Chew on this: A photo of a freeway exit is going viral because of its apparent connection to cannibalism.
On Wednesday, the Placerville office of the California Highway Patrol posted a photo on Facebook of the Donner Lake exit on Interstate 80.
The lake just happens to be named after the Donner Party, a group of Midwestern pioneers who were forced to spend the winter of 1846–47 in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Legend has it that some of the members survived by eating others in their party, though a more recent archeological study turned up no physical evidence of cannibalism.
CalTrans public information officer Steve Nelson told HuffPost that there are 38 restaurants off of that exit, “so the sign is appropriate to notify motorists, but [we] also understand the irony and that it may be considered insensitive.” He said the department is looking into the post.
Still, for some Facebook commenters, the cannibal connection was enough to provide food for thought.
One person commented, “I heard there is a party going on up there,” to which the Placerville CHP’s social media page replied cheekily, “Slowly dwindling, but yes.”
Others chimed in with their own tasteless comments: “For a fine dining experience, visit beautiful Donner Lake,” to which another person replied, “bring the family.”
One person joked that the food around the lake “was finger-licking good,” while another said that “the ribs and shoulder are amazing [there] but I wasn’t a fan of the liver and onions.”
After one person praised the post, the Placerville CHP account replied, “just trying to be humerus.”