Are any restaurants safe to eat at?

[banditpony]

It depends?

It sounds like you might have an intolerance to something.

Usually if something is wide spread not safe, it'll be reported on a news outlet and/or making lots of people sick (either locally or nationally. Like the lettuce on the news today).

Chains are most likely getting processed food to save on prep time and to keep costs down. I wouldn't trust any processed food unless it's guaranteed to be free of things-- which it won't be if it's not on dedicated machinery and most likely chain food won't be.

I would however trust local places that are mindful of allergies and that have better sources of their food. There's absolutely restaurants and chefs that do their best to prepare food for those with intolerances and allergies.

[Twizel]

As far as intolerance goes, I'm not sure what it would be. When I was a child, large amounts of cheese would give me stomach trouble - not a cheese sandwich or anything, but if I ate say, 3 slices of pizza with extra cheese. But I grew out of that and cheese hasn't been a problem since.

With the intolerance that's started in my adult years, I suspect it has something to do with how greasy or oily food is, because its not just fast food that I react to (though it usually is), it can be deli food too or even stuff cooked at home.

Its true, I have had better results with restaurants that aren't a big chain, although sometimes I get concerned about the cleanliness of their cutlery, but that's probably just me.

[banditpony]

Hm. Maybe keeping a food journal and document could help you?. If it's something that gets worse with time, it could help you pin point it and/or help you know what foods to avoid?

[Galactica]

So ... you guys may not want to read this.  It talks about how many insect parts and maggots and mold and rodent poop is allowed in food by the FDA...  https://www.livescience.com/55459-fda-acceptable-food-defects.html

I live in China...

Never found anything gross in my food either - well, that wasn;t supposed to be there.

 

[Twizel]

you're right, i didn't want to read that! 

[LadyMoondancer]

As far as food safety, unless you personally work in a restaurant, you just never know how hygenic it is. Some of them are super clean, some are horrors but are savvy enough not to get caught with their violations.

[Satin Slipper]

A bone in your oatmeal?   Very weird...
Yeah I second what others suggested, you should call the McDonald's back to inform them and perhaps let corporate know...

[Nemesis]

Wow. After reading all of this, I feel like never eating again. If I found a bone in oatmeal or a cupcake, I think I’d scream for a solid minute...

As for getting sick... You might have sensitivities to oils or food additives. I have a sensitive stomach, and certain restaurants always seem to upset it... Fried food and dairy are particularly likely to cause trouble.