Cook potless after thief makes off with rice & beans
The Lunch Spot, George Town
(CNS): With a busy day ahead feeding George Towners lunch, Don McLaughlin set off yesterday to his food stall, The Lunch Spot, located behind the courthouse in the heart of the capital, but had not properly secured the tailgate on his truck. Unfortunately, as he headed down Crewe Road a very large pot containing rice and beans fell off the back of the vehicle when the gate flew open. McLaughlin realised what had happened and prepared to retrieve his lost lunch pot but someone else spotted it first.
The thief, who had seen the pot fall, quickly picked up the pot, dumped out the food and made off with the precious and costly cooking vessel.
Katrina McLaughlin, Don’s daughter, said her father had been cooking up lunch for the capital’s hard workers for many years and the pot was an essential part of the small catering business. She said that as well as the cost of relacement, the Christmas season was one of his busiest times and it would be impossible for him to get a new pot in time.
Don McLaughlin, owner of The Lunch Spot
“My daddy does not have a pot of that size or value, which was a CI$640 pot, to do his rice and beans,” she said, noting that this is how he makes his living. Appealing to whoever took the pot to please return it, she said that this was the worst time of year for him to lose such a critical part of his kitchen.
The pot fell off the back of McLaughlin’s truck around noon on Thursday by the Cranbrook Drive junction on Crewe Road. If anyone knows where the pot is now, the McLaughlin family is urging people to contact them on 925 3287 or 324 2518, so that Chef Don can keep cooking and keep his George Town customers that still have to work today and tomorrow well fed.
Category: Crime
The pot has been returned. Great job CNS!
Check by the PPM HQ they have taken everything else from Cayman they probably got it?
What a waste of rice and beans, and his are really extra delicious, as is everything from that little shack. Stupid thief should have kept the yummy food and ditched the pot.
Hope he gets his pot back, but he over paid at $640 CI. You can get a nice one from Ropers or Island Supply for a lot less.
$640 for a pot ?!!!
At $640 I guess that must be an automatic Rice and Beans Cooker that has a brain and knows when to add and how much to cook the ingredients in order to produce excellent Rice and Beans. Shame on whoever stole the pot. Give it back.
Small things amuses small minds!!
If more stories was reported like this we would finally realize this country is in problems but we are oblivious to our plight. We have a problem in this country and only through hearing about a case where someone is so desperate or so devious can we understand what is really going on.
How do they know it was dumped out and taken could the rice not fallen out the pot when it fell out the truck.. I mean sorry for the lost of a pot but I lost lot more than taht when being in rush and left somthing on my roof . It hard to prove dumping the rice and taken the pot. .. Anything droping from a Moving truck would spill … not being negative but just being relistic. And if someone seen them take the pot that person could give details of car and so on. I think the atticle should have just said what happend and not acuse. And then lead to asking for help or donations to replace the pot. Ppl are moe giving than you think if asked the correct way.
Horrible story.
K, I suggest a GoFundMe campaign to replace Mr Mclaughlin’s pot and to cover his expected seasonal income and even an upgrade of his kitchen equipment.
– Who
P.S. Those of you making fun are even more despicable than the pot thief.
*I’ve never met the man but his daughter is a lovely and respectable young lady so I’m guessing he is of similar character.
Wish them well and a positive ending to this story.
Maybe the pot is hanging out with the dish that ran away with the spoon back in the 80’s.
darnnnn ill miss his container of rice and not much else for my lunch.
#MakeRiceAndBeansGreatAgain
Plus thats not the way the story was told to patrons when there was no rice and beans!!!!! hmmm
Wow alot of kids on here!
A lot*
This is hardly news. A large pot of rice and beans falls off the back of the Govt truck almost daily. The thieves pick up the pot, dump out the accountability and performance measures, and make off with the precious and costly vessel.
It is a large, somewhat distinguished pot.
Seriously this made headline news With all the shit going on come on people look in CCTV and done gaddamn
Thank you CNS this is one of the best articles of the year. People of the Cayman Islands let’s come together and find this pot. We will live in paradise. Let’s act like it.
What makes headline news affects you?
No CCTV on crew road nimrod
Does this making the news offend you? Dont read it then. Goddamn.
I could do with some Christmas pot right about now.
Time you recognise it, again.
So is he is being done for having an unsecured load, the thing in Cayman is people seem to pick and choose the laws they follow and all motoring offences seem to be ignored.
ps I do actually hope he does get his pot back, happy Christmas
No, the thing with Cayman is people like you. Assume that you know everything and know nothing.
CNS thanks for reporting on this! This man deserves to have his pot returned. I hope this reaches many.
What next!?
His food is excellent. This is sad to hear. I doubt he will get his pot back from someone who took it so quickly, emptied perfectly good rice and peas on the street and ran away. Bizarre. I would suggest that he goes to the commercial kitchen department of a well-known local hardware store where he will find some very large pots indeed, none of which to my recollection cost anywhere near $640.
Rice and beans … boss! not peas wrong nationality
I cannot believe in this day and age the biggest news story is about a pot of rice and beans.
If you read the news and see the social media post, one would have to wonder if this was the biggest heist of all time.
Just perhaps another driver found the pot in the middle of the road and was also being a good Samaritan to stop and remove the big iron object in the middle of the road.
That is a very serious offence and could have caused an accident.
Please people, don’t try to make this out as a theft. A pot of rice and beans fell off the back of a truck and was in the middle of the road. Did the owner look in the bushes where it could have been thrown as any other object would have been thrown if found in the middle of the road? Follow the rice tracks.
Yes I am sympathetic with the Pot owner as he is a good gentleman. Miss Tina please ask for assistance in the right way and don’t just condemn the act. You also don’t know what the other person might have endured by an object being in the middle of the road. Did you check at the local garages for any Vehicles that have been damaged recently by objects flying off of a truck?
This could have turned into a good Christmas blessing if it was not started off as a theft. So again Tina, revamp this idea and lets get your daddy a new set of Pots by seeking assistance in the right way. I wonder how soon that this Stolen pot of Rice and Beans become the sitting Governments blame?
Maybe the Government member from George Town that like to cook turtle meat found the pot and thought. Wow what a nice pot. This would cook some serious turtle meat to share around for Christmas.
Be blessed everyone and have a Merry Christmas.
@12:10 – what part of “.,.dumping out the rice and beans and making off with the pot” off was confusing to you?
Were I to have found a pot of rice and beans obstructing the roadway, then it might occur to me that (a) it is easier to remove from the roadway without its contents, and (b) I would not expect that anyone was intending to serve to customers a pot of rice and beans which had fallen into the road. Are you suggesting that if you came across food of unknown origin in the middle of the road, you would call your family and friends to dinner?
Or is the idea here that, had the pot been expeditiously retrieved, then regardless of whether the “three second rule” was in effect, that one should serve food that, while contained, had nonetheless been dropped in the road?
Shall I deliver your next pizza?
The article seemed to suggest that not all of the food had spilled and the rest would have been served if it hadn’t been dumped by the thief.
I wonder if this has happened before and how many of us have eaten road kill rice and beans?
It could have turned out to be a christmas blessing had it not been stated as a theft? Hm, are you implying the culprit would’ve brought it back had they not been labeled as a theif? So the owner/family member should appease them to have their belonging returned?
You seem to be sympathizing more with the culprit than the owner of the pot. Perhaps the ‘other driver’ was you?
And yes, it made the news. Somebodys belonging is lost and putting it out there could aid in locating it. Who are you to suggest what is news worthy from what isnt?
Just when I thought your comment couldn’t get any more ignorant! No one is blaming any government you clown!
The owners would just like to have their pot returned not assistance in getting new ones. Maybe you should call the number to return it.
A blessed and merry christmas to you too, scrooge.
Please learn to spell THIEF!
ok you can return the pot now….
Stolen? What ever happened to finders keepers?
Grow up!
Just pot luck, I guess!
But seriously, hope this ends with a positive Christmas spirit story.
This is ridiculous, sick and wrong! People too thief….kmt. Hoping the pot turns up.
Small things amuses small minds!!
Christmas beef