Can I eat this?!?

[Scalded Dog]

So, for now, these dark days, I am a cubicle jockey. For those of you who have never cubicle- jockeyed before, yes... it IS hell, as you suspected.

Anyway, a staple for survival in this weak, fluorescent- light bathed world of phones and computers and TPS reports, is a drawer full of condiment packages that have sort of been pilfered from fast food establishments. After a meal, when there are a few packages of catsup or hot sauce or mustard or whatever left over, they get thrown into a drawer, in order to use them some other time, when the condiments are forgotten, or to try to enhance some other food.

(Bonus comment for the day, from a kid I know who is in college: "I recently learned that if you take Top Ramen, and mix it with Taco Bell hot sauce, it tastes just like poverty!")

So, now I have a drawerful of these condiment packages. I have not rotated the stock as a good grocery clerk would have, so I have no idea when I acquired any of these: Some might be a week old, some might be as old as my high school kids are. I've been able to find lists online telling me how long various condiments SHOULD be good for... but since I have no idea how long I've had them--- or how old they might have been when I got them!--- those lists don't help me.

I do see that most--- well, many--- of the little packages have some sort of code stamped on them... perhaps a manufacturing or expiration date? I pulled a stack of packs out from my drawer, and found a number of of them--- from different restaurants (Taco Bell, Arby's, Del Taco, etc.) ---that have a "CW" followed by various short numbers. But, not all restaurants or manufacturers seem to have "CW" stamps... some have "CK"s or long strings of numbers or "AN"s or even just single digits.

(I have noticed that small bags of chips will often have expiration dates that are essentially utterly worthless. They will read month/ day... but no year. The chips might expire on May 15... but that could be of the next year, or maybe they quit being edible back in 1993. No way to tell, other than attempting to consume them: If you die, the year was probably long passed.)

So... anybody know how to tell if my condiment packages are good to eat... or am I better off lining them up end to end in front of somebody's tire, for a great mess of goo squirtage?

[JantzenOKC]

I like to twist them up and throw them on the ground like condiment bombs!

But I think as long as they smell like they should, you'll be fine. I've eaten some pretty old taco bell and ketchup packets and I'm still here.

[sherob]

If they aren't powder...

[MrChrisLS3]

Don't worry, you'll expire before they do. Heck, those things will survive armageddon.

[hrpiii]

Since they are "collected" over time. Trash them and start a "fresh" collection. You won't starve by missing a condiment packet for a meal or two.

The risk is higher than the reward. Look at your TPS report, it will not met ROI requirements.

[ZED SLED]

Identify the most OCD person in your office and see if they have a condiment drawer. If so, then swap out your condiments for theirs.

[Ragnar]

The only time I don't eat the ketchup packs, is when I open the packet and it appears to be firm or a dark brown color. I just found one in the bottom of my drawer. I'll put this 5CW on some tater chips, still taste good to me.

Just found a parmesan cheese packet, date 5/8/14, ok this has to go!

edit: Hang on now, according to the graph from sherob, I still have 7 months. Put it back in my drawer, maybe I'll order a pizza soon!

[BMR Sales]

Waste not, want not!

[el ess A]

Do not go off of the 4 year rule on Tabasco sauce. A fresh sauce pack will not be "bulged" like a fermenting sauce. You can tell the difference. It'll likely still be ok when bulged, but if the sauce is NOT reddish/orange, it's too old. I got hold of some very old Tabasco sauce at Chick-fil-A that I believe may have been stuck in the bottom of the container for about 100 years and didn't check it first. NASTY!

[sherob]

/off topic

Do yourself a flavor... get yourself some Cajun Chef hot sauce... it is so much better than Tabasco sauce.

/on topic

[Jay_LHD3]

The stamp you see is most likely just the lot information or manufacture order number used for recall purposes. From the lot number the manufacturer can trace it back to the date, plant, shift, line, batch, etc... After which they know all the ingredients and packaging that went into making you that condiment pack!

[Iron Lung Jimmy]

Eat them... no guts, no glory.

About a year or so ago I found a Power Bar in an old bicycle jersey in my closet. Expired in 2002. We used to joke that those things would probably last forever in that foil so I decided to test the theory. It actually tasted fine. (Well, as fine as they can taste anyway).

Of course Power Bars contain no trace of real food whereas packaged condiments may contain a hint of a naturally occurring substance... so therefore be theoretically capable of spoilage.

[DDoug]

WTF is "taco bell sauce" anyway?

It tastes like ass and gets hotter based on ... what exactly? The plastic packaging?

If you're trying to enhance the flavor of anything with that diaper diarrhea your taste buds are seriously screwed up.

As for the cube farm, just, no. I did it for a year to get off a bum foot and let it heal properly. I nearly died of boredom. I was busy all day, yet, I went back to my old job a couple months ago and my cube job still has not been filled. Proof positive the 40+ hours a week I spent shuffling papers was/is unnecessary and had no real bearing on company success.

[ssrs2lt]

Do it ! It will only make you stronger