California Town Says Ice Cream Shop Will Have To Remove Giant "Eat Me" Mural

In the pantheon of rude phrases, "eat me" would not rank near the top of my list. It feels like a Bart Simpson-level taunt, something I'd say to my friends as a jokey retort when they ask whether my mullet is intentional (it's hard growing out a short haircut, okay?).

But "eat me" is a step too far over the thin line between decency and offense for the government of Lodi, California, whose planning department says the wall-sized "Eat Me" lettering on the side of an ice cream shop violates its municipal code.

CBS-13 in Sacramento polled some area residents, who seem to have mixed feelings about House Of Ice Cream's mural.

"I don't want to take it to the trash, but that's where my mind went," resident John Silver told the station. "I didn't feel comfortable with it."

The mural's location across from a school might also be factor in the planning department's discomfort.

The shop's owner says it's unclear what they're going to do to address the city's concerns. I say, paint just two more letters on the wall and you've got "TREAT ME." Who could argue with that?