A reader shared photos of American Airlines catering in business class from Liberia, Costa Rica to Dallas on Monday, where there was a snail in the meal.
Indeed, it does look like a small snail (or a snail and torn body) rather than a crouton! Probably that snail was there on the farm, rode on the romaine, and was tucked into the folds of the lettuce nad not washed off in processing. No one noticed in the catering kitchen which is an inspection fail. Not very premium!
And it’s probably carrying bacteria from the soil, which may give you some gastrointestinal upset issues if you eat it… and rare risk associated with rat lungworm (headache, stiff neck, nausea/vomiting, painful skin sensations). Eosinophilic meningitis is more common in Southeast Asia and Pacific islands, but it does pop up in the U.S. and Caribbean.
Snails on lettuce is something that occurs from time to time, but also a breakdown in catering. It’s the kind of thing that keeps happening, but in a given meal it’s a quality-control issue where several steps fail along the way.
Oh come on, half the Boarding Area gossip columnists would wet themselves to eat a snail in Air France First Class.
Rat Lungworm! Great name for a band, or any WH employee
Where are the safety officers?
Not all that uncommon. On two separate occasions I have found a snail in my F/C salad on flights out of Paris, France. One was a departure from ORY and the other was CDG. In both cases the flight attendant that I showed it to commented that they never eat the food catered out of either airport. They wisely bring their own lunch.
Hey, Gary, whatever happened to J.A.R. with the Delta ‘nightshade’ poisoning-fiasco?!
Young man a few years back on a dare thing ate a large snail. Spent years in a vegetative state then died a couple years ago.
Probably charged him extra for escargot.
Oh boy. Reminds me of Air France Concorde. Ah for the good ol’ days
“And it’s probably carrying bacteria from the soil, which may give you some gastrointestinal upset issues if you eat it… and rare risk associated with rat lungworm (headache, stiff neck, nausea/vomiting, painful skin sensations). Eosinophilic meningitis is more common in Southeast Asia and Pacific islands, but it does pop up in the U.S. and Caribbean.”
… the more you know…
Hey, what’s with this guy. He should be thankful that they didn’t charge him a surcharge for the escargot! Next time it happens, ask the FA for some garlic sauce to accompany.
The safety officers should have made sure it was cooked correctly. BTW, I have had cooked snails multiple times before without any bad affects. They go well with a chili pepper based sauce.
Rat long parasites can be deadly, just ask the family of the teenager who suffered for a few years before he finally succumbed!
@Maryland – I saw Rat Lungworm open for Dillenger Escape Plan a few years back…
Thanks, Gary Leff, for reminding us that when savoring a premium American Airlines Business Class meal—complete with surprise stowaway snails—remember, there’s more to watch for than just the dessert cart. These sneaky snails can deliver fascioliasis. This is a liver disease caused by the parasites Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica—fancy names that sound like new menu items, but these liver flukes are definitely not available at Flagship® First dining at DFW, where first class starts on the ground. Eating food or drinking water contaminated with cysts from infected animal feces can expose you to these parasites.
Humans become infected by ingesting cysts present in food or water contaminated with feces from animals that harbor the adult parasite in their livers. The symptoms of this disease can range from fever and abdominal pain to jaundice in more severe cases.
When eating American Airlines snails in flight, you might get infected with Abdominal angiostrongyliasis. This happens if you eat raw or undercooked snails or vegetables with larvae from Angiostrongylus costaricensis. The parasite enters your body and settles in your intestinal blood vessels. It causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes peritonitis. Suddenly, that side salad seems a little more exciting than intended—reminding us to savor our meals carefully, because even a simple salad on American Airlines can serve up an unexpected journey to the aircraft toilet. Bon Appétit.
Maryland has the best comment of the day!