Rats and rice

[glen]

Love jasmine rice. I normally have a large bag of it, but lately I had been picking up small bags at the local store. The price there ends up being about $7 per pound. Can't take those prices any more so, I finally make the journey out to the Asia store, and buy a 25 pound bag for $25. Woo hoo! When I lifted the bag off of the pallet, my friend noticed a rat running behind the pallets of rice. Is that normal?

 

[Bateluer]

No.

 

[lxskllr]

It can be expected. Rats and roaches follow food, so any place that deals in food has rats and roaches. Some deal with them better than others.

 

[SKORPI0]

I get my Jasmine rice from Costco, $15 for a 25 lb. bag. Store in a can big enough to hold it. And yes mice like any source of food, rice being one of them.

 

[SagaLore]

Love jasmine rice. I normally have a large bag of it, but lately I had been picking up small bags at the local store. The price there ends up being about $7 per pound. Can't take those prices any more so, I finally make the journey out to the Asia store, and buy a 25 pound bag for $25. Woo hoo! When I lifted the bag off of the pallet, my friend noticed a rat running behind the pallets of rice. Is that normal?

Yes, very normal. There have been shortages in air conditioners due to the popularity of central cooling, so they have turned to the next best thing which is obviously alternator sized bags of jasmine rice.

 

[Perknose]

It can be expected. Rats and roaches follow food, so any place that deals in food has rats and roaches. Some deal with them better than others.

Mom and Pop store, lower rent location, bulk food = vermin.

 

[Anonemous]

Make sure to freeze it to zap any bugs/embryos from hatching.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's what you get for going to a cheap asian store. The premium price you pay for the other is because it's undergone various quality control and there are regulations followed for the operating of the store. The chance of pests is very minimal.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

That's what you get for going to a cheap asian store. The premium price you pay for the other is because it's undergone various quality control and there are regulations followed for the operating of the store.

False; the premium you pay is because at very small quantities of very inexpensive items the majority of the cost of the item is in transaction costs.

 

[Red Squirrel]

False; the premium you pay is because at very small quantities of very inexpensive items the majority of the cost of the item is in transaction costs.

That too, but the majority of the cost is the fact that it had to under go inspection and be approved by health officials to be sold as consumable food in a grocery store. Not to mention the transportation by reefer etc. The whole process is much more clean, but costs more. What you get in some back alley from some dirty asian dude in the back of an old truck is pretty much a mystery and has not gotten any inspections or anything. The fact that there are rats kinda points out the dirty conditions that this food is in.

 

[sdifox]

That too, but the majority of the cost is the fact that it had to under go inspection and be approved by health officials to be sold as consumable food in a grocery store. Not to mention the transportation by reefer etc. The whole process is much more clean, but costs more. What you get in some back alley from some dirty asian dude in the back of an old truck is pretty much a mystery and has not gotten any inspections or anything. The fact that there are rats kinda points out the dirty conditions that this food is in.

err, the rice you buy at the smaller store and the asian store is the same rice...except he was probably buying it in a convenience store. Thus the premium.

True story, I worked at a rice packing place for 1 day. We had to break a 20kg bag into 2 10kg bags (back when 10kg was the standard bag size.

We open a 20kg bag and fill 2 10kg bags. The bags are different brands.

I think I processed 2 skids that day.


Any place where there is food piles there is mice. The difference is how much pest control you are paying for.

I don't know where op is but 25lb rice for 25 bux is very expensive.

 

[glen]

I don't know where op is but 25lb rice for 25 bux is very expensive.

It is. I can get it for less at Costco, but I did not want to drive over there. $1 per pound is so much less than $7 per pound, I was OK with it. The store I went to was a pretty large Asian store the size of a normal grocery store. There were probably 20 pallets of rice along the left wall and the rat was running along behind the pallets.

 

[surfsatwerk]

It is. I can get it for less at Costco, but I did not want to drive over there. $1 per pound is so much less than $7 per pound, I was OK with it. The store I went to was a pretty large Asian store the size of a normal grocery store. There were probably 20 pallets of rice along the left wall and the rat was running along behind the pallets.

Was it a rat or a mouse, describe the offending critter.

 

[glen]

Was it a rat or a mouse, describe the offending critter.

I did not get a good look. My friend said rat. I don't know if he said that because of contextual or zoological cues.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I did not get a good look. My friend said rat. I don't know if he said that because of contextual or zoological cues.

Lots of people call mice "rats". A common field mouse will frequently find it's way into buildings and doesn't necessarily indicate poor sanitation.

 

[glen]

Lots of people call mice "rats". A common field mouse will frequently find it's way into buildings and doesn't necessarily indicate poor sanitation.

Are we now distinguishing between the health dangers of rats and mice? I know we consider mice pets, and rats vermin, but at least as carriers, are they not both equally efficient disease vector?

 

[Texashiker]

Mice and men have been together for thousands of years.

You moved a pallet and saw a mouse, so what?

Are we now distinguishing between the health dangers of rats and mice? I know we consider mice pets, and rats vermin, but at least as carriers, are they not both equally efficient disease vector?

Rats are like 3 - 4X larger then mice.

Mice = maybe 4 - 5 inches long (tail included)

Rats = maybe a 12 to 15 inches long (tail included).

 

[glen]

Mice and men have been together for thousands of years.

You moved a pallet and saw a mouse, so what?

I actually am not bothered. But, I realize that many would be. I am really speculating that different cultures will perceive it as almost benign to alarming.

Rats are like 3 - 4X larger then mice.

Mice = maybe 4 - 5 inches long (tail included)

Rats = maybe a 12 to 15 inches long (tail included).

I know that. I was wondering if maybe rats for some reason are better or more likely to carry disease.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I know that. I was wondering if maybe rats for some reason are better or more likely to carry disease.

Plague!

 

[Texashiker]

I know that. I was wondering if maybe rats for some reason are better or more likely to carry disease.

I would imagine both can carry the same diseases. Rats and mice are both warm blooded mammals.

I think rats still carry the bad rap for spreading the bubonic plague, and rats are a darker color then mice.

We usually associate colors with good and evil. Light colors being good, and darker colors being bad, or evil.

If a black cat walks in front of you, its bad luck. If a white cat walks in front of you, so what. How many witches are portrayed with white cats? Black cats, black rats, witches, Halloween,,,.

I think its the black rats color, our association of black and evil, and carrying the blame for spreading the plague is why rats have a stigma.

 

[glen]

I would imagine both can carry the same diseases. Rats and mice are both warm blooded mammals.

I think rats still carry the bad rap for spreading the bubonic plague, and rats are a darker color then mice.

We usually associate colors with good and evil. Light colors being good, and darker colors being bad, or evil.

If a black cat walks in front of you, its bad luck. If a white cat walks in front of you, so what. How many witches are portrayed with white cats? Black cats, black rats, witches, Halloween,,,.

I think its the black rats color, our association of black and evil, and carrying the blame for spreading the plague is why rats have a stigma.

I agree. I cannot think of a way that rats could fundamentally be more dangerous than mice as far as there likelihood of carrying a disease. Of course, a larger animal is probably more dangerous in a frontal assault.

 

[D1gger]

We also buy the big bulk sacks of rice, but always separate it into plastic buckets with sealed lids. Rodents and insects will infest your rice if you just leave it in the bag.

 

[dank69]

I agree. I cannot think of a way that rats could fundamentally be more dangerous than mice as far as there likelihood of carrying a disease. Of course, a larger animal is probably more dangerous in a frontal assault.

Mice have furry tails and rats have bald tails. Therefore, mice = cute and rats = diseased.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I agree. I cannot think of a way that rats could fundamentally be more dangerous than mice as far as there likelihood of carrying a disease. Of course, a larger animal is probably more dangerous in a frontal assault.

Well not all place have a lot of rats running around. I get mice in my basement from time to time, but if I saw a rat running around then I would be a bit more concerned.

 

[Capt Caveman]

That too, but the majority of the cost is the fact that it had to under go inspection and be approved by health officials to be sold as consumable food in a grocery store. Not to mention the transportation by reefer etc. The whole process is much more clean, but costs more. What you get in some back alley from some dirty asian dude in the back of an old truck is pretty much a mystery and has not gotten any inspections or anything. The fact that there are rats kinda points out the dirty conditions that this food is in.

/facepalm

Incorrect. You think an Asian food store doesn't get health inspections?