reddit

Love how the answers are all: Crew meal.

Also, same. Out of Al Udeid

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ThatHellacopterGuy@reddit

Ugh… crew meals from the Dirty Deid. I wasn’t incapacitated, but I had the bubbleguts for a week.

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PipsqueakPilot@reddit

Remember when they had to deworm everyone? Or the infamous mouse chilling on the salad bar?

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ThatHellacopterGuy@reddit

Heard about them, but I didn’t experience quite that level. I was always “just passing through” The Deid in the KC-10.

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JustA_FewBumps@reddit

Rip hot grab standalone rat trap building

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Figit090@reddit

Bonkers what you all get paid and then how poorly you sometimes eat when fed by the company. Just seems so lopsided, with some wages you'd think they'd include two daily meals of fresh fruits, vegetables, red meats and more than 12oz of not-from-concenteate drink.

Logistically I guess sysco or whatever contract truck food is easier. 😂

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Which_Material_3100@reddit

Same: Crew meal, Air Force dining hall, and tacos on a Mexico City layover (needed cipro to get rid of that bug)

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AGroAllDay@reddit

Please tell me you did not eat in the area around the airport. It is called peñón de los baños for a reason

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Which_Material_3100@reddit

It was a place the FO recommended near the hotel downtown. The rumblings began as soon as the gear retracted flying home. Misery!

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AGroAllDay@reddit

I used to live in MEX, so I’m going to help you out. Check out El Vilsito. It’s in the Navarte Poniente neighborhood. Get the Al pastor and thank me later

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LR_1986@reddit

Had the same outcome eating seafood at a “nice place” in Guadalajara., got so sick I lost 10 Lbs…

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Ok-Selection4206@reddit

Captain and finished a trip to Guatemala City. Ate steaks out at "great" restaurant, flew back the next day and we both went into days off feeling fine. 2 days later both on antibiotics, I was sick for 7 days and lost 12lbs. Captain missed a week of work and out 2 weeks total.

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goodatgettingbanned@reddit

Same experience with tacos in Mexico City.

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PetesBrotherPaul@reddit

Everybody’s referring to what had an end EFFECT on them, but the most vile thing I have ever eaten was a much-revered side dish at a Florida BBQ joint: Mac n cheese with pineapple. I ran out of the plane and spit it on the ramp.

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CA1900@reddit

Holy shit, the ATL Manchu Wok is exactly the one I was going to mention before I read the rest of your message. The one at SEA is almost as bad.

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keep_it_irie@reddit

But the one in SLC, so far, has not wrecked me yet. Knock on wood.

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Certain-Tennis8555@reddit

"... what is the most vile thing you have eaten during a trip (between legs..."

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Ok_Witness179@reddit

Something something jolly rancher 👀

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alfienoakes@reddit

I understood this.

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Imaginary_Trust_7019@reddit

I think we're all old now

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bc_57@reddit

There it is, was going to point out the obvious pun as well as excellent advice

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Living_Guess_2845@reddit

Yeah, not gonna call her

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Yuri909@reddit

Captain does every time he announces for attendants to secure the cabin for landing.

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fallstreak_24@reddit

Been doing it for about 10 years now. I’m pretty lucky to have a very resilient stomach. Traveled the world and haven’t really avoided much intentionally, and I’ve never had issues. Closest to having issues was goat meat in Turkey that was weirdly gamey.

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SMELLYJELLY72@reddit

out of curiosity i’ve seen salad a lot in these comments. i get how chicken/seafood not being prepared correctly can get you sick, but what part of a salad can get you sick?

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ThatHellacopterGuy@reddit

Have you not seen the e.coli recalls on lettuce in recent years?

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Thick_Comedian_6707@reddit

Amoebic dysentery from something unknown in Mexico City.

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Zapatos-Grande@reddit

Off brand microwave pizza from an MSP hotel snack stand on my unplanned overnight on what was supposed to be go home day. It was 11 pm on Christmas, so nothing was open. Tossed and turned all night with indigestion. Only had one leg back to base the next day (supposed to be a day off) Powered through it with caffeine. Landed and scheduling wanted to tap me for another MSP turn. Banged out fatigued and slept for 12 hours.

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havand@reddit

Chillis-to-go in Ohare, the carnitas tacos , they weren’t hot, didn’t think about it till it was too late. I ended up popping in Allentown at the hotel garbage can at the entrance.

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Magoo6541@reddit

I got food poisoning from a Hilton Garden Inn in Ft Meyer. Imodium does nothing when it’s coming from both ends uncontrollably. We had to divert back to the origin airport to get me to an urgent care and get another plane.

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EliteEthos@reddit

Between legs?!

Is that a sexual reference?

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Torvaldicus_Unknown@reddit

OPs mom is a saint!!

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EliteEthos@reddit

I’m gonna take her out for a nice seafood dinner and never call her again.

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Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit

Their mom is so swampy not even ducks unlimited would touch her

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Airking4321@reddit

I opened a carton of milk from a hotel back in those days and it smelled exactly like as if someone had vomited in it. This was during IOE as well. Kinda set my expectations of what to expect at hotel breakfasts. Also don't eat at the Walmart Subway in XWA. Stayed longer in that shithole of a place than I would have liked to.

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Enough_Professor_741@reddit

I ate at a Chinese buffet in midland Texas. Big mistake. On the way back to dallas I had to divert to Big Springs. This is a big, mostly abandoned old army air field. I landed with seconds to spare, shut down the engines and dropped trou right by the plane. I was experiencing rapid decompression and explosive propulsive blasts in the grass when an old guy drives up in an older pickup truck. “Son, are you ok? The FAA said you had to quickly land.”

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IndependentDrink8@reddit

ORD chilis, had a chicken sandwich right before they closed. Was pretty dry and tasted funny probably had been sitting out all day. Took a 1:30 hr flight then drove an hour home. Almost didn’t make it to the shitter at home. Proceeded to come out both ends for 3 days. I was shivering like I had the bubonic plague on my bathroom floor. Was sick as a dog for 3 days. I have only at a chilis once since then, it was 7 years ago.

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AdImpressive9014@reddit

Drinking service water in the Philippines. Immediately got cramps, diarrhea, and a fever. The whole ordeal last about 6 days. I will be drinking only bottled water from now on. Never again.

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prop_circles@reddit

A slimy cucumber prepackaged salad. It was slimy and sour but I was dumb and ate it all. My stomach that night was not happy with my ADM.

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Mr-cacahead@reddit

Your mom.

Sorry I had to, I’m a manchild.

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Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit

A God damn caesar salad. Puked 11 times 5 hours after eating. Then the next four days was just pure liquid

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capn_davey@reddit

I’m not the only one! For me it was undercooked chicken on it. The night before my last day of recurrent. Instructor told me he wished he’d recorded because it was as close to a perfect checkride as he’d seen and I burst out laughing. I told him we’d been riding very close to mashing the emergency stop button the whole time.

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Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit

No chicken on this one. Was probably the lettuce.

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aye246@reddit

Yeah most likely not washed/rinsed and had salmonlila

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t3hwookie90@reddit

Free La Quinta breakfast buffet in DFW about 10 years ago. I was feeling ill during taxi and climb. At around 5000ft I told the Captain that I will be calling the FA at 10,000. The forward lav in the CRJ isn't an ideal place to do anything, but that day it was my saving grace. I felt bad for anyone in first class. I was a mess.

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Oregon-Pilot@reddit

Minetta Tavern, in NYC.

It’s one of my favorite places, been there a million times for the burger and fries, but the last time I went, that night I felt super sick and shat my ever-loving brains out.

Haven't been back since.

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blizzue@reddit

Warm multiple day old free continental breakfast items. Bruised apples, warm yogurt, stale bagels, etc. This RJ CA would just swipe as much as he could from the hotel on day 1/2 and try to eat nothing but that the rest of the trip to save money. Also never wore deodorant. Lived with his mother.

Another guy wrapped a leftover pizza in a hotel hand towel and offered me a slice. After I declined he ate the rest of that pizza and then threw away the hand towel.

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metalgtr84@reddit

Reminds me of some of the stories I read in Motley Crue’s autobiography.

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hardyboyyz@reddit

Chunky sour milk from a continental breakfast at a hotel during Covid. I didn't check the date. It had expired a month prior.

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ccarn245@reddit

Had a 72 in Algeria, and could only eat at the one of three restaurants within the “resort” we weren’t allowed to venture outside of. Amazing seafood buffet followed by a month of salt crackers and ice being the only things I could stomach..

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ywgflyer@reddit

Similar stories from some of the guys who have ventured "out and about" in Delhi (we don't stay at Aerocity like all the US airlines do). Some of the flight attendants have a few places they like to order from because it's cheaper than the hotel restaurant. Awesome, then you spend the whole flight home in the lav, vacating every bodily fluid you knew you had and some you didn't, and subsequently are booked off sick for three weeks. Lots of stories from there. I'm starting to remember why I have max points avoid DEL in my standing bid.

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RedAirRook@reddit

Snack Street in Beijing. You can dine upon a wide variety of novelty "fried things on a stick": Crickets, scorpions, miilipedes, and even tarantulas. The first two are like eating pork rinds, honestly.

I didn't have to fortitude to try any of the other selections.

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imapilotaz@reddit

Wangfujing.

I miss that place. Screw covid and the lack of flying to China.

Oh never from that street but i had a fondness for that Din Tai Fung across the street in the mall there (yes i know din tai fungs are worldwide)

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loose_as_a_moose@reddit

Wasn’t me but whatever that guy ate delivering the companies new ATR.

Shat the seat (allegedly) and resulted in an unscheduled layover whilst he recovered.

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_-Cleon-_@reddit

Manchu Wok in ATL

Look, I get that "Food Court Chinese" is not exactly going to be the best of the best. But sweet smurfy Jebus on a pogo stick, I do not understand how that place remains open. People can't be that hungry, can they?

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imapilotaz@reddit

Manchu Wok in ORD. In moments of weekness i have caved to my Chinese food cravings. It did not in fact satisfy my cravings.

Im due to repeat that mistake this summer as its been 2-3 years since my last

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CA1900@reddit

It's a mystery to me too. On the other end of the airport-food-court-Chinese spectrum, the BWI Leeann Chin is actually pretty good.

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changgerz@reddit

that place survives solely off people who have never had it before going “panda express lines too long, how bad can manchu wok be”

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Antique-Kitchen-1896@reddit

If the man is chewing the wok instead of the food, pretty bad.

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latedescent@reddit

crew meal, a salad. Ate it at coast out, was my turn for break at 30W, needless to say I spent the entire break on the lav. No more salads for me.

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zporter92@reddit

Tried Panda Express for the first time on an overnight. God awful. Other than that I have had good luck. Had some choices not be as good as I hoped, but nothing as inedible as the Panda that night

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Ancient_Juice_1127@reddit

between legs lol

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zporter92@reddit

Had to re-read myself lol

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CryptographerHuge682@reddit

I don’t have much hours yet as I’m still on training but during a XC navigation of 3 h, I had some duck and avocado tacos, only thing they had in the restaurant that I could stop at, for the 2 h left on the flight the cockpit was smelling like duck and a bit to avocado maybe not my best idea but the flight was at 4 pm and I didn’t have time to eat on the ground before it, luckily it was a solo.

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