Have you ever eaten anything out of a cache?

[+ipodguy]

I was reading the forum and I see lots of posts and topics about people finding candy or chocolate in caches and the problems it creates.

 

Once in a while, I'll see some sort of foodstuff in a cache and think, "Who would really eat something they found in a cache?"

 

So, fess up! Have you ever eaten something you found in a cache?

[Inway2deepnow]

Fortunately I have never been that hungry.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I've found a few thousand caches in 28 states but never saw food in any of them. No, I wouldn't eat it if I did.

[+thedeadpirate]

Fortunately I have never been that hungry.

 

Ditto!

[+bittsen]

I have and it was good!

[+ipodguy]

Fortunately I have never been that hungry.

[+J the Goat]

I licked a frog I saw near a cache one time. I'm still not quite right...

[+BlueDeuce]

I had a kinda similar discussion a long while back, people were willing to leave/use sealed water packs in remote locations.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Only when I yet have to kill it first!

[Inway2deepnow]

I licked a frog I saw near a cache one time. I'm still not quite right...

 

I think that it could be argued that you weren't quite right to begin with.

[knowschad]

Only a hamster.

[4wheelin_fool]

The very first cache hidden in Italy contained a tin of butter cookies. I don't think anyone ate any though. However, I wonder if it was inspired by the original can of beans.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Only a hamster.

I do hope you killed it first.

[+Vater_Araignee]

If I ever ate something out of a cache it would only take me about 5 seconds of thought before I make it so the blind can find the cache by smell.

[+geodarts]

So, fess up! Have you ever eaten something you found in a cache?

 

I found a gift cerificate for a local bakery in a cache and ate that indirectly. But I have never been tempted by the more direct kind of food, any more than I would chew gum stuck to the underside of an object where a cache is hidden, eat the chips dropped near a cache location (after fighting the birds for it), or take the road kill found next to a cache home to cook. Life is too short to make it shorter.

[+simpjkee]

I have found hard candies or those cheap individually wrapped mints, but have always removed and tossed them. I have not eaten one, but I doubt they'd make me sick or anything.

[+bittsen]

I have found hard candies or those cheap individually wrapped mints, but have always removed and tossed them. I have not eaten one, but I doubt they'd make me sick or anything.

HA!!

 

That's what I ate out of a cache. An individually wrapped dinner mint.

It was refreshing.

 

The cacher I was with that day ate one too.

 

And we are both still alive but she did get the flu a couple months later...

[aniyn]

I once took an instant Starbucks coffee mix out of a cache. I haven't used it yet, but I will one day (camping season is finally here!)

[+AcousticNut]

I found a cache with a 5-hour energy stashed in it a few weeks ago. I was feeling a little groggy that day, so....... (gulp).

[+power69]

yes, well technically yes because i bought coffee with a money ftf prize i got from cache.

[+Chokecherry]

I found a cache that had a can of coke zero in it and various mini candy bars. I cleaned out as best I could. I didn't have a bag to take the trash out with but tried to at the very least dry out the can. The previous finder had left the "goodies" as he noted in his log (he didn't explicitly say he left food products but did say something sweet...).

 

Anyhow, I was so thirsty that day that I stood out in the woods holding this can of coke in my hand staring at it for a few minutes while I had the long inner dialog about should I or shouldn't it. Periodic glances into the wet cache container included in this decision. I don't drink caffeine but thought I could justify it because I was so thirsty right then. Finally I set the can down realized I could survive until the wayside rest cache not far down the road. I never even considered eating the nasty candy bars.

 

That was as close as I've come to ingesting something found in a cache. Made it to the wayside rest cache only to have a machine not take my dollar... luckily the next machine over did.

[+42at42]

I once took an instant Starbucks coffee mix out of a cache. I haven't used it yet, but I will one day (camping season is finally here!)

 

I've put a couple of these into my caches, don't know if they are still there.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I have found hard candies or those cheap individually wrapped mints, but have always removed and tossed them. I have not eaten one, but I doubt they'd make me sick or anything.

HA!!

 

That's what I ate out of a cache. An individually wrapped dinner mint.

It was refreshing.

 

The cacher I was with that day ate one too.

 

And we are both still alive but she did get the flu a couple months later...

See?

 

Seriously, like most of life there is no hard and fast answer. While I don't think that they belong in caches something like a can of Coke that is securely sealed and pretty much resistant to time, temperature and tampering wouldn't worry me. Pop the top and there is no fizz, then you've been warned.

 

The chance that something edible in a cache has been tampered with is extremely low; I wouldn't eat it more because of the high chance of spoilage or contamination.

[+Juan Durrer]

I'd sooner eat Headcheese from the dumpster behind Market Basket. Echhh. The very thought makes me queasy.

[+bluedoberman]

I have to admit I did place a piece of candy in a cache for FTF. It was a micro and an individually wrapped hard candy is about all that would fit. I would completely understand if the person just took it and tossed it. I probably would have. I was kind of hoping to see how long it stayed in the container. The FTF took it and enjoyed it.

[+Team Geo-Clarks]

I have and it was good!

Musta been a long day!

[+Team Geo-Clarks]

yes, well technically yes because i bought coffee with a money ftf prize i got from cache.

My lone FTF only had a buck, so I had half a cup.

[+bittsen]

I don't want to sound like a jerk or anything but humans have survived for a long time eating things far worse than a candy bar from a geocache.

Our bodies are designed to expel anything they can't handle and it's been proven that consuming some germs is beneficial to our health.

 

We have become so paranoid about germs that we won't pick up a cookie off of our own floor and eat it, implying the 5 second rule but seem to forget to wash our hands after putting on our shoes. Did we forget all the junk we ingested when we were babies? Find a cheerio under the fridge and in our mouth it would go.

Many cientists now believe that all the stuff babies put in their mouths is a survival instinct. Testing the germs in the environment builds immunities. The digestive tract is an amazing place with all kinds of bacteria thriving in the primordial soup of our gut. And all that bacteria isn't good for us?

 

It's fascinating how the desire to be healthy makes many people unhealthy. Germs are healthy for us. We MUST have germs.

 

I read above about the can of Coke found in a cache that wasn't consumed. I once found a can of root beer in a lake. It had been there a while and was pretty disgusting on the outside. It was even hard to tell it was root beer because the labeling had pretty much faded away from exposure. On a dare I drank it. And guess what? It was good and I'm still alive.

 

OK, end of rant.

[+bittsen]

I have and it was good!

Musta been a long day!

 

It really was but that's a different story.

[CoyoteRed]

So, fess up! Have you ever eaten something you found in a cache?

Yes, twice that I can remember off the top of my head.

 

One was out of a cache in a park where the assistant manager was an entomologist. He had recently placed a chocolate-covered cricket in a cache we then found. I ate it.

 

Another was a cache where I found a granola bar, the kind in a foil wrapper. I ate it.

 

In both cases, I inspected the packaging to check for a broken seal before eating. Had no problems what so ever.

 

Anyone who has a problem with eating things of questionable origin had better watch the inspection stickers where they eat out and closely watch the containers they purchase in the grocery store. Make sure you wash the tops of soda cans, too. You're placing a certain amount of trust in what you place in your mouth and where it comes from, yet refuse to trust what has been in a cache. You should question everything and have a healthy level of concern (not paranoia) for all of your sources.

 

Yes, I'll consider doing it again. I guess I'm just crazy that way.

[Mr.Yuck]

I once went out and found a cache while nursing a hangover. It was a big ol' 2001 placed .50 cal ammo box. Great cache, by the way. In it I found a bottle of Fruit Punch. I was thirsty, for obvious reasons, so I drank that sucker down. It really hit the spot, from what I remember.

[+buttaskotch]

No, and if I find a food item I take it out of the cache and dispose of it and note on log about the offending item

[+Chokecherry]

For me it's not about the germs, it's that I don't want to eat the stuff and thusly have my body reject it while traveling or caching. I've got limited time to do this and I don't want to screw up a good trip because I didn't have enough self control to not shove something questionable in my mouth.

[+DragonflyTotem]

I think that eating something out of a cache should be immediately preceded by shouting, "Hey, y'all, watch this!"

[Inway2deepnow]

I once took an instant Starbucks coffee mix out of a cache. I haven't used it yet, but I will one day (camping season is finally here!)

 

There are two things seriously wrong here that have nothing to do with geocaching. Starbucks and instant. Two words that should never be combined with coffee.

[+t4e]

only the bugs that tried feasting on the food items left in the cache

 

 

[+Harry Dolphin]

I read above about the can of Coke found in a cache that wasn't consumed. I once found a can of root beer in a lake. It had been there a while and was pretty disgusting on the outside. It was even hard to tell it was root beer because the labeling had pretty much faded away from exposure. On a dare I drank it. And guess what? It was good and I'm still alive.

 

How do we know this for sure?

[+bittsen]

I read above about the can of Coke found in a cache that wasn't consumed. I once found a can of root beer in a lake. It had been there a while and was pretty disgusting on the outside. It was even hard to tell it was root beer because the labeling had pretty much faded away from exposure. On a dare I drank it. And guess what? It was good and I'm still alive.

 

How do we know this for sure?

 

Which part?

[+Harry Dolphin]

I read above about the can of Coke found in a cache that wasn't consumed. I once found a can of root beer in a lake. It had been there a while and was pretty disgusting on the outside. It was even hard to tell it was root beer because the labeling had pretty much faded away from exposure. On a dare I drank it. And guess what? It was good and I'm still alive.

 

How do we know this for sure?

 

Which part?

 

That you are still alive.

[4wheelin_fool]

I ate a bunch of blueberries and raspberries. Since they were at ground zero, but not actually in the cache, does that count?

Edited June 7, 2010 by 4wheelin_fool

[+NatureGuy360]

Well, this thread is definitely giving me some ideas for my next fast food cache!

[sdarken]

I ate a bar of chocolate that I found in a cache. It tasted good and I didn't die.

[Andronicus]

We chewed a pack of gum we found in a cache located in the entrance to an abandond gold mine.

[Andronicus]

See?

 

Seriously, like most of life there is no hard and fast answer. While I don't think that they belong in caches something like a can of Coke that is securely sealed and pretty much resistant to time, temperature and tampering wouldn't worry me. Pop the top and there is no fizz, then you've been warned.

 

The chance that something edible in a cache has been tampered with is extremely low; I wouldn't eat it more because of the high chance of spoilage or contamination.

 

Are you crazzy. A can of coke will explode when frozen.

[+BulldogBlitz]

So, fess up! Have you ever eaten something you found in a cache?

 

would a nice brownie on top of a cache count?

[Dinoprophet]

We chewed a pack of gum we found in a cache located in the entrance to an abandond gold mine.

Someone I was caching with chewed some gum we found in a cache.

 

Bittsen and CR make good points. Most of us probably eat something several times a week that we wouldn't if we knew better.

Edited June 7, 2010 by Dinoprophet

[+The Stainless Steel Rat]

drank tea from a tea bag I found in a cache

still have some floss i found in a cache but Ive not used it yet

[+DragonsWest]

Never eaten any found in a cache.

 

Every time I find edibles in a cache I retrieve them and throw them away.

 

They are Geocaches, not cupboards.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

See?

 

Seriously, like most of life there is no hard and fast answer. While I don't think that they belong in caches something like a can of Coke that is securely sealed and pretty much resistant to time, temperature and tampering wouldn't worry me. Pop the top and there is no fizz, then you've been warned.

 

The chance that something edible in a cache has been tampered with is extremely low; I wouldn't eat it more because of the high chance of spoilage or contamination.

 

Are you crazzy. A can of coke will explode when frozen.

I might be crazzy, even crazy, if I suggested that Cokes are okay in caches. In fact I said the opposite.

[+Jennifer&Dean]

I've eaten hard candies and mints that were in wrappers in newer and clean caches. And a local cacher leaves PEZ dispensers in caches and we've shared the candies with friends after a long day of caching.

 

Worst thing I've ever found food-wise was when someone left a hard boiled egg in a cache on a sunny slope about 4 months before we were the next finders We backed away about 20 yards after opening the ammo can... just to recover our sense of smell. Then while Dean went back to the Jeep for some paper towels and cleaning supplies, I emptied out the cache and signed the logbook.

 

Luckily the egg had been in a ziplock baggie all by itself and hadn't actually managed to do anything but stink up the contents pretty badly. We trashed out everything but the logbook and put in some new goodies, then tied the trash bag to the outside of the Jeep for the drive back down the hill into town.

 

Found some other caches with food over the years, usually we trash it out and don't even think about considering it edible. But sometimes... the candy hits the spot.

J