Update: 'I'd already spoken with HR': Fridge-raiding employee teams up with her dad to get back at coworker

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 20, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

It's lunchtime and you're starving, but when you open your office fridge, your lunch is gone. Now, your only choices are to go hungry, stop home, take some time to go out and buy food, or get it delivered to the office, which is expensive. Not only has your coworker inconvenienced you and stolen your property, but you probably won't find out who stole it, unless your office has cameras in the kitchen. 

This person, who shared their story to r/AmItheA**hole, wrote that they had a repeat offender who continually stole their grub from the office common area. Their meal sounds delicious — they had a homemade Thai food recipe with peanut sauce. If you've ever had peanut sauce, you know that it has a strong peanut smell. Somehow, that didn't stop a coworker from stealing the dish and eating it, even though she had a peanut allergy! In the update, the OP provided more information about how they handled the solution. Plus, in case you're hungry for the theft-worthy pad Thai, the OP dropped the recipe in an edit to the post. 

Next, check out a Karen story. 

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  • 01
    Output device - "" VORARA 'Lately my lunches have been disappearing....l was pretty sure it was one of the new hires...but had no proof Until now.' UPDATE W
    via Damir Kopezhanov on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - r/AmIthe As u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco 13 12 8 . Posted by AITA for sending my coworker into anaphylactic shock? 2 I'm at a loss here guys. Realistically, I know I'm in the clear. Legally, I'm in the clear. But I'm being vilified by my coworkers, and I'm genuinely considering quitting my job because of this mess.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 03
    Font - So I work a pretty standard day job, and at night I help my friend at her restaurant, which serves an assortment of Thai cuisine. Tbh I'm insanely picky, but I fell in love with this peanut sauce the main chef makes, and he showed me how to make it, so about once a week I take it on either noodles or stir fry to my day job for lunch. People know this and a handful have tried it. It smells nutty, it tastes nutty. It's white girl pad Thai, basically.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 04
    Font - Lately my lunches have been disappearing, or I'll open my lunchbox to find half of my food missing. I've tried addressing it, but nothing has been changing, and I was pretty sure it was one of the new hires that was doing it, but had no proof. Until now.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 05
    Font - Thursday I took my noodles, and my entire tupperware was missing, which hasn't happened before. I'm ped, but what can I do? A coworker shared her pizza with me and that was that, until today. My boss confronted me and accused me of poisoning my noodles because his daughter (one of the new girls) "borrowed" my lunch and had to be hospitalized. Turns out she's severely allergic to nuts, ate some and boom. Anaphylaxis.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 06
    Font - She used an epi pen, had to be hospitalized and now her dad is trying to hold me accountable for her bills and condition, but I don't see it. Why should I pay? I don't mark my food as an allergen because I'm not allergic to it, she was just dumb enough to steal from me and eat something she can't have.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 07
    Font - But he's being hateful, and some of my older coworkers are icing me out because I warned him I'd report any harassment to HR if he tried anything funny. Brown nosers, I guess. My friend is aware and offered me a full time job, but I just can't help but feel it's unfair. At the same time, I could have k led his daughter tho... So, AITA?
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 08
    Font - Edit: holy sbs this blew up! I did email the HR rep and let her know of the situation. She's been on vacation and gets back tomorrow, so I don't know if she's aware of what's been going on since last week. I should note that I work weekends most weeks, not quite a 8-5 M-F job, but yeah.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 09
    Font - My coworkers mostly chilled out by the end of my shift, thankfully, after I explained to the (nosiest) friendlier person that I always bring a peanut sauce dish. I guess the general assumption was that I somehow found out who has been stealing lunches and decided to poison them?
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 10
    Font - To answer a common question: this was the first time my pad thai was stolen, and no I'm not the only victim of the lunch thief. I usually take a late lunch, and I'm not the only one, so I'm guessing the lady who was stealing food decided what was left is a free for all. F her. My boss said it was an HR issue when I'd tried talking to him about lunches disappearing, and HR always said they'd look into it (or further into it) and nothing ever happened. We're 100% not allowed to eat at our d
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 11
    Font - I'm assuming she's fine, but I don't know the severity of her allergy or how much she ate before she had her reaction. I'm not privy to her medical information, sorry guys.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 12
    Font - Suing.... Sounds like a great revenge, but probably not worth the cost of a lawyer. My friend let me take tonight off to just bl about everything, and I'm probably going to take her job offer. One commenter was right; even if everything settles down, I don't want to deal with a potentially hostile or reactive workplace like this anymore. It's not a career with much room for upward mobility, and I didn't feel welcome in our group meeting today.
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 13

    Here's the recipe!

    Font - Edit: the recipe 2 tbsp red curry paste 3/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tbsp cider vinegar 3/4 cup of water 12 oz of coconut milk I cook it on med-low heat and add more water if it seems too thick. And use regular coconut milk!! The low fat isn't as good imo
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 14
    Font - r/AmItheAs u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco · Posted by S2 UPDATE UPDATE: AITA for sending my coworker into anaphylactic shock? Sorry it took so long to update!! By the time my post was approved, I was busy again!
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 15
    Font - Let's get right to it. Coworker is perfectly fine, she didn't go into shock. She approached me when she got back to work and apologized for stealing my food, and explained she's supposed to be on a diet for medical reasons, but at work she isn't being monitored by her parents, so she's been stealing from some of us. The day of the initial problem, she broke out into hives pretty quickly when she opened my container and had to go home. Not the ER, and she didn't use an EpiPen, like her dad
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 16
    Font - My ex-boss was angry and scared because she had put herself in harm's way because she doesn't like her food being restricted. I didn't ask, but she's a pretty big girl, and some of the things she said makes me wonder if she has an ED. Regardless, her dad lashed out and wanted to scare me for bringing a dish with nuts in it that resulted in his daughter getting sick. My old workplace didn't have any rules about food restrictions, like no nuts or shellfish, outside of company potlucks (whic
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 17
    Font - Her dad did eventually apologize to me, but I was pretty fed up at that point and I'd already spoken with HR about him. He was suspended, but I ended up quitting (decent severance package so I wouldn't take the legal route), and then I went to work for my friend a bit! Those of you who do that all day, every day, you have my respect. The kitchen was too fast-paced for me, and I'm not much of a waitress either, but fortunately I only had to do that for a week before I found a different job
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 18
    Font - Small TownAttorney A: Enthusiast [8] I am glad things worked out in the end and that she told the truth and apologized. Hopefully she set the record straight with your former co-workers and they learned a lesson from all this.
    via u/Small TownAttorney
  • 19
    Font - aabbccbb Aficionado [10] I hope you use the settlement to buy yourself some nice, new tupperware! As Glad things worked out for you. What a nutty situation the whole thing was, lol.
    via u/aabbccbb
  • 20
    Font - maccrogenoff Wow, in the original post you said that your coworker wanted you to pay for his daughter's nonexistent medical bills. He was trying to steal from you.
    via u/maccrogenoff
  • 21
    Font - MintJulepTestosteron Parta: ipant [1] I want to hear more about dad's apology. Was it grudging or was he sincere?
    via u/MintJulepTestosteron
  • 22
    Font - Peanut Sauce_Fiasco OP Bit of both? Like he apologized because it was necessary, but hated doing it. It did sound sincere at one point, but it was immediately followed by an excuse. His daughter did something similar too
    via u/Peanut_Sauce_Fiasco
  • 23
    Font - M granitebasket Parta pant [1] Hopefully this is the end of lunch thefts for you, but for anyone facing lunch theft: there's a slightly infamous letter from Ask A Manager where the OPs boss shamelessly stole her lunch all the time. The solution was to buy a small lockable box like a petty cash box and put the lunch tupperware in there. So then he started stealing from other members of the team and pretty soon the whole team had their lunches in lockboxes. Which was then pretty funny when
    via u/granitebasket
  • 24
    Font - Weird-Roll6265 You didn't send her into anaphylactic shock, she did. Nobody should be stealing food at work, but when your allergies are life-threatening it's a game of roulette you're eventually going to lose. ΝΤΑ
    via u/Weird-Roll6265
  • 25
    Mammal - Scared Profit564 Glad you found a new job, that was some weird Idrama to get stuck in a
    via u/Scared_Profit564

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