#ooops

For as long as I can remember and, for the most part, I've been skeeved out by meat.  And poultry.  And pork.  And fish.  Don't get me wrong: I will eat the stuff, but it has to be organic + grass fed + humanely raised + any/all of that other fluff.  So, technically, I'm not a vegetarian.  But when it comes to frozen meals (which I eat many days for lunch at the office), I am.  Historically, I've always found that the meat in heat-and-eat products is gristly, mysterious, and too perfectly shaped.  And what the hell is "chicken with rib meat," anyways?

If you think that's picky, it gets worse: I refuse to eat any meat alternatives.  You know, scary stuff like "soy hot dogs."  No thank you.

After pouring the contents of my Sukhi's "Vegetable Biryani" meal in to a bowl, I was puzzled when a large, brownish "glob" emerged in the sea of rice and colorful vegetables.  At first, I assumed it was a cauliflower floret.  However, upon stirring the biryani, the glob felt soft and more tender when pierced with my fork.  Using my hands, I reached in with my fingers and picked out the mysterious object.  To the touch, it resembled a large piece of gristle.  To the eye, it looked like a chunk of dark meat chicken or lamb.  Gah!!  What the fcuk??  I gasped and shrieked, evoking the curiosity of my coworkers...   

Does that NOT look like a funky piece of lamb or chicken? 

I pulled the mystery glob apart with my fingers and was horrified by its rubbery texture.  After snapping a few photos, I dramatically threw the entire entree in the garbage (rice flying everywhere!).  How could a food company that I had long respected manage to completely lose my trust in a matter of seconds?  What if I was a die-hard vegetarian and had actually taken a bite of this meal?  What if, what if, what if?

I was so repulsed, that I took to Twitter...

Oh, I wasn't done yet.  The tweet was followed by an email to the company.  And a voicemail.  What?  I was upset!

Minutes later, I received a tweet from Sukhi's in response to mine...

And then my phone rang...

Me: This is Lindsay.

Caller: Hi, I'm calling from Sukhi's.  We just received your email and voicemail.  

Me: Ack!  And I just received word that the object I found in my food is actually a soy nugget!  I am so embarrassed!  My most sincere apologies!

Caller: No worries (laughs).  Do you still have the object in question, by chance?

Me: Yes, I do.  Well, hold on, let me pull it out of the trash...

Caller: Great!  Please provide us your address.  We are going to send you a special packet that we'd like for you to place the sample and resend to us.  We're going to have our lab investigate.  

Me: Are you sure?  I mean, I totally believe y'all that it's a soy nugget.  It just looks and feels so much like meat!

Caller: Yes, I'm 100% sure.  

#ooops #dramaqueen #itlookedlikemeat #imblushing

Could Sukhi's have been any more graceful?  Seriously, they could have taken to Twitter and been super defensive in response to my rant.  But, instead, they took the high road.  What a classy company!  #customerforlife

...

Forever humbled, 

Lindsay, Beverly Hills Bites