And then… they moved. Yes, these ‘seeds’ weren’t lying still. On closer inspection, they turned out to be translucent, like little bubbles with a dark dot inside. Insect eggs?! To be precise, eggs of a very rare species of bed bug. Our blood froze. It was one of those surreal moments when everything seemed unreal, except for our instinct that screamed: “This isn’t right.”
The staff arrived immediately when we called them. They turned pale too. The signs were removed right away. The explanations followed in rapid succession: “storage problem”, “questionable product from the supplier”, “an isolated incident”. But by then, no one was listening to us anymore. We just wanted to leave. And as quickly as possible.
Emergencies, precautions and delayed stress
To be continued on the next page.
To the emergency room. Not because of acute pain, but as a precaution. The doctors reassured us: examinations, check-ups, preventive care. There is nothing to worry about now. But the fear doesn’t just disappear. It is not so much the fear that we have swallowed something suspicious that is bothering us, but rather the feeling that what should have been a moment of joy has let us down.
Naturally, we reported the incident to the health authorities. The restaurant tried to handle the situation diplomatically, but the damage had already been done. The word ‘salad’ has become synonymous with fear. And chia seeds? That is now being closely monitored.
What have we learned from this experience?
Yes, this story might seem extreme, but it reminded us of something important: our diet deserves our full attention. Without panicking, there are a few simple steps we can take to make a difference:
