TACO......WHAT THE HELL?

Taco Bell never had a reputation of sticking around long in your stomachs and by the looks of this viral photo, we might have a reason why that is. This photo of an unidentified Taco Bell employee licking a stack of hard taco shells is spreading across the Internet faster than you can Chalupa after eating Taco Bell. I have to admit this makes me sick to my stomach. Thank God, I haven't eaten Taco Bell in over ten years. Even if this photo was taken as a joke, this kid definitely has his tongue on those shells. What's next? A McDonald's employee wiping his ass with a Big Mac bun?

Anyway, Facebook user JJ O'Brien posted this image on Taco Bell's official Facebook page with the following comment: "This sure says a lot about your employees, food treatment and what they post on the Internet." The photo has fast food lovers wondering if saliva might be one of the ingredients in the mysterious 7-Layer Burrito. Hundreds of viewers blasted the Bell for appearing to fall short of health standards. 

Rob Poetsch, a Taco Bell spokesman, claims that the taco shells were never served to customers and that they were used for training purposes only and was in the process of being thrown out, however, two employees took and posted this photo on their personal pages against company policy. Um, sounds to me like someone is doing the backpedal shuffle. Don't get me wrong, Poetsch's excuse is believable and could be absolutely true, but this photo does NOT look good for your company. Taco Bell is tried to tone down the disgust by posting their own comment to the Facebook photo affirming its commitment to strict food handling procedures by saying, "We are conducting a full investigation and will be taking swift action against those involved." Still, many are unconvinced by the company's health claims or the public's revulsion. One Facebooker wrote: "You obviously aren't too worried about what you put into your body if you are eating Taco Bell in the first place."

I have to say that I believe Rob Poetsch when he says that this was taken during training their employees. I don't believe that an employee would actually do this in one of the actual shops, but then again, who knows? There are some sickos out there. If this guy works for one the Taco Bell shops, he shouldn't be too hard to find. So, their swift action really isn't too "swift" if they haven't found him yet. As for the health claims, dude, its fast food! Find me a clean fast food joint and I'll find you a purple elephant! I don't eat Taco Bell anymore, but I do remember that it was a better laxative than Ex-Lax. Seeing this photo confirms that I will never eat Taco Bell ever again in this lifetime. In fact, I may never eat fast food again after seeing this.