Food Fadists - STFU

[dropzone]

Originally Posted by Ethilrist

Locavores.

Jesus fuck, where is a Blutbad from Grimm when we need him? And I don't mean that vegan Monroe. One who can create a bloodbath like his name.

Between the Wesen and the hipsters Portland looks like pure hell. My daughter plans to move to Eugene and I assume it's no better. Except fewer monsters.

[Jennmonkye]

Originally Posted by The Tao's Revenge

Did they survive?

Yep (sadly)...didn't even get to call in the hot rescue squad guys!

[grude]

Originally Posted by rachelellogram

She decided she was allergic to gluten a couple months ago, ostensibly because it gives her a reason to be the center of attention. uuughghugh

Why would you even dine out with such an ass?

[Emtar KronJonDerSohn]

My father in law has a 6-8 month cycle. Go to a quack, give up half your meds, cut out main staple foods, take homemade magic pills and IV pushes that aren't FDA approved, almost die, spend 2-3 weeks and $100,000+ in the hospital on real medicine, go back to the quack and repeat. I think it's really sad.

[Meyer6]

Originally Posted by jz78817

add self-proclaimed "foodies," "chowhounds," and "locavores" to the list of douches with cases of unwarranted self-importance.

What about 'supertasters'? You know, the ones who are like "I know I need to lose weight, but I can't drink diet soda - I'm a super taster". Like it's not enough to say you just don't like something.

[Leaper]

Originally Posted by grude

Why would you even dine out with such an ass?

"Had an experience with" could also mean "she was at the next table and she was screeching loud enough for me to hear."

[Lacunae Matata]

Or "was waiting tables to pay for grad school and couldn't get that bitch out of my section soon enough!"

Back when I was waiting tables in college, the folks with "allergies" (MSG was the big evil ingredient back in the olden days of the late eighties and early nineties) were invited to dine elsewhere, since we couldn't guarantee that ingredients hadn't been exposed to whatever they were allergic to.

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by jlzania

You know, I'm about as locavore as you can get-I raise and process pastured poultry for sale at the local farmers market and restaurants and although most of my clients are are really great, there are a few food fadist that I want to hit over the head with a 4 pound fresh chicken.

I first read that as "pasteurized poultry".

[billfish678]

Thats kinda my thought. If I ran a resteraunt and somebody said they were allergic to something I'd ask em to leave. I ain't taking that kind of risk.

[olivesmarch4th]

There might be a good reason people are telling you they have an allergy, because otherwise waiters/people in general generally ignore the request for no cheese or no tomatoes or whatever. I know this because my husband is allergic to 13 different foods. Every time he has requested no tomatoes, they'll bring him the thing with no tomatoes next to another item with tomato sauce drizzled all over it. Or they'll leave out only one kind of cheese or something. He once requested plain grilled chicken since he was allergic to the sauce served to the other guests. No spices, no sauces, just grilled chicken. As they handed him his grilled chicken, they said, "We just added a little salt and pepper and vinegar to taste." Husband is allergic to vinegar. He ate it like a gentleman and spent the next day throwing up.

He hates going to restaurants because it's a royal PITA. But when he does dine out, he explicitly says, "No X; I am allergic to X" when he requests a meal, because I am convinced when a waiter hears ''allergy'' they think ''lawsuit'' and actually pay attention. They are much better at following directions. I'm just saying it may seem obnoxious but trying to get a decent meal when so many people refuse to acknowledge your allergies is obnoxious too.

[Lacunae Matata]

The problem for waiters or chefs hearing the word "allergy" is that everyone uses it, including people who don't like an ingredient, people on the fad diet of the week, folks whose naturopath have told them to avoid ingredient X, and people with real allergies. It's the Boy Who Cried Wolf Effect. Which sucks. I have no allergies, and I have much success with the Refreshingly Honest approach: "I'm not allergic, and bell peppers won't kill me. But I hate them and they give me horrible indigestion. Can they be left off? Thanks!"

[Grumman]

Originally Posted by Filbert

She just gets angry at me, and claims I want her to be ill.

"No, mother. I want you to be dead."

...or at least that's what I'd be tempted to say.

[flatlined]

Someone I work with has fad allergies. Currently, she is allergic to gluten and any sort of nuts, except pastachios. Last year, it was milk and cheese. She was allergic to citrus until I brought a jar of my signature lemonaide to work. (wash 6 lemons very well, squeeze the juice into a gallon jar, then drop the lemons into the jar, cover them with a cup of sugar, let sit for an hour then add water and ice to fill the jar.)

I've stopped caring about her diet now. When I bring food to work, I don't care if she "can" eat it or not. The sad part is that she had made me start ignoring other peoples' allergies.

[Saint Cad]

I've been allergic to peanut and tree nuts since birth. Guess what, I don't eat nuts and I don't eat anything if I can't confirm there are no nuts in it. In fact, there was only one time ever that not eating nuts was a considered a special diet.

SPOILER:

The Naval Academy did not accept me based on that allergy since they do not accept candidates needing "special dietary concerns"

[Rachellelogram]

Originally Posted by grude

Why would you even dine out with such an ass?

I'd never met her before, didn't know her from Eve. She was a friend of a family member. We had to go on a day trip to pick up someone else's car. We weren't even supposed to stop, we were on a tight schedule. If I'd known she planned to stop and eat, I'd have asked her to eat before picking me up. When she asked if there was a Wendy's nearby, I thought she intended to go through the drive-thru.

And it's happening again tomorrow... where's a suicide smiley when you need it?

[MsRobyn]

Originally Posted by Lacunae Matata

The problem for waiters or chefs hearing the word "allergy" is that everyone uses it, including people who don't like an ingredient, people on the fad diet of the week, folks whose naturopath have told them to avoid ingredient X, and people with real allergies. It's the Boy Who Cried Wolf Effect. Which sucks. I have no allergies, and I have much success with the Refreshingly Honest approach: "I'm not allergic, and bell peppers won't kill me. But I hate them and they give me horrible indigestion. Can they be left off? Thanks!"

I'm in the same boat. The vast majority of my dietary issues are preferences, not allergies or intolerances or whatever. As long as I'm clear about what I want and how I want it, no one cares why I want it. And it's not a problem 99% of the time because I'm not a screaming Mimi about it. (When it's been a problem, it's because the server isn't paying attention or is just a bad server.)

[ugly ripe tomato]

Originally Posted by jlzania

[Slight hijack] I raised heritage turkeys one year for Thanksgiving and one year only. What a giant pain in the ass. Wouldn't stay behind the poultry fencing once they were able to fly. Had to be rounded up nightly as they roamed everywhere. My husband left the doors to the house open one cool afternoon and found 8 staring at him when he woke up from a nap. Can you even imagine how much shit 8 turkeys can leave on the floor?
And as soon as the testosterone kicked in, the males started stalking anything female. Including me and any woman that came over to visit. You know those little handprints that you made in the 1st grade at Thanksgiving of preening turkeys? Well, when the boys spread their feathers like that, they're actually saying "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." [/slight hijack over]

I'ma go throw out my antique Thanksgiving tableware set now... I don't want to sit down to dinner staring at a horny turkey gravy boat.

[billfish678]

I hate to tell you that but thats not "gravy".

[ugly ripe tomato]

Originally Posted by billfish678

I hate to tell you that but thats not "gravy".

Please don't tell me what's in the napkin holder, butter dish, or salt shaker either... (the pepper shaker can stay, because she's a nice girl turkey)

[Odesio]

Originally Posted by ugly ripe tomato

Please don't tell me what's in the napkin holder, butter dish, or salt shaker either... (the pepper shaker can stay, because she's a nice girl turkey)

I hate to tell you this but that pepper shaker was tag teamed by the Pillsbury Doughboy and Mrs. Buttersworth.

[fumster]

Originally Posted by olivesmarch4th

I know this because my husband is allergic to 13 different foods. ...I'm just saying it may seem obnoxious but trying to get a decent meal when so many people refuse to acknowledge your allergies is obnoxious too.

Who diagnosed the allergies: Naturopath, Homeopath, or Chiropractor?

Here's a tip: if you are in a pit thread and you can't tell who's being pitted, it's probably you.

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Steophan

I think they'll tell the truth, which is that humans have been drinking milk for (at least) tens of thousands of years without any problems, and it hasn't suddenly become a problem in the last 50.

Some humans having been drinking milk for several thousand years, but not all. If you're of Asian ancestry it actually is more likely than not that you're intolerant of dairy foods, at least those with lactose, as an adult. African groups are all over the map on this, with some like the Masai being very dairy tolerant and others completely intolerant as adults. In Europe, dairy tolerance increases as you go north.

So yes, there are a lot of adults who don't tolerate dairy. On the flip side, there are a lot who DO. What those of us who retain the ability to digest milk as adults find irritating are all the non-dairy-tolerant who aren't content to simply not eat dairy themselves but want to take it away from everyone.

[fumster]

God the web is full of stupid. I was looking up allergies to vinegar (hadn't heard that one yet) and ran across this gem:

You could have a Candida infection. Candida is a type of fungus that's pretty common for people to have nowadays, especially if they've taken antibiotics. Fungus thrives on fermented foods like vinegar.

However, this is just speculation and it may be something entirely different.

Maybe you could try using apple cider vinegar (with the "mother"). It's an alkaline pH, doesn't feed fungus like other vinegars (if that's the issue), and is much easier to digest than any other vinegar.

Yes, teeming masses, the magic alkaline vinegar.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Originally Posted by olivesmarch4th

There might be a good reason people are telling you they have an allergy, because otherwise waiters/people in general generally ignore the request for no cheese or no tomatoes or whatever. I know this because my husband is allergic to 13 different foods. Every time he has requested no tomatoes, they'll bring him the thing with no tomatoes next to another item with tomato sauce drizzled all over it. Or they'll leave out only one kind of cheese or something. He once requested plain grilled chicken since he was allergic to the sauce served to the other guests. No spices, no sauces, just grilled chicken. As they handed him his grilled chicken, they said, "We just added a little salt and pepper and vinegar to taste." Husband is allergic to vinegar. He ate it like a gentleman and spent the next day throwing up.

He hates going to restaurants because it's a royal PITA. But when he does dine out, he explicitly says, "No X; I am allergic to X" when he requests a meal, because I am convinced when a waiter hears ''allergy'' they think ''lawsuit'' and actually pay attention. They are much better at following directions. I'm just saying it may seem obnoxious but trying to get a decent meal when so many people refuse to acknowledge your allergies is obnoxious too.

I have a love/hate thing with restaurant dining for precisely this reason. I can't eat black or white or red pepper, and in some restaurants, there are NO savory dishes that don't have black pepper in them. And when I inquire as to whether something has pepper in it, I get told "well, it's not very much, you won't taste it". Tasting it isn't my problem. Spending the next day (or week) in the bathroom is the problem.

I've asked for plain grilled unseasoned chicken, too, and come to find out that the chicken is preseasoned. Now, if I'd known that, I'd have gone for another dish.

I no longer care whether someone thinks that I SHOULD eat something. I refuse to eat stuff that's going to make me miserable. And I'm not going to pay for it, either.

I realize that the restaurant is going to have the sauce already made up, either earlier in the day, or the place buys the sauces premade, so I'm not going to ask for an individual serving of cream/sausage gravy to be made up especially for me, only without the pepper. Cream/sausage gravy is made with a lot of pepper. I know this, and I will ask for the gravy to be left off. But I think that whoever plans the menus should realize that not everyone can eat pepper, and that some people can eat it but just don't like it.

[Mighty_Girl]

I am a food blogger. I was blogging when the name did not exist (11 years this coming August). It annoys me more than it annoys the OP. I get asked if recipes from a decade ago are appropriate for the diet du jour all the time. The fuck if I know (my answer: "consult your doctor").

Originally Posted by jz78817

add self-proclaimed "foodies," "chowhounds," and "locavores" to the list of douches with cases of unwarranted self-importance.

Dear Og, yes! There is so much bullshit in food writing that it makes my blood boil.

Originally Posted by Steophan

No, they aren't.

I am mildly lactose intolerant. Milk and cheese make me fart. I take my lactase pills or just rip a good one when I get to the toilet. No biggie. I once fumigated Rome after dinner.

[Mighty_Girl]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

I have a love/hate thing with restaurant dining for precisely this reason.
I realize that the restaurant is going to have the sauce already made up, either earlier in the day, or the place buys the sauces premade, so I'm not going to ask for an individual serving of cream/sausage gravy to be made up especially for me, only without the pepper. Cream/sausage gravy is made with a lot of pepper. I know this, and I will ask for the gravy to be left off. But I think that whoever plans the menus should realize that not everyone can eat pepper, and that some people can eat it but just don't like it.

I cannot really blame them. They can't cater to every food preference/diet/allergy/religious rule under the sun.

I am not a picky eater, but prefer to eat mostly vegetables, fish or seafood as a second choice, meat is almost never a choice. I just came from a restaurant where there wasn't a single vegetarian-friendly meal, not even a salad. Of course my experiment in Vegan living lasted a whole of two months, but I feel extremely sorry for vegetarians if they go to that restaurant, other than the wine there wasn't a single thing they could eat. But if I still were a vegetarian I would have inquired about accommodations beforehand.

It sucks, I know, but I don't see what they can do. A restaurant kitchen is not really amenable to those flexibilities.

[fumster]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

But I think that whoever plans the menus should realize that not everyone can eat pepper, and that some people can eat it but just don't like it.

I can't imagine a chef trying to deal with people like you. Chefs are trained to make food taste good. What savory dishes don't have either black or red pepper in them? It's used in soups, on vegetables, in salad, on meat, and on seafood. Even deserts: black pepper might be added to strawberries and red pepper may well be in a chocolate. You don't need a restaurant, you need a grocery store. You can buy the ingredients and then cook it how you want.

[mister nyx]

Originally Posted by fumster

I can't imagine a chef trying to deal with people like you. Chefs are trained to make food taste good. What savory dishes don't have either black or red pepper in them? It's used in soups, on vegetables, in salad, on meat, and on seafood. Even deserts: black pepper might be added to strawberries and red pepper may well be in a chocolate. You don't need a restaurant, you need a grocery store. You can buy the ingredients and then cook it how you want.

I'm racking my brains to think of any savory dish I cook that doesn't have black pepper in it.

Wait! I've got it! Marinara sauce! She can come over on spaghetti night.

But she's out of luck on the meatballs, garlic bread, and salad.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Originally Posted by fumster

I can't imagine a chef trying to deal with people like you. Chefs are trained to make food taste good. What savory dishes don't have either black or red pepper in them? It's used in soups, on vegetables, in salad, on meat, and on seafood. Even deserts: black pepper might be added to strawberries and red pepper may well be in a chocolate. You don't need a restaurant, you need a grocery store. You can buy the ingredients and then cook it how you want.

There are quite a few places which don't put black pepper in every single savory dish.

And while I do cook most of my meals at home, I also enjoy eating out.

Do you also tell people who have mobility problems that they should just stay home, because it's too much trouble to accommodate them?

[Mister Rik]

Originally Posted by curlcoat

I can get behind the OP. I have actual honest to Og food allergies, but I don't do anything other than *gasp!* not eat the things I'm allergic to. Imagine that.

Originally Posted by Broomstick

Same here. I try to keep things quiet and low key, anything BUT attention-attracting. The nutballs make life harder for those of us who have genuine medical conditions.

I love you guys!

I cook for conventions/banquets, and some of these people have really helped me to understand that term I learned from the SDMB: Attention Whore. I've become convinced that there are people who attend these conventions who just can't stand the idea that somebody special like them has to eat the same thing everybody else is getting. The most shining example was the woman who was here for a 2-day event that included five meals. She obtained a copy of the menus ahead of time and kindly provided us, in advance, a meal-by-meal itemization of everything she couldn't eat. At first we thought this was awesome - it was much better than those people who wait until the meal is being served to announce their dietary requirements. But then we started looking over her list, and started to notice how her allergies contradicted themselves from one meal to the next.

Originally Posted by Jennmonkye

I'm on the fence about the whole "gluten" thing, but I will say this: I help cater and plan over 100 events per year--mostly weddings. At almost every single one of them now, we get multiple requests for gluten free meals...so in addition to the food that everyone at the event is eating, we get to prepare extra meals for those who are gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc....
In almost every single case, (and I promise you, I've paid attention and am not exaggerating--I'm looking at you vegans, too), the guest who inconvenienced their host with special meal requests, EATS THE WEDDING CAKE

I've lost count of the number of times all the vegetarians and vegans — the ones who were making us jump through hoops for the first 3-4 meals their group had — mysteriously stop being vegetarians/vegans when they see the big juicy steak being served at the final dinner.

Originally Posted by Lacunae Matata

folks whose naturopath have told them to avoid ingredient X

There's a similar issue that I've encountered, usually with "older" men. Their doctor (a real one) notes that they need to cut back on their fat intake, and suggests that they stop eating butter. The older gentleman then interprets this to mean that butter is at the root of their health problems, and so they go out to eat and order bacon/sausage and eggs and hashbrowns with gravy all over them ... and dry toast. The meal is loaded with fat, but hey, no deadly butter. I once had an extremely elderly man who clearly grew up when everything was fried in butter, and couldn't comprehend that we didn't do that (I can't remember any restaurant I've worked in over the last 29 years frying in butter). He was very insistent that we not fry his food in butter, to the point he wanted me to cook his over-easy eggs in a completely dry pan. Sorry, not happening. (FTR, most breakfast places I've seen fry with an artificially-butter-flavored vegetable oil, like Whirl.)

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Mister Rik

The most shining example was the woman who was here for a 2-day event that included five meals. She obtained a copy of the menus ahead of time and kindly provided us, in advance, a meal-by-meal itemization of everything she couldn't eat. At first we thought this was awesome - it was much better than those people who wait until the meal is being served to announce their dietary requirements. But then we started looking over her list, and started to notice how her allergies contradicted themselves from one meal to the next.

Now, see, I'll ask for the menus in advance, but I won't tell you how to cook anything. I'll determine what I can and can't eat, and if necessary bring my own provisions/fend for myself.

That meant on one business trip I lived for a couple days on french fries, watermelon, and chocolate pudding but hey, for just two days it wasn't going to kill me and actually I like all three of those. I didn't insist on tomato-free pizza or ask for a special meal during the buffet. I just didn't eat hardly anything during the buffet other than the aforementioned chocolate pudding and watermelon.

Seriously, people - if you have to skip a meal or eat oddly for a day or two it sure as heck beats a genuine allergic reaction. Those with real allergies don't cheat, at least not without substantial penalty.

And, in case anyone was wondering - my allergies were diagnosed by an MD allergist, who used some blood tests, yes, but also food challenges and skin testing to confirm the results. Two trips to the ER also confirm that my allergies are not in my head or the result of the latest fad but are, in fact, real medical problems. I wish I could afford to be re-evaluated by a specialist as it is now 30 years later and I'm pretty sure some things have changed (I have unquestionably acquired a couple new ones) but my health insurance company won't authorize it, saying there's no need as I haven't had a serious reaction in years, and I can't afford to pay for it out of pocket. >sigh<

[Lynn Bodoni]

I've lost count of the number of times all the vegetarians and vegans — the ones who were making us jump through hoops for the first 3-4 meals their group had — mysteriously stop being vegetarians/vegans when they see the big juicy steak being served at the final dinner.

Sometimes someone can eat a limited amount of an item, but not for every meal. My daughter limits her animal source foods, for instance, even though she does enjoy big juicy steaks. So she'll eat veggie for breakfast or lunch.

Seriously, people - if you have to skip a meal or eat oddly for a day or two it sure as heck beats a genuine allergic reaction. Those with real allergies don't cheat, at least not without substantial penalty.

Sometimes I have to choose between passing out from a low blood sugar, or eating something that I'll pay for later on.

[Enkel]

Originally Posted by ugly ripe tomato

I'ma go throw out my antique Thanksgiving tableware set now... I don't want to sit down to dinner staring at a horny turkey gravy boat.

Technically, your tableware is poultry porn.

[fumster]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

There are quite a few places which don't put black pepper in every single savory dish.

Really, what are they? Maybe if they're French they'll use white pepper (which is just mature pepper with the outer husk removed).

Pork, poultry, beef? The first thing you do is season it with salt and pepper before you start to cook it. Hollandaise? yep, add a little red pepper. The flour used to dust fish before frying it? Seasoned with pepper. Just about any soup, stew, gravy, or sauce will have red, black, or white pepper in it. Almost every Mexican, Indian, Thai, Korean, or Vietnamese dish will have some sort of chiles (red pepper) in it.

l

[al27052]

Originally Posted by Broomstick

Now, see, I'll ask for the menus in advance, but I won't

Seriously, people - if you have to skip a meal or eat oddly for a day or two it sure as heck beats a genuine allergic reaction. Those with real allergies don't cheat, at least not without substantial penalty.
>sigh<

Yes. I used to eat shrimp all the time, sometimes as much as a pound a week or more.

Then I almost died after a lovely meal at Red Lobster. My throat closed up, I broke out in hives all over my body, and it was not a good evening.

I don't eat shrimp any more. Ever, even though I love it.

Even if it didn't kill me, I'm not going to eat shrimp anymore, because I don't like it when my throat closes up. I've had the same reaction to Brazil nuts, avocados, and some other foods. These allergies come and go, and I just avoid those foods during times when I'm allergic, because I really don't enjoy the sensations of being unable to swallow, and barely able to breathe.

The shit is not fun.

[dropzone]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

I can't eat black or white or red pepper...

Um, you do know that black pepper and red pepper are completely unrelated and that your claiming sensitivity to both makes you look like one of the food faddists in the OP, right?

[voltaire]

Originally Posted by Broomstick

What those of us who retain the ability to digest milk as adults find irritating are all the non-dairy-tolerant who aren't content to simply not eat dairy themselves but want to take it away from everyone.

Is this really a thing? There are lactose-intolerant people who somehow seek to prevent others from consuming dairy? How?

[A Monkey With a Gun]

Apropos of nothing: Chickens scare the fuck out of me.

[A Monkey With a Gun]

Don't get me wrong, I'll eat chicken. It's tasty. But the only good chicken is a dead chicken.

[Nocturne]

I live with my sister, who is gluten-intolerant (celiac). If she ingests gluten, it throws her GI system completely out of whack and she generally ends up in the hospital dehydrated because of puking/diarrhea issues. One of my close friends from high school has the same problem, as does my boyfriend's mother.

Another friendly acquaintance has the wheat allergy. She cannot even kiss her husband after he's consumed wheat products because she'll break out in facial hives. Sounds nasty.

I end up eating and cooking gluten-free often simply because I cook for my sister (she's a med student on rotation, meaning at least 5 days a week she's at the hospital working for 12-16 hours at a time).

It does irritate me that so many people have jumped on the "gluten-free" bandwagon, or at least it did at first. But now that my small city has multiple grocery stores that carry a lot of gluten-free baking and cooking components, I can't really complain -- it makes cooking for my sis a lot easier. So I guess there's a good side to these fads.

Some people just have to be the most special daisy in the field everywhere they go. If it's not about food, it'll be about something else.

[Guinastasia]

The only thing I'm allergic to is penicillin, and that's not a food, so I don't care. I've been told that that could also trigger an allergic reaction to blue cheese -- is that true? Not that I care, since I don't like blue cheese, I'm just curious.

I can't have caffeine, due to the fact that it triggers my seizures, but that's also quite easy to avoid. (Although will bars make Irish coffee with decaf if you ask them nicely, and leave a big tip?)

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

There are quite a few places which don't put black pepper in every single savory dish.

And while I do cook most of my meals at home, I also enjoy eating out.

Do you also tell people who have mobility problems that they should just stay home, because it's too much trouble to accommodate them?

If one tiny pepper flake causes you to spend a week in the bathroom? Yeah, I'd probably suggest you stay home.

Oh, and please, don't give us the details. We KNOW you have bowel issues. I don't want to hear about them.

[keturah]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

There are quite a few places which don't put black pepper in every single savory dish.

And while I do cook most of my meals at home, I also enjoy eating out.

Do you also tell people who have mobility problems that they should just stay home, because it's too much trouble to accommodate them?

LMAO!! You are something. Yes, Lynn you should stay at home. Keep your creepy intestinal problems including exosive ass syndrome at home. If even one speck of black pepper is a problem, dont eat out. Really. Even if they are hover round accessable.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Originally Posted by dropzone

Um, you do know that black pepper and red pepper are completely unrelated and that your claiming sensitivity to both makes you look like one of the food faddists in the OP, right?

I can eat bell pepper, if that's what you mean by red pepper. Someone else seemed to use "red pepper" as a synonym for cayenne, which I can't eat. And I'm sensitive to more than one food. I can't eat any raw allium, but I can eat cooked alliums just fine. I don't know why.

Originally Posted by keturah

LMAO!! You are something. Yes, Lynn you should stay at home. Keep your creepy intestinal problems including exosive ass syndrome at home. If even one speck of black pepper is a problem, dont eat out. Really. Even if they are hover round accessable.

Nope, not gonna stay home. I'm going to enjoy myself as much as I can, while I can, and that includes eating out at a lot of places that don't insist on peppering stuff to death.

And what makes you think that I use a wheelchair, powered or not? I don't. I walk. I do use a walking stick, or a quad cane, but I walk. I'll admit that I don't walk very fast, and that sometimes I'll need to sit down after walking for an hour or so, but I do walk. Or I drive my car. Now, my doctor has offered to write me a prescription for a power chair, but I don't need one, and I don't want one. I've used a store cart a couple of times when I was recovering from a long illness and absolutely HAD to shop, and I prefer to walk.

[asterion]

Originally Posted by fumster

God the web is full of stupid. I was looking up allergies to vinegar (hadn't heard that one yet) and ran across this gem:Yes, teeming masses, the magic alkaline vinegar.

So THAT'S what I've been doing wrong in the lab. My glacial acetic acid has been acting as a base. Thanks, random posting on the Internet!

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Guinastasia

The only thing I'm allergic to is penicillin, and that's not a food, so I don't care. I've been told that that could also trigger an allergic reaction to blue cheese -- is that true? Not that I care, since I don't like blue cheese, I'm just curious.

It can - it doesn't always. Most docs will recommend that those with penicillin allergy avoid bleu cheese, although if you've been eating bleu cheese without a problem they'll say OK, but watch out for reactions. There is, after all, a difference between eating something and having it injected as a penicillin shot, and difference between the stuff that makes bleu cheese blue and the refined antibiotic even if they molds are related.

[Princhester]

Originally Posted by Simplicio

Almost no one gets HIV infections from blood transfusions anymore. Obviously the precautions we take to screen blood units for HIV are far out of proportion to the actual problem and we should stop wasting money doing it.

And while it is a somewhat different point to the one you are making, peanut allergy deaths may not be very high, but highly unpleasant and potentially lifethreatening reactions may be. Also, as I understand it in many people reactions get worse with exposure. So given the prevalence of knowledge of peanut allergies, one would expect many people to have a bad (but not fatal) reaction and to then become cautious, meaning few deaths. This doesn't mean there wouldn't be deaths if precautions weren't taken.

I don't really have a position on the issue, but as you say, the logic - of going from low death numbers to a conclusion about the problem being minior - is lacking.

[lorene]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

Sometimes I have to choose between passing out from a low blood sugar, or eating something that I'll pay for later on.

You do have a third option, which is to always carry an emergency snack. No one has to choose between the two options you presented, especially not someone who has years of experience with disabling food sensitivities as well as diabetes. Common sense.

[WhyNot]

Originally Posted by Kimstu

Fast food places and other establishments that make up fixed-recipe dishes from mass-produced and mass-marketed ingredients could certainly do this. For restaurants that change their menus and recipes according to what they think looks best in the market and/or garden today, though, it might not be feasible.

Is this really true, though? I haven't worked at a high end restaurant, but I imagine someone has to develop the recipe and tell the rest of the cooks how to make each dish on tonight's menu. Can't someone write it down and scribble up a quick reference sheet? It's not like photocopies are prohibitively expensive.

But actually, I've never ever had a problem with a nice menu changing place knowing what's in their food. They're usually awesome and will often send a chef to the dining room who's actually eager to find out what she can't eat and makes her something wonderful off menu. It's like their own personal Iron Chef Challenge moment. (Note: seems to help to go at really slow times!)

I have had far more problems with mid level diners and such, who don't know what their "cheese" sauce is made of, because they don't make it on site and someone threw away the can. So we choose something else.

Originally Posted by Jennmonkye

In almost every single case, (and I promise you, I've paid attention and am not exaggerating--I'm looking at you vegans, too), the guest who inconvenienced their host with special meal requests, EATS THE WEDDING CAKE

My daughter, like many, seems to have a limited intolerance (not allergy) to gluten. Not all of her intestine is damaged (yet) so she can still digest some gluten, but not as much as you and I can. She can manage about 1/2 a slice of whole wheat bread or the equivalent in a day. More than that, and she's up at 1:30 in the morning throwing up. More than that on a regular basis and she gets bronchiolitis and stops growing and the doctor mutters about calling DCFS for Failure To Thrive. Long term, gluten intolerant people who don't stop eating gluten have higher rates of diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and a host of GI cancers.

So unless you'd like a lecture with Powerpoint slides, how 'bout you don't decide you know more about my daughter's medical needs than her doctor and I do, and decide that because you see me allowing her to enjoy three croutons on her salad, or a small slice of the cake, that means I'm a lying hysterical drama whore when I ask you if there's flour in the gravy? She'd rather have the cake than the gravy, and she can't have both, unless you've thickened the gravy with cornstarch. I'm not asking to be difficult, I'm not asking you to make a separate batch of gravy, I'm asking in case she actually CAN have the gravy.

I mean, I do agree with you that there are lying hysterical drama whores, and yes, they annoy me to no end. I have one friend who is "allergic" to cilantro, but she loves fresh coriander leaf. But please realize that not everyone who makes an exception for the cake (which has immense cultural importance, as well as being the tastiest thing at most wedding dinners) is doing so to piss you off or is even being inconsistent with the doctor approved diet plan.

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

Sometimes I have to choose between passing out from a low blood sugar, or eating something that I'll pay for later on.

Well, that's just silly. They make allergen free meal replacement bars you can carry in your pocket. Or you can make your own. Ultimately, I think you're responsible for having something with you so you're not passing out from low blood sugar and scaring the shit out of everyone around you.

Originally Posted by Nocturne

It does irritate me that so many people have jumped on the "gluten-free" bandwagon, or at least it did at first. But now that my small city has multiple grocery stores that carry a lot of gluten-free baking and cooking components, I can't really complain -- it makes cooking for my sis a lot easier. So I guess there's a good side to these fads.

It is good for now, but I know sooner or later the fad will disappear, and then the products will disappear, and that makes me sad.

[olivesmarch4th]

Originally Posted by fumster

Who diagnosed the allergies: Naturopath, Homeopath, or Chiropractor?

Here's a tip: if you are in a pit thread and you can't tell who's being pitted, it's probably you.

Doctors, you dipshit. Twice.

[billfish678]

Originally Posted by Princhester

.

I don't really have a position on the issue, but as you say, the logic - of going from low death numbers to a conclusion about the problem being minior - is lacking.

But on the flip side were people dropping like flies BEFORE people realized peanuts were deadly to some?

Yeah, the ant-vax basic arguement that we don't need them because there isnt a problem now is stupid because BEFORE we started using them there were major problems that the vacines greatly reduced. I suspect that was not the case with peanuts.