A Viral Reddit AITA Has Us Questioning The Safety Of Wedding Food

Fans of Reddit's r/AmItheA**hole know that things can get pretty wild in this particular subreddit. Recently they did just that in a post that has garnered over 11,000 upvotes. The post was titled "AITA For telling people not to eat the food at my sister's wedding?" Of course, this question is intriguing enough to get folks reading the poster's quandary, but the tale that follows stirred up some big questions about making food last and how to avoid food poisoning.

The story in question is not ultimately quite as gross or queasiness-inducing as it could have been based on its vague title, but it did prompt some interesting conversations, not only about wedding food but also about how food should be stored. Ultimately, folks were mostly in support of the poster who warned guests at her sister's wedding that the food might not be safe to eat. But, according to the poster herself, she received some backlash for her behavior, proving that folks aren't all in agreement about how leftovers should be stored.

In the post, the original poster explained that she and her husband had lots of extra food leftover from their wedding that they intended to donate to a food bank. Before they got a chance to donate the food, her mother had already taken it home. She wrote that she wasn't sure what her mother intended to do with the food until she saw it reheated at her sister's wedding. When confronted, her mother expressed pride and relief that they'd saved so much money on food, but the poster wasn't comfortable with the fact that the food had sat out at a buffet for so long before being frozen and then reheated for unsuspecting guests. When she told her sister, her sister was surprised to learn where her wedding food came from. As a result, the poster proceeded to spread the news around the wedding, warning the guests that the food's safety was in question. 

The poster explained receiving flack for warning others that the food might be unsafe and embarrassing her family, but plenty of folks in the comments argued that it was the right thing to do and that guests shouldn't be subjected to possible food poisoning just because some folks wanted to save money.

Most of us won't ever come across this Reddit post's specific situation in our lives, but there's one question that most of us do run into: How long can food sit out before it isn't safe to eat? The answer is actually quite simple and easy to remember.  At the most, perishable food should be left out at room temperature for two hours. Any longer, and bacteria can grow rapidly and make the food unsafe to eat. It's important to keep in mind that reheating the food won't destroy all types of bacteria, so you should always keep the two-hour rule in mind.

This rule isn't just helpful for when it's time to pack up your leftovers and put them in the fridge. It also applies to putting away perishable groceries and knowing whether something that was accidentally left out is safe to eat. As for the Reddit post that made us all wonder if you should warn folks who are about to unknowingly eat reheated food, the original poster actually did the right thing. It's safe to assume that the food was out way longer than two hours, and it's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to getting sick.