The most disgusting thing I have ever had show up unexpectedly in my food---that I know of--was a very long black hair. I thought that was bad enough. This is truly disgusting. I can not believe you didn't throw up. Also can't believe the place didn't comp the whole deal. Bet they wish they had now :)

Liz,

That story is so harrowing! Had I been in a similar situation, I would have experienced a panic attack big time. And definitely vomited. I, too, often have vivid dreams that include cockroaches and other vermin.

God knows how many horrible things are in foods we eat each day. I often think of that when having fast food. After all it has all the ingredients (sorry, bad pun) for disaster - quick turnaround times and teens who hate working there. And that AP story last week about the fast food worker who bathed in his work sink illustrates my point.

I think you're being way too nice about this, Liz. At the VERY minimum, your entire meal should have been comped. And the owner/manager should have offered a heartfelt apology with coupons for free meals out the wazoo. Maybe a call to the Board of Health is in order?

I tend not to be vindictive, but as you mention this may have happened/will happen to other patrons. It is unacceptible.

Dennis

I live 1 block from la lupe and it is my go-to mexican food joint. Thank you for ruining it for me... ignorance is bliss...

im sorry you got roached up, that sucks big time. But it sucks that i cant eat there anymore now... sigh.. *cries a little bit*

OMG. I would be traumatized for weeks!

I probably wouldn't have eaten there though. I'm neurotic enough to judge the quality of the food by the grammar on the menu and or signage. "Taco's" and "Burrito's"? Not for me!

I'm not entirely surprised, but it is indeed shocking. See, I am 64, I was in the 8th grade sometime around 1957 or '58, and I recall picking up a copy of a schmata called Confidential (I don't know why I bothered, it wasn't even a stroke book), and there was big revelation about how the FDA allowed some percentage of insect parts and shit into the food you get in a restaurant. Caveat emptor? Many years later, my younger son who extolled Boston Market, than had a friend who worked there. He called me up one night and said "Dad, don't EVER eat in Boston Market, never never never!" "Why, what's in the food?" "I can't tell you, it's just really fucked up!" Caveat emptor again? I'm just not overly surprised anymore when restaurants--fast food or real food--serve stuff filled with extraneous crap. It's a symbol of plain carelessness and treating customers like a dogpile. It could also be that enough customers have treated the "help" like dogpiles so there's a deep-level war going on. Paranoid? Me?

is this the mexican place by the italian market?

what's more disturbing are the unnecessary apostrophes for tacos and burritos. that's sure to give me nightmares.

I really wish you would have kept this to yourself.

I LOVE THAT PLACE!!!

Now where am I going to get Steak and Chorizo tacos!!!

But thanks anyway for the warning... I have always found the folks who run the place very pleasant and helpful... I wonder if the language barriers prevented them from doing the right thing and apologizing officially.

There is no way that you should have paid for your entire meal either.

"Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, Chilaquiles & Cucarachas!"

Honestly, I don't know how you kept from throwing up! I can laugh about it now but I had an incident at a Denney's in Portland, OR that DID cause me to toss it all up.

I was about half way through a pastrami sandwich when I noticed a green tinge to a section of the bread. I realized it was mold and immediately recognized I probably already ate some of it. (I have a rather low gag threshold.) My reaction caused a chain-reaction with one person at my table and another person at an adjacent table. (Cracks me up now when I think about it!)

The waitress and management were VERY apologetic and comp'ed the whole tables bill.

Honestly Liz, a rouch, how did you NOT lose it?!?

I haven't ever been back to a Lone Star Steak House since the times years ago when a swarm of ants crawled from off the floor onto our table -- WITH OUR FOOD ON IT -- almost turning the table black.

"So, it's a few ants, hon," said the clueless waitress (it was near Baltimore).

And I had to argue like hell with the manager to get our meal comped. Not that we ate any of it ...

No extra charge for the roach and keep it quiet, everyone will want it one.

BTW, was it doing the backstroke?

OMG! Roaches freak me out! I've had a few bad restaurant experiences. One time I bought a baked potato from Wendy's and of course after I had eaten most of it, I found a dead bug under the potato! I can't ever eat at Wendy's again! Fast forward a year or so and I bought a chicken wrap type thing from KFC, because really, that place scares me anyway, but my parents like to go there. Anyway, I take one bite out of the wrap, look down at the thing and notice something sticking out of it! It turns out it was a ballpoint pen! I totally freaked out! It isn't like it was a bug, but for some reason finding a pen in my food was really disturbing. Another time we were in Vegas at Circus Circus having dinner or lunch and suddenly there was a commotion at a table across the room from ours. I looked over and the person at the table was pulling a syringe out of the seat where he had just sat down!!! I think he actually got stuck with it! Can you say "Hello HIV tests for the next two years?!?" Frightening!!! Still, I manage to go out to eat. I don't know how. I have to put the grossness out of my head and hope nothing happens. I'm sorry for your cockroach! Shudder!