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Should grapes be banned?

stickywicketstickywicket Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭
edited 16. Oct 2015, 10:54 in Community Chit-chat archive
I've just read that, following the death of a toddler, who choked on a grape in their restaurant, a Pizza Hut in Hartlepool has taken grapes off their menu.

As a mother and grandmother my heart goes out to the poor parents of the little lad and, as someone who has almost choked on several occasions owing to neck and oesophageal problems, I know it's nasty and scary for all concerned.

But...

...for the Pizza Hut to take grapes off the menu :? :o

All foods are capable of causing choking.

Pizza has probably caused more deaths than grapes.

Is this – no pun intended – overkill or am I utterly insensitive?
“There is always a well-known solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong.” H.L. Mencken

Comments

  • barbara12barbara12 Posts: 20,901 ✭✭
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Totally agree...my middle GD choked on a piece of cheese.thankfully she recovered...it is very sad..but it wouldn't make sense to ban them..
    Love
    Barbara
  • theresaktheresak Posts: 1,998
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I just can't see how you can ban every item of food on which a child may choke. It's very sad, of course, and I worried whenever grapes were eaten by my grandsons when they were a lot younger.

    My oldest grandson almost choked on spaghetti about three years ago in an Italian restaurant. The staff stood around panicking while our daughter-in-law dealt with him.
  • SloshSlosh Posts: 3,194 ✭
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Of course not, however we ban them from a couple of classes at school but for the very good reason that one of our pupils is severely allergic to them, and as not only does he love them but is severely autistic it causes a lot of problems if he sees them. That is a very different case. I did see a sensible suggestion on FB that they are cut in half if people are really concerned and especially for young children.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • GraceBGraceB Posts: 1,598 ✭
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I think it's over the top as well.

    I've also heard the "cut them in half" suggestion. As others have said, you can choke on anything, it doesn't have to be grapes.

    Still devastating for the parents though. And so sad.

    GraceB
    Turn a negative into a positive!
  • bubbadogbubbadog Posts: 5,852
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I do agree that they shouldn't be banned and think if Pizza hut did cut the grapes in half it would be better. But as a lot of you have said you can choke on a lot of foods. I sometimes get one of my meds stuck in my throat and have to guzzle a lot of water to get it down. Adults as well as kids can get food stuck in there throat.
  • frogmortonfrogmorton Posts: 26,177 ✭✭✭
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    They shouldn't be banned no, but my biggest problem in pizza-h*t is that the salad is situated perfectly at child's height and unsupervised children sneezing all over it...which I have witnessed....gross ;)

    Seriously I have 'saved' Charley, (spaghetti), and a service user, (sausage) so anything is a potential choking hazard.

    About 2 months ago my husband 'saved' me!! a chip! :oops:

    I still feel a huge wave of fear when I thought no-one could help :(

    Maybe more of us ought to be trained in first aid??

    Love

    Toni xxx
    Love

    Toni xxx
  • tkachevtkachev Posts: 8,332
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    A similar case happened when a child, being wheeled in a trolley in a supermarket choked on a grape the mother had given them. Parents do need to be aware.

    My Daughter choked on mozarella in a pizza shop. Thankfully her Dad came to the rescue but it was a frightening experience. I now worry if the kids eat pizza and never buy the mozarella cheese ones at all.

    Elizabeth x
    Never be bullied into silence.
    Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
    Accept no ones definition of your life

    Define yourself........

    Harvey Fierstein
  • migmig Posts: 7,150 ✭
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Has the world gone mad,you could choke on your own spit.Mig

    My sincere sympathies to the parents for their tragic loss.
  • villiervillier Posts: 4,426
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Definitely not, as everyone says you can choke on anything. Condolences to the parents it must have been a horrific and traumatic time for them xx
    Smile a while and while you smile
    smile another smile and soon there
    will be miles and miles of smiles
    just because you smiled I wish your
    day is full of Smiles
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