"Disgusting and revolting, everyone vomited"... Rat leg found in soup at US restaurant

Rat leg in soup (Photo by New York Post)

A controversy has arisen over claims that a 'rat leg' was found in food at an Italian restaurant in the United States. The man who ate the food filed a lawsuit for damages, saying, "I can no longer eat meat."

According to the New York Post on the 23rd (local time), Thomas Hawi (54) claimed that while eating soup at Olive Garden in Detroit, Michigan, with friends last March, he found a rat leg with fur and claws in the soup.

Hawi said, "While eating the soup, I felt something prick my mouth and thought it was a needle, so I spat it out. After realizing what it was, I was so disgusted and grossed out that I vomited all the food I had eaten."

He immediately reported it to the police, and the responding officers reportedly also saw the rat leg in the soup.

Hawi claimed that he experienced nausea and diarrhea for several days afterward and suffered from anxiety and depression.

After this incident, Hawi said he could no longer eat meat and demanded $25,000 (33 million KRW) in damages from the restaurant.

However, the restaurant denies that a rat leg was in the soup.

An Olive Garden spokesperson said, "We see no reason to believe this claim is valid."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.