# 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:** 19
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/361 "2012-07-04T05:37:20Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > 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”. I don’t think it’s that, it’s just the left-wing version of anti-science wingnuts. Instead of creationists and AGW deniers you have people that think food heated to over 118 degrees is bad for you and listen to every food fad from earnest 30 year old women who were art majors in college and went back to school to study [hushed tone]Nutrition[/hushed tone]. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/362 "2012-07-04T06:17:34Z")
> [@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. > [@fifty-six](#): > > 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 think that’s part of it, but I think the other part is the nature of the jobs those people are doing. I really don’t like mushrooms, but if I come home after 10 - 12 hours of hard work and somebody sets a bowl of mushrooms in front of me I’ll scarf 'em down like there’s no tomorrow. Mmmmm, calories… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/363 "2012-07-04T07:18:26Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > That’s another thing. How the hell am I supposed to back up an _opinion_ with a cite? While I know **Guin** can be annoying when she decides to hound you, this is going too far. What you said is something that very well could have been cited. I’d say it wasn’t an opinion, but the reality is that there are two different things people mean when they use the word. One kind can’t be proven, the other kind merely hasn’t been. Your opinion is of the latter category. ---
**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, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/364 "2012-07-04T07:22:25Z")
Well it sure is something, becasue there is a stark difference between peoples eating habits out in remote work camps and cozy affluent little towns. In my observations food allergies and political lines correlate. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/365 "2012-07-04T13:04:59Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Uh, isn’t there an entire lifestyle devoted to not eating meat? tbf, as a vegetarian, the absolute best meal I’ve had is steak. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/366 "2012-07-04T13:15:48Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > I think that’s part of it, but I think the other part is the nature of the jobs those people are doing. I really don’t like mushrooms, but if I come home after 10 - 12 hours of hard work and somebody sets a bowl of mushrooms in front of me I’ll scarf 'em down like there’s no tomorrow. Mmmmm, calories… There’s a huge difference between not liking a food and being allergic or sensitive to it. I don’t like shrimp, or really any other shellfish I’ve ever tried. If I was really starving hungry, I’d scarf them down and I wouldn’t suffer any negative consequences. Usually, though, most places that serve shellfish, even the ones that specialize in fish and seafood, will at least have a couple of chicken choices. Now if the chicken is heavily peppered and the shellfish isn’t, and I need to eat, then I’d eat the shellfish in preference to the chicken, even though I would find the chicken far tastier. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/367 "2012-07-04T13:30:17Z")
> [@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 have issues with not feeding guests to my home, I will try to find something to give you, even if it is nothing more than a glass of water. And I get very aphasic with a bad migraine [I can have several levels of migraine from not too bad that is blinding pain with light sensitivity and sound sensitivity all the way through bad enough to want to blow my head off to make the pain stop with vomiting up everything down to my toenails.] I firmly believe that some migraines are definitely linked to some form of seizure activity. I have had post migraine aphasia stick around for 3 days once. > [@fifty-six](#): > > 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. I like the challenge of cooking for a bunch of my friends, we range from basic food allergies through one guy who is allergic to anything corn based, one friend who has some condition where lots of different foods cause bladder problems [like caffeine, some other foods cause the lining to swell like a histamine reaction], one who is currently having a systemic fungus issue and her meds react with certain foods … I joke that I should just give everybody a bag of ringers lactate and a bottle of vitamins. > [@fumster](#): > > I don’t think it’s that, it’s just the left-wing version of anti-science wingnuts. Instead of creationists and AGW deniers you have people that think food heated to over 118 degrees is bad for you and listen to every food fad from earnest 30 year old women who were art majors in college and went back to school to study [hushed tone]Nutrition[/hushed tone]. For real fun, you should lurk on some of the extreme food lists - back in the days of usenet, I was a member of [cant really remember the actual name] alt raw foods [?] back when you could get the list in your email box and respond to it via email. It was _amazing_ the crap that went on in it. [I got into it because I wanted an atkins list and maybe it was just alt foods or something that morphed to a membership of flakes into raw foods?] I got into a shitstorm of argument because they were absolutely adamant that wheat is poison unless it is cooked and I pointed out that as a kid I spent plenty of time wandering around and snacking on raw wheat and oats grabbed on the way through the fields behind our cottage on the way into the woods to muck around away from adults. :rolleyes: But for general amusement, watching the monkeys flinging poo at each other is a blast. That was also early internet, and I remembebr seeing the webpage of a guy that made up this huge calculated raw ‘salad’ at the beginning of the week and eating it 3 meals a day. There was a picture of him on the page and I swear that people fresh out of Auschwitz had more fat on them than that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/368 "2012-07-04T13:47:35Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > 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. My grandma didn’t put tomato in her blood soup. You calling Grandma a liar, boy??? :mad: Just for that I’m gonna top mine off with some[**Cheshire** cheese.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheshire_cheese) Mmm, Cheshire. nom nom nom ---
**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 4, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/369 "2012-07-04T14:16:32Z")
> [@ugly ripe tomato](#): > > My grandma didn’t put tomato in her blood soup. You calling Grandma a liar, boy??? :mad: > > Just for that I’m gonna top mine off with some[**Cheshire** cheese.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheshire_cheese) Mmm, Cheshire. nom nom nom I don’t think you two are taking this arguing on the internet seriously enough. ---
**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, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/370 "2012-07-04T14:19:01Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > I think that’s part of it, but I think the other part is the nature of the jobs those people are doing. I really don’t like mushrooms, but if I come home after 10 - 12 hours of hard work and somebody sets a bowl of mushrooms in front of me I’ll scarf 'em down like there’s no tomorrow. Mmmmm, calories… I don’t think you quite get it. I don’t like pork or calimari, but if I was doing 10-12 hours of hard labor and that’s what was for dinner yeah, I’d eat it and no complaints. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter how hungry I am - if I eat something with tomato in it I’ll turn into a medical emergency. It’s not about preference when it’s a true medical problem. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/371 "2012-07-04T15:05:15Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s not about preference when it’s a true medical problem. I don’t think anyone doubts there are real food allergies that are potentially life threatening. It’s just when you see yet another person that says they are allergic to the fad of the month it gets tiresome. Believe it or not, there was a time when you could go out to eat and each person at the table didn’t have to grill the waiter for 5 minutes on what was in each dish on the menu. You could plan a dinner party and only have to accommodate the occasional vegetarian or person didn’t eat pork, rather than juggling pescetarian, ovo lacto vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, no dairy, and god knows what else. All of a sudden the standby dishes like quiche that were enjoyed by both vegetarians and meat-eaters are land mines: cheese, milk, and wheat. ---
**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, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/372 "2012-07-04T15:42:50Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I don’t think you two are taking this arguing on the internet seriously enough. We try, but we’re just not any _good_ at it. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/373 "2012-07-04T16:10:43Z")
I like bread, I eat bread, it gives me indigestion if mixed with beer. I don’t think it’s an \* allergy\* just an upset tummy if I have too much. Allergies kill or cause anaphylactic shock in 1-3 reactions per 10000 population per annum, upset tummys cause odd smells in the toilet. They are different. Many people get upset tummys but don’t make a song and dance about it; you wouldn’t get all ‘freaky’ if someone near you came into work with a cold, potentially spreading a bit of congestion and discomfort your way would you? :rolleyes: And you know when you go out to a place where they serve you food? See those other people (aka ‘customers’) also eating at that place? A restaurant is not your personal chef! that is all ---
**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, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/374 "2012-07-04T17:50:33Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I like bread, I eat bread, it gives me indigestion if mixed with beer. I don’t think it’s an \* allergy\* just an upset tummy if I have too much. Perhaps it’s due to a reaction with the yeast? (I know you can make bread using beer, so maybe that’s it) ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/375 "2012-07-04T23:03:33Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Perhaps it’s due to a reaction with the yeast? (I know you can make bread using beer, so maybe that’s it) I think it could be that or carbs and the gas in the beer. I can eat protein and drink beer or eat a cheese sandwich with coke or water, white bread gives me much worse gas than wholemeal. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/376 "2012-07-06T16:44:01Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Many people get upset tummys but don’t make a song and dance about it I’ve got some kind of weird condition where my leg pretty much turned into putty overnight. The doctor looking at it said he’d seen similar fractures when people had fallen three stories or been run over by trucks. I’ve also had migraines (only realised what they were thanks to this thread - my head really hurt and I couldn’t articulate my thoughts). Neither was more painful than a serious stomach condition of some sort, where I couldn’t even keep down half a glass of water. I just hope I don’t ever get kidney stones 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/377 "2012-07-07T13:25:26Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > There’s a huge difference between not liking a food and being allergic or sensitive to it. I don’t like shrimp, or really any other shellfish I’ve ever tried. If I was really starving hungry, I’d scarf them down and I wouldn’t suffer any negative consequences. Usually, though, most places that serve shellfish, even the ones that specialize in fish and seafood, will at least have a couple of chicken choices. > > Now if the chicken is heavily peppered and the shellfish isn’t, and I need to eat, then I’d eat the shellfish in preference to the chicken, even though I would find the chicken far tastier. Or you could be a little more assertive and ask for the chicken (which is what you really want) to be prepared without seasoning, then season it to your taste/needs. I’d rather open my mouth and politely ask for what I want and get it than to whine on a message board about how unfair it is that I can’t find food I can eat when I eat out. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/378 "2012-07-07T15:27:52Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Or you could be a little more assertive and ask for the chicken (which is what you really want) to be prepared without seasoning, then season it to your taste/needs. Well sure but where’s the fun in that? You should get dinner with my Mom sometime. She is sensitive to tomatoes, onions, garlic, citrus and a few other things plus she is diabetic. She is a total pain in the ass to the cook/waiter but is totally nice and apologetic about it when she is ordering. She realizes that she’s the one with the issues and doesn’t blame the whole rest of the universe for them. Oddly enough, she eats meals out frequently and almost never has problems. I think it’s the politeness and lack of a sense of entitlement. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/379 "2012-07-07T15:54:19Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Now if the chicken is heavily peppered and the shellfish isn’t, and I need to eat, then I’d eat the shellfish in preference to the chicken, even though I would find the chicken far tastier. You’ve mentioned this quite a bit throughout this thread, this pepper thing. What places are you going that all the food on the menu is heavily peppered? I can’t think of any place, chain or local mom & pop restaurant, that lays on the pepper that heavily. Some dishes have a little pepper, sure, but pouring it on everything? I’ve never seen it. ---
**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 7, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/380 "2012-07-07T16:04:38Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > You’ve mentioned this quite a bit throughout this thread, this pepper thing. What places are you going that all the food on the menu is heavily peppered? I can’t think of any place, chain or local mom & pop restaurant, that lays on the pepper that heavily. Some dishes have a little pepper, sure, but pouring it on everything? I’ve never seen it. Having cooked in both chain restaurants and in local “mom and pop” restaurants, I can confirm that there are many items served in chain restaurants that _arrive_ at the restaurant pre-seasoned, and there’s nothing the cooks can do about it. And the cooks usually don’t know exactly what’s in it. The cooks can control what _they_ add, but have no control over pre-seasoning. **Lynn** mentioned Applebee’s; I haven’t worked there myself, but cooks I’ve talked to who _have_ worked there have told me that almost everything on the Applebee’s menu comes pre-made and the cooks do little more than heat it up and plate it. I can’t confirm how much they may have been exaggerating. Non-chains are better in that regard, since they usually do the seasoning on-site, while the food is being prepared, and probably have some unseasoned chicken available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=20)