# Food Fadists - STFU **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037 "2012-06-23T05:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/341 "2012-07-03T23:12:21Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Well, if you care at all about how others view you, you should quit posting complete narrow focused stupidity. Having looked at the people who agree with what I’ve posted in this thread, and those who disagree, I’m quite happy with who thinks what of me. **lorene** asked why people who claim to dislike all seafood weren’t taken seriously. I answered, accurately. That you dislike the answer is absolutely fucking irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/342 "2012-07-03T23:15:42Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Again, big fan of seafood here. Can count on one hand the types of seafood that I’ve tried that I did not like. But it would never occur to me that liking seafood was somehow essential for people to take me seriously. What does that even mean? My nephew told me he didn’t like Chinese food and he didn’t like seafood. I asked him if he had ever tried seafood and Chinese food and he answered in the affirmative. “Okay,” I said “if you’ve tried them and you don’t like them that’s perfectly okay.” I love Chinese food and seafood but there’s nothing wrong with anyone who doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/343 "2012-07-03T23:16:41Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Having looked at the people who agree with what I’ve posted in this thread, and those who disagree, I’m quite happy with who thinks what of me. > > **lorene** asked why people who claim to dislike all seafood weren’t taken seriously. I answered, accurately. That you dislike the answer is absolutely fucking irrelevant. Again with the narrow view of the world. I do not like or dislike your answer, I merely point out that once again you are wrong. You need to become aware that your experiences are not the sum total of what goes on in the world. And you could use some manners. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/344 "2012-07-03T23:21:50Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Again with the narrow view of the world. I do not like or dislike your answer, I merely point out that once again you are wrong. You need to become aware that your experiences are not the sum total of what goes on in the world. And you could use some manners. It’s the Pit, I don’t need manners here. And, frankly, it’s ridiculous to claim you don’t like all seafood. There is, literally, no thing that it all has in common apart from where it comes from. I am entirely correct that that is why people don’t take a claim to dislike all seafood seriously. I don’t only have this opinion about food. I think anyone who won’t try new experiences in anything, be it art, music, travel, books, whatever, is immature and slightly ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/345 "2012-07-03T23:27:19Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > It’s because “seafood” is not a single, monolithic type of food that one can either like or dislike, any more than, say, meat or fruit is. Uh, isn’t there an entire lifestyle devoted to not eating meat? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/346 "2012-07-04T00:01:15Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > It’s the Pit, I don’t need manners here. And, frankly, it’s ridiculous to claim you don’t like all seafood. There is, literally, no thing that it all has in common apart from where it comes from. I am entirely correct that that is why people don’t take a claim to dislike all seafood seriously. Those people seem to lack as much experience in the real world as you do. For example, I love all seafood so it is not hard for me to believe that there would be at least one person out there who hates all seafood. Also, it is entirely possible that when someone says “seafood” they just mean fish, or just shellfish, or literally anything that comes out of the sea but river fish are fine. Or it could just be shorthand for “I don’t like most seafood and it’s rare that what I do like is available” Yet you seem to have no trouble coming in here and making sweeping obnoxious generalizations based on almost no information. Makes you look really stupid. If it’s true that you are correct that people don’t take a claim to dislike all seafood seriously, it must be because they don’t put any more thought into it than you do. > [@](#): > > I don’t only have this opinion about food. I think anyone who won’t try new experiences in anything, be it art, music, travel, books, whatever, is immature and slightly ridiculous. You are of the opinion that anyone who says they don’t like something must not have tried it?? Also, just because someone isn’t interested in trying something new could be for quite a few reasons other than whatever immature and ridiculous label you are putting on it. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/347 "2012-07-04T00:04:30Z")
Cooking for folks on the North Slope or in remote work camps I almost never see an allergy. There are some picky eaters but usually don’t make a verbal fuss or just mention their dislike. Simple, clean easily identifiable food is popular. When I cook in my hippy/hipster of a home town Homer, Alaska you would think you are cooking Clinic located in a farmers market booth. Allergies, sourcing concerns, social reponsability, bartering. I like what Kenny Shopsin said in the documentary _I like Killing Flies_. “If you are that allergic you should eat in a hospital.” ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/348 "2012-07-04T00:13:41Z")
> [@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. > [@fumster](#): > > If a server says they can tell you everything that is in a dish he/she is probably lying. Less expensive restaurants will use a variety of pre-prepared ingredients, each of which may have half a dozen or more ingredients. > > At a high-end restaurant the chef isn’t going to tell the person making the salad exactly what to put in the dressing, nor may he know what greens were fresh at the market that day. He certainly won’t know what the pastry chef put in the desert and the pastry chef may well have already gone home. The bread is probably made off site. > > Just for giggles, here is a list of ingredients from what I made last night at home for dinner: potatoes, chicken, green beans, cheese, butter, sour cream (cultured cream, skim milk, whey, modified corn starch, cultured dextrose, gelatin, sodium phosphate, guar gum, caraggean, sodium citrate, calcium sulfate, locust bean gum), my home made rub (turmeric, nutmeg, clove, ginger, paprika, cumin, sugar, salt, mustard seed, thyme, oregano, garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne, ancho), olive oil, flour, cocoa, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and coffee. I’m sure I’ve left a few things out. Do you really expect the sever to recite that to you? Do you expect the chef to make up a list like this every night? > > I expect a chef to know if a dish contains shellfish or peanuts as they are really common allergens and people that are really allergic can die from consuming them. Beyond that you are just being a pest. I realize I’m a good five pages past these, but I feel the need to comment. Bear in mind that I’m a small deli cook with almost 20 years of food service experience. 1. I really don’t have a problem making special orders. Comes with the job. Sometimes it’s more of a pain than others, but it’s the job. It’s what I do. All day. Most of the time I’m even happy to do it. 2. If you can’t make food taste good without black or chile pepper, you’re probably not cooking professionally. I make quite a bit of food that doesn’t automatically use pepper and nearly everything I make doesn’t need pepper to taste good. 3. Servers may not need to know every single ingredient in a dish, but they are expected to ask if a customer has an allergy or sensitivity. The default position is to tell people with such conditions not to order the dish if there is a risk of sensitivity due to unknown ingredient. 4. Have you worked in food or are you simply getting your knowledge of the industry from television? You’re making a lot of comments about a business you don’t seem to know much about. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/349 "2012-07-04T00:16:01Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > Cooking for folks on the North Slope or in remote work camps I almost never see an allergy. There are some picky eaters but usually don’t make a verbal fuss or just mention their dislike. It could also be that people in remote work camps are self-selecting. People with significant allergies may be reluctant to put themselves in remote situations with limited food choices and distant medical care for emergencies. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/350 "2012-07-04T00:17:42Z")
When I offer something to people, and they say they don’t want it, all I say is, “Well, it’s there if you change your mind”, and then move on. Either that or, “Well, more for me!” 😃 > [@overlyverbose](#): > > It would certainly be an education. > Before I ever had a migraine, I just assumed they were just exceptionally bad headaches. Now I know better, though it wasn’t until I’d had one that I realized how close to hell a migraine was. > > [hijack]Out of curiosity, when you have a seizure, do you also have trouble with your emotional and taste centers? After I have one, not only do I have a several days-long migraine, I also can’t feel any emotion or taste anything at all, even hot peppers, for about three days. It’s very frustrating to fake emotions because I also can’t feel my face well and I feel like I’m over-acting when apparently I look normal. [/hijack] No, it’s more like everything around me feels unfamiliar and very confusing, and occassionally panicky. Once, after a focal seizure, I wasn’t even able to talk – I was only able to stutter a little bit. That lasted for the rest of the day. [Post-ictal phase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-ictal) ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/351 "2012-07-04T00:32:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It could also be that people in remote work camps are self-selecting. People with significant allergies may be reluctant to put themselves in remote situations with limited food choices and distant medical care for emergencies. Yea, this really is the gist of it. It is hard out here. Compromised immune systems and weakened constitutions get chewed up and spit out on the regular. Or they do not come at all. Thanks for the added insight. I also have been cooking for a long time. I do not have a problem with any food allergy or dislike. There is always something. In fact satisfying a picky customer is a nice challenge. Good for the mix up. I internally groan sometimes when I can tell they are calling a dislike an allergy or something similar. I will cater to it anyway. And I really groan and food fads in general. Just not the the person. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/352 "2012-07-04T02:04:31Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > Cooking for folks on the North Slope or in remote work camps I almost never see an allergy. There are some picky eaters but usually don’t make a verbal fuss or just mention their dislike. Simple, clean easily identifiable food is popular. When I cook in my hippy/hipster of a home town Homer, Alaska you would think you are cooking Clinic located in a farmers market booth. Allergies, sourcing concerns, social reponsability, bartering. > [@Broomstick](#): > > It could also be that people in remote work camps are self-selecting. People with significant allergies may be reluctant to put themselves in remote situations with limited food choices and distant medical care for emergencies. I’ve mentioned this before in other threads, but it’s worth mentioning again: In my six years of working in catering conventions and other large-group meals, there is a clear, definite pattern. I don’t mean to make a “political” statement of it, but I’ve consistently seen how “liberal-leaning” groups (Democratic party functions, environmental groups, domestic violence activists, teachers, etc.) tend to be chock full of “allergy sufferers”, while “conservative-leaning” groups (Republican groups, NRA supporters, military-related organizations, etc.) tend to have _considerably_ fewer and generally eat whatever we’ve made for them without questions. I can understand a “liberal” group boasting more vegetarians/vegans — those diets are conscious choices, often made for moral/ethical reasons that fit well with liberal beliefs. Genuine allergies are _not_ a choice, and it just seems unlikely to me that a real medical condition would correlate so closely with political persuasion. But I don’t think it’s surprising that a political mindset that encourages being “special” would attract people who want to _appear_ “special”. Now I’m remembering that married couple (i.e. not blood relatives) who both _just happened_ to be allergic to all the same things. I couldn’t help thinking, “What, did they meet in some extremely specialized allergy support group?” ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/353 "2012-07-04T02:56:54Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > When I offer something to people, and they say they don’t want it, all I say is, “Well, it’s there if you change your mind”, and then move on. Either that or, “Well, more for me!” 😃 > > No, it’s more like everything around me feels unfamiliar and very confusing, and occassionally panicky. Once, after a focal seizure, I wasn’t even able to talk – I was only able to stutter a little bit. That lasted for the rest of the day. > > [Post-ictal phase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-ictal) I get that, too. I can think, but nothing comes out of my mouth the way I want it to. It’s like being stuck inside my head. I hate it. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity - I’m always amazed at how different everyone’s experiences are with seizures. I’d rather they didn’t exist, of course, because they suck and they hurt and they’re like a betrayal of your own body, but still…human brains are strange. I’m so glad I read this thread - my husband has OAS and I never knew WTF it was that caused his lips to swell up after eating certain salsas, cherries and apples. The more you know. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/354 "2012-07-04T03:24:40Z")
> [@ugly ripe tomato](#): > > I usually tell the more obnoxious ones that if they’ll eat a whole bowl of [czarnina](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/duck-soup-czarnina/) in my presence then I’ll eat their boiled, stinky giant bugs. No takers so far 😃 Sounds good to me, my tomato-soup! You realize, I hope, that _tomato_ goes into that, as well as duck’s blood. I’ll refrain from mentioning what happens after that, to spare my snookums from thinking about it…, but there you are… Nom, nom, nom. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/355 "2012-07-04T04:02:56Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I don’t mean to make a “political” statement of it > [@Mister Rik](#): > > But I don’t think it’s surprising that a political mindset that encourages being “special” would attract people who want to _appear_ “special”. F- ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/356 "2012-07-04T04:04:12Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Sounds good to me, my tomato-soup! You realize, I hope, that _tomato_ goes into that, as well as duck’s blood. I’ll refrain from mentioning what happens after that, to spare my snookums from thinking about it…, but there you are… Nom, nom, nom. Yeah, I’d eat that. But then I tried black pudding when I was in England and found it to be delicious. Blood is just another ingredient, really. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/357 "2012-07-04T04:24:38Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Sounds good to me, my tomato-soup! You realize, I hope, that _tomato_ goes into that,… OMG, I just _read_ the recipe. No Tomato!!! That isn’t _real_ duck’s-blood soup! It _needs_ some tomato. Preferably an ugly ripe one. Without that, I refuse to eat it! Fuck that shit. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/358 "2012-07-04T05:11:10Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Yeah, I’d eat that. But then I tried black pudding when I was in England and found it to be delicious. Blood is just another ingredient, really. it’s in every bit of meat you eat, just that BP has a lot more…mmmmmm blood. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/359 "2012-07-04T05:14:37Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I’ve mentioned this before in other threads, but it’s worth mentioning again: In my six years of working in catering conventions and other large-group meals, there is a clear, definite pattern. I don’t mean to make a “political” statement of it, but I’ve consistently seen how “liberal-leaning” groups (Democratic party functions, environmental groups, domestic violence activists, teachers, etc.) tend to be chock full of “allergy sufferers”, while “conservative-leaning” groups (Republican groups, NRA supporters, military-related organizations, etc.) tend to have _considerably_ fewer and generally eat whatever we’ve made for them without questions. I don’t suppose it has ever occurred to you that military groups do not take people with food allergies or special dietary requirements so it’s _no wonder_ that members of military organizations would have few to no people with those conditions? It’s another selected group. That alone skews your observation, so drop the quotes around “food allergies” because it’s a real condition. Yeah, there are obnoxious fakers but the real deal does exist. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/360 "2012-07-04T05:21:01Z")
I try to avoid eating anything that breaths air. I"m going to a BBQ tomorrow. The host and hostess know how I eat, so I will get BBQ portabela mushrooms. (with blue cheese, tomatoes and lettuce on sourdough bread…totally yummy) I know that I’ll be happily eating and people will wonder why I’m being punished by just getting fungus to eat. Someone will mention it and then there will be a long conversation about what is wrong with me that I don’t eat meat. Others will complain that my mushrooms were cooked on a grill that has also been used to cook meat. It happens every year. I just finished making German potato salad to bring and will buy a case of beer. The big thing is that I know what is expected in advance. Nobody told me to bring anything, and I know that the host and hostess would be happy to see me if I arrived empty handed and hungry. If I had shown up for a meal and was asked for money, I would have just left the wine or beer and left. No more parties at that home. This is what is normal for that party. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=19)