Probably the last thing you expect to see when you come to the office is your coworker dressed as a cartoon shark. Once the shock wears off, the second to last thing you’d expect to see is someone actually stealing your food. What is this, grade school? We thought we were all better than this!

Situations like this one, as childish as they might sound, can lead to a lot of friction in the workplace. It’s difficult to get along with your coworkers and get good results when you have to worry about someone nabbing your food every day. (No, seriously, who does that?!) What hurts, even more, is learning that ‘the lunch looter’ is actually incredibly religious.

Redditor u/pervirgin_witch shared how their Muslim coworker kept stealing their lunch. They were 100% sure of this but had no hard evidence to present to human resources. Instead, they decided to enact some ‘petty revenge’ and give the colleague a shock. One day, instead of bringing food that is ‘halal’ (lawful and permitted to be eaten by those observing Islamic teachings), she brought in a pork sandwich which is ‘haram’ (forbidden). The result was so dramatic that HR had to get involved. Scroll down for the full story, Pandas. Let us know what you think about what happened, whether you agree with the act of revenge, and what you would’ve done differently.

Bored Panda reached out to u/pervirgin_witch who told us that it’s important to never take people’s stuff without their permission. “Truth is, I would’ve shared my lunch with my coworker if he had asked. In fact, at least in my country, it’s a common courtesy to share food by asking others if they’d like some. In my opinion, there’s no shame in asking others if they’re willing to share a bit of their food and most people would probably say yes. That said, it’s beyond rude to just take food that doesn’t belong to you.” Read on for the full interview, Pandas!

There are a ton of issues that can lead to friction at work. Something that few people expect but which happens far more often than it should is people stealing food

Image credits: Timur Weber (not the actual photo)

A person shared how they got their revenge on ‘the lunch looter,’ a very religious person, who kept taking their food in the office

Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)

Image credits: pervirgin_witch

In the OP’s opinion, their post resonated with so many people online because nobody likes individuals who take others’ lunch at work. “It seems to be a very prominent issue and I wasn’t aware of that, since this is my first time working at an office. The comments have been very interesting for the most part, supportive even. Although some people felt it necessary to ascribe political elements to the story, which I honestly do not understand,” the author of the post told Bored Panda.

Redditor u/pervirgin_witch shared with us that there haven’t been any other developments at work regarding their coworker. However, the OP said that they’ve started fasting, so they’re no longer bringing in any kind of lunch to work; they eat when they get back home.

“I don’t know if I could get along with “M”, as we’re both somewhat reclusive and the first impression we had of each other was quite negative. I genuinely wish him well, though,” the redditor said that they don’t hold any ill will. They revealed to Bored Panda that they’re “not a very social person” and that they keep 90% of their interactions at the office “strictly professional.”

“The remaining 10% is just the usual chit-chat you expect to have at work. Just be polite,” the OP shared their thoughts on how to get along with others in the workplace.

“The most professional and diplomatic thing to do would report the issue to management or HR,” they told Bored Panda what someone should do if they’re ever the victim of a food thief at work. “However, sometimes a little cathartic revenge is due. If you’re considering doing that, just make sure it’s something safe.”

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As one redditor put it, the very act of stealing someone’s food automatically made it ‘haram’ for the person to eat. So his excuse that he was only taking the specific coworker’s food because it was the only ‘halal’ thing in the fridge falls apart immediately.

Other redditors were shocked that even after the man admitted to stealing the food, he was let off with a warning. Of course, the entire issue is more than just about food: it’s about boundaries, trust, and the very normal expectation that you won’t have to deal with sneaky ninjas nabbing your stuff when you’re not looking.

All of us are personally responsible for drawing the boundaries for what we’re willing to tolerate in the workplace. If our colleagues can’t take subtle hints about their behavior, you might have to make it crystal clear that something that they’re doing makes you very uncomfortable. Whether that’s the type of jokes they’re loudly sharing with the entire office, leaving piles of dirty dishes in the shared space, or, yes, eating that delicious sandwich that you were looking forward to tasting ever since you made it at midnight, before heading to bed.

The simple fact is that even that won’t help. Some people have a hard time changing their habits. Others believe themselves to be the victim all the time and can’t consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they’re in the wrong this time. Their egos won’t permit it.

In that case, it’s definitely worth it to get HR and management involved. Be diplomatic but firm. Make sure to focus on solving the problem. However, if things really get out of hand and it’s affecting your work performance, you might even want to consider legal help. It shouldn’t be your first reaction to minor workplace quibbles, but don’t be afraid to seek professional assistance if you’re constantly harassed at work and the tension keeps ramping up.

It’s hard to determine whether a food item or dish is ‘halal’ or ‘haram’ because you’d have to evaluate every ingredient individually. Religious people who follow Islamic teachings carefully check the product’s label or packaging to see if it is ‘halal’ certified. Someone who is serious about their faith probably wouldn’t grab random food items from a shared fridge and eat it without first knowing what’s in it.

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Some ‘haram’ ingredients, according to Gordon Food Service, include: gelatin, lipase, pepsin, alcohol, vanilla extract (pure or artificial), animal fats, animal blood, animal rennet, mono and diglycerides from an animal source, whey powder, sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) or L-cysteine. Pork products are also considered ‘haram.’

The OP shared a bit more information in the comments of the viral post

Here’s how some internet users reacted to the story about the food thief

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