My friend and I were enjoying a peaceful dinner at a popular downtown restaurant where the atmosphere was perfect with warm lighting, soft music, and beautifully plated dishes.
She ordered a salad with avocado and quinoa that looked delicious, but as she was about to eat, she suddenly stopped and pointed to something unusual on her plate.
At first, we thought the tiny black specks were chia seeds or seasoning, but her expression quickly changed as she realized they were moving; upon closer look, we discovered they were insect eggs—small, translucent spheres with dark dots inside, wriggling slightly. Shock turned to panic immediately, and we called over the waiter, but fear had already taken hold.
Unsure of what kind of insects they were or whether we had ingested any, we decided to call an ambulance. My friend became visibly shaken, trembling from fear and nausea while the restaurant staff tried to calm us down, though the damage was done.
At the hospital, doctors ran tests, gave precautionary medication, and told us to monitor for symptoms. Fortunately, we were physically fine, but the emotional impact lingered. Later, the restaurant blamed a “technical error” and a problem with their supplier, but no explanation could undo what had happened. Since that night, whenever I see something resembling chia seeds, I get a sudden wave of panic because that experience destroyed more than just our dinner—it broke our trust completely.
