BP customers in Louisiana report gasoline tastes like shrimp

Company officials insist marine life not a threat to petrolium products

Alex Terrieur
La Lune de la presse internationale

ABBEVILLE, LOUISIANA

Recently some residents in rural Louisiana have reported that the petrolium products they were sold had the distinct odor and taste of Gulf shrimp after filling their gas tanks at a BP service station. As is customary in the area, people often taste several drops of the gasoline "to make sure it's good," said local resident Destin Toulouse. The tradition was passed down from Cajun settlers who would also bite into silver and gold coins to check their authenticity.

"We always done taste the pushwater here in these parts, otherwise could be they're sellin you some that fools oil," Toulouse explained to the La Rochelle Times. "But come to notice lately that that there pushwater taste like shrimp for good eatin. Must a been that spill from last year, if that ain't the damndest thing."

BP spokesperson Trudy Nile explained that any taste of shrimp in the Gulf oil is just part of its natural aroma.

"We at BP have taken the strongest measures to protect our petrolium products from marine life, be it shrimp, crabs, dolphins, or any other type of species. We maintain the highest standards throughout the drilling and refining processes to make sure that no animal life interferes with our products."

She said that petrolium sometimes naturally has the subtle taste of shrimp, but that it was nothing to be worried about.

"BP consumers simply need to go on consuming, please don't worry about anything superficial, since everything is under our control," Nile stated.