Eating Spiders?

IceKing

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Mar 20, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/20/97

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I heard on a radio show this morning, that we, within a year,
swallow apx.30 spiders. The radio guy says when they crawl in
to look for a place to hide, we swallow them whole. This came
up over a rumor that Katschup companies, smash the spiders,
lizards, worms, and snakes in the trucks, into the product.

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Kurt Foster

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Mar 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/21/97

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IceKing (hav...@inreach.com) wrote:
: I heard on a radio show this morning, that we, within a year,

: swallow apx.30 spiders. The radio guy says when they crawl in
: to look for a place to hide, we swallow them whole. This came
: up over a rumor that Katschup companies, smash the spiders,
: lizards, worms, and snakes in the trucks, into the product.

:
The only characters I know of who swallowed spiders were (1) an old lady
who swallowed a fly, and (2) one of the characters (Renfield?) in the Bram
Stoker novel "Dracula"; and they both did so consciously.
I woke up rather suddenly once many years ago when a silverfish tried to
crawl into my mouth. I must have spit the thing halfway across the room
before catapulting out of bed and trampling it to smithereens. So I doubt
anyone could swallow a spider whole without knowing it!
I REALLY doubt ketchup companies gather up "spiders, lizards, worms and
snakes in the trucks" and smash them into the ketchup. For one thing, it
would cost time and effort, and therefore money. I haven't priced
worms and lizards against tomatoes recently, but I doubt they're any
cheaper.
For another thing, there are government standards (USDA I think, but
maybe FDA) setting limits on how much contamination by such things as
rodent hairs, insect fragments, etc is allowed. Of course, some crud like
this is going to find its way in accidentally, despite the most scrupulous
cleaning and preparation -- at a big food processing outfit or in a home
canning operation.
I'd worry about an excess of WATER, and maybe thickening agents to
disguise the watering, in ketchup before worrying about adulteration with
animal matter.

Russ Jones

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Mar 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/21/97

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On 21 Mar 1997, Kurt Foster wrote:

> IceKing (hav...@inreach.com) wrote:
> : I heard on a radio show this morning, that we, within a year,
> : swallow apx.30 spiders. The radio guy says when they crawl in

I've heard this one too, about very tiny, nearly microscopic spiders.

> The only characters I know of who swallowed spiders were (1) an old lady
> who swallowed a fly, and (2) one of the characters (Renfield?) in the Bram
> Stoker novel "Dracula"; and they both did so consciously.

Why, oh why, did she swallow that fly? Enquiring minds want to know.

(Take a drink, son, it ain't humane to make him WALK down!)

(I hate to spit him out, he's the best meal I've had in weeks!)

---
Russ Jones - Boeing Information Support Services - Wichita Kansas
russ....@boeing.com - (316) 526-9364

Views and/or opinions expressed herein are those of the sender and should
not be construed to represent policies or positions of The Boeing Company.

Lon Stowell

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Mar 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/21/97

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In article <3331BC...@inreach.com>, IceKing <hav...@inreach.com> wrote:
>I heard on a radio show this morning, that we, within a year,
>swallow apx.30 spiders. The radio guy says when they crawl in

>to look for a place to hide, we swallow them whole. This came
>up over a rumor that Katschup companies, smash the spiders,
>lizards, worms, and snakes in the trucks, into the product.

Shhh kid. You are endangering the entire human race by making
this public. Without the proteins from those vermin, your brain
would rot and you'd degenerate mentally into being able to do
nothing more than post nonsense on the newsnet.

Cheryl

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Mar 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/21/97

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On Thu, 20 Mar 1997 14:36:48 -0800, IceKing <hav...@inreach.com>
wrote:

>I heard on a radio show this morning, that we, within a year,
>swallow apx.30 spiders. The radio guy says when they crawl in
>to look for a place to hide, we swallow them whole.

Just kill me now.

Cheryl
pas...@wwd.net

mig

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Mar 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/22/97

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Hasn't anyone else seen that episode of the TV show "Ripley's Believe
It Or Not" in which they talk about they guy who ate spiders
regularly? Through the magic of reruns of American cable shows here in
Argentina (dubbed into Spanish, thus losing that old guy's creepy
voice) I saw it not long before this thread (re-)appeared. The punch
line is that the man always insisted that it was salutary, but died at
33 or some young age.
C'mon, someone in this group must have seen it too!

saludos, mig (aka Peter Parker)

-----
"I don't care what anybody says about me as long as it isn't true." Truman Capote

Steve Lamb

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Mar 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/22/97

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On 21 Mar 1997 02:00:06 GMT, Kurt Foster <kfo...@rainbow.rmii.com> in <<5gsq36$isv$1...@news1.rmi.net>> wrote:
> I REALLY doubt ketchup companies gather up "spiders, lizards, worms and
>snakes in the trucks" and smash them into the ketchup. For one thing, it
>would cost time and effort, and therefore money. I haven't priced
>worms and lizards against tomatoes recently, but I doubt they're any
>cheaper.
> For another thing, there are government standards (USDA I think, but
>maybe FDA) setting limits on how much contamination by such things as
>rodent hairs, insect fragments, etc is allowed. Of course, some crud like
>this is going to find its way in accidentally, despite the most scrupulous
>cleaning and preparation -- at a big food processing outfit or in a home
>canning operation.

What the discussion was about was the amount of "MOT" in katchup. They
explained "MOT" as "Materials Other than Tomatos" ... "such as worms, rats,
etc that are in the trucks."

The show was Shawn & Jeff in the mornings on KWOD 106.5 in Sacramento,
Ca. I believe it was their Thursday show (3/20/97). Around here there are
tomato trucks that go zipping from one location to another, generally on I80
between Davis, Ca and Sacramento, Ca. Well, that is where I see them. I
think it was, all an all, just to get people who have seen thos trucks to
wonder what falls in since they are open topped.

--
Steve C. Lamb | Opinions expressed by me are not my
http://www.calweb.com/~morpheus | employer's. They hired me for my
| skills and labor, not my opinions!
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