# Is it really common not to have one's choices of not eating some kinds of food respected? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176 "2010-09-09T14:07:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/121 "2010-09-14T18:01:50Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > > [@MsRobyn](#): > > > > As a teetotaler, I get that a LOT. My in-laws are notorious for that. I’ve lived close to them for 8 years, and in all of the times I’ve had dinner with them, I’ve never had an alcoholic beverage. Ever. Yet either in-law (but mostly my father-in-law) will offer me a drink. I’m sure that, in their own minds, they’re being polite, but it’s just thoughtlessness. It’s to the point where I do not enjoy going over for holidays or other occasions where alcohol would be offered. > > Seriously? Your in-laws politely offer you a drink (and you acknowledge they are being polite) when you go over there, and you presumably politely turn it down, and this exchange is so harrowing that it makes you not want to spend the holidays in their home? Wow. After 8 years of never ONCE accepting I get it. It’s not that the statement is impolite, it’s that they aren’t thinking of HER. I don’t drink coffee or beer and yet every single time my FIL wants one he trys to ensure everyone has one in their hand. My MIL on the other hand prepares when she knows I’m going to be there by having diet coke or soda water on hand. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/122 "2010-09-14T18:13:25Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I think most hunters will tell you the same. I actually suspect you’ll find more “meat eater’s guilt” amongst people that _only_ eat mass produced meat. Growing up so close to the reality of it made me very cognizant of what I was eating from day one. A substantial number of the people who seem to take it personally or even verbally attack me for being vegan _claim_ to be hunters, but I suppose it’s entirely possible – even likely, given how worked up they can get – that they’re liars. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/123 "2010-09-14T18:13:51Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yeah, I was pretty pissed off about it myself for quite awhile, but this is an example of quirky human psychology. > > See, the host had been _very careful_ to avoid canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. in all the food. No tomato in the salad, for example. So far so good. But in this area people don’t say “tomato ketchup” they just say “ketchup”, there are several brands of it I can think of that _don’t_ show a tomato on the label, and while, if people _really_ think about it they’ll remember ketchup is made from tomatoes, the connection isn’t as strong if you’re in a hurry, distracted, or just not used to being so damned careful. I’ve also run into this problem with people not making the connection between cocktail sauce and tomatoes. If the word “tomato” isn’t in the name it becomes easier for the mistake to be made. > > People with dairy allergies run into this, too - people will eliminate cheese and milk from something, but then put yogurt in. Or they won’t make the connection between “whey” and “dairy”. I keep kosher, and I run into this too. This is why some people who are vegetarian or keep kosher will quiz the waiter in a restaurant “Is this vegetarian? Does it have chicken stock?” and so on. Some people just don’t mentally classify chicken stock as meat. I think this is getting better over time, but you still run into some amazingly clueless people out there. It’s not an easy thing to learn, either. I went from making a point of not reading food labels (if it was good, it probably had something I’d rather not know about in it) to keeping kosher. It took me about a year to learn. I like to think I’m a reasonably intelligent person, and that this is just hard if you’re not used to it. So I’ve got a fair bit of sympathy for people who are more like I used to be. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/124 "2010-09-14T18:16:00Z")
Some of you people in this thread know some rude motherfuckers. Then again, some of you strike me as…less than gracious as well. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/125 "2010-09-14T22:40:39Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, I get your point, but how else am I supposed to say it? I usually just politely say that I don’t like seafood (and if I’m out with a group: “But you guys are more than welcome to eat up!”- I’ll even compliment that their food looks nice, blah blah). Then the 20 questions starts. If pressed, I’ll say I’ve tried _a lot_ of seafood in my life and don’t like the flavor. Then, “BUT WHY DON’T YOU LIKE THE FLAVOR? WHAT SPECIFICALLY???” Thus, fishy. Oh. If they’re being that nosy, fishy is absolutely not how you want to describe the taste of seafood. I do believe the descriptor you’re looking for is “like vomit.” If they’re being especially dreadful, you’ll want to describe the exact food being vomited up, paying careful attention to the color, texture, and taste changes. They’ll stop asking you these sorts of questions soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/126 "2010-09-14T23:08:39Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > > > Don’t get me wrong, I get your point, but how else am I supposed to say it? I usually just politely say that I don’t like seafood (and if I’m out with a group: “But you guys are more than welcome to eat up!”- I’ll even compliment that their food looks nice, blah blah). Then the 20 questions starts. If pressed, I’ll say I’ve tried _a lot_ of seafood in my life and don’t like the flavor. Then, “BUT WHY DON’T YOU LIKE THE FLAVOR? WHAT SPECIFICALLY???” Thus, fishy. > > Oh. If they’re being that nosy, fishy is absolutely not how you want to describe the taste of seafood. I do believe the descriptor you’re looking for is “like vomit.” If they’re being especially dreadful, you’ll want to describe the exact food being vomited up, paying careful attention to the color, texture, and taste changes. > > They’ll stop asking you these sorts of questions soon enough. I tried to explain that… ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/127 "2010-09-14T23:19:04Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > > > I think most hunters will tell you the same. I actually suspect you’ll find more “meat eater’s guilt” amongst people that _only_ eat mass produced meat. Growing up so close to the reality of it made me very cognizant of what I was eating from day one. > > A substantial number of the people who seem to take it personally or even verbally attack me for being vegan _claim_ to be hunters, but I suppose it’s entirely possible – even likely, given how worked up they can get – that they’re liars. I suspect most hunters don’t have guilt, but I also suspect most hunters actually have thought less about their relationship with the animal than I have. My dad not only didn’t have guilt, I don’t think the thought ever once crossed his mind that “hey, I just killed something.” Now obviously he knew that he had just killed something, but the _thought_ of even giving that a second thought never would have entered his mind. It was just something he did. To be honest though I’m probably a bad barometer for most hunters, my hunting experience and experience in rural Virginia in general happened in abject, extreme poverty. We weren’t subsistence hunters or anything, but the money we saved by getting some of our meals from wild game had a _real_ and meaningful impact on my family. I’m probably not a very similar creature to the sport hunters or the guys who didn’t pick up hunting until later in life and do it mostly as a social thing. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/128 "2010-09-14T23:24:05Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > A substantial number of the people who seem to take it personally or even verbally attack me for being vegan _claim_ to be hunters, but I suppose it’s entirely possible – even likely, given how worked up they can get – that they’re liars. Oh and for the record I think veganism is a weird, artificial diet. However, I don’t really care one way or the other about it. I also think the diet of pretty much the entire world (mine included) is weird and artificial. I’m _not_ some sort of raw food type, but I do find a lot of “sense” in the things I’ve read that say humans just plain aren’t meant to eat the stuff we eat. Growing all those cereal grains, eating all that processed food, all that livestock that is bred for maximum size and force fed things they would never eat in the wild and etc etc. When I eat venison or wild turkey it really does stand in stark contrast to the mass farmed meat I usually eat. Wild turkey especially, it’s so different from the _massive_ turkeys that are force fed and bred to enormous sizes. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy a good Thanksgiving turkey, but I think there is a lot to be said for eating animals that “live naturally and eat naturally.” In the aggregate the fact that pretty much all of humans now eat a heavily processed diet is probably weird and unnatural. Even in places where you don’t have all the frozen foods and such that we have in America, most food is coming from agriculture on a large scale. I understand it gets all 6 billion of us fed, but people weren’t chowing down on tons of rice, wheat, etc 15,000 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/129 "2010-09-14T23:47:07Z")
The meat guilt thing is one of those Freudian ‘you’re in denial’ issues. The concept is meaningless because theres no way you can prove you arent. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/130 "2010-09-15T00:01:59Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Wild turkey especially, it’s so different from the _massive_ turkeys that are force fed and bred to enormous sizes. It’s more the breeding than it is force-feeding, as I understand it. I read years ago that a specific mutation or suite of mutations produced the round-bodied, bulky, supposedly stupid domestic bird we know today. Body comparison [here](http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/how-domestication-has-affected-the-turkey/), modern domestic vs wild. I can’t find reference to a “single event” at the moment, but there’s an interesting page on the domestic turkey [here](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/turkeytech/), that claims that the spread of artificial insemination techniques coincides with the inflation of the modern domestic. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/131 "2010-09-15T01:54:06Z")
I won’t eat goose pate though, usually, as what they do to the poor goose sounds pretty cruel. ---
**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:** [September 15, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/132 "2010-09-15T04:08:39Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Some of you people in this thread know some rude motherfuckers. > Then again, some of you strike me as…less than gracious as well. Perhaps there’s a reason people are “less than gracious”. (You should read some of the “foodie” threads, castigating picky eaters for what babies they are) It’s insane. If I don’t want to eat something, I won’t eat it. Hey – it’s more for you. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/133 "2010-09-15T04:31:36Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > It’s more the breeding than it is force-feeding, as I understand it. I read years ago that a specific mutation or suite of mutations produced the round-bodied, bulky, supposedly stupid domestic bird we know today. > > Body comparison [here](http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/how-domestication-has-affected-the-turkey/), modern domestic vs wild. > > I can’t find reference to a “single event” at the moment, but there’s an interesting page on the domestic turkey [here](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/turkeytech/), that claims that the spread of artificial insemination techniques coincides with the inflation of the modern domestic. Yeah. I do want to say though, that while I definitely consider our modern food supply to be out of whack with what we would normally be eating if we never invented agriculture(and I’ve read in some places that our diet immediately pre-agriculture was the healthiest it has ever been), I’m not advocating massive changes. I agree very much with what Norman Borlagh said, if you get rid of all the things we do to increase agricultural efficiency, you also need to get rid of about 2-3 billion people that can be fed because of said efficiency. Even if everyone totally grew everything “organic” and non-GM, there’s still the fact that we’re relying on agriculture, lots of grains and etc. To truly get back to our immediate pre-agricultural state we’d have to eat a mixed diet of fruits, some vegetables that would have been found naturally, and whatever wild game we could find. It’s obvious humans wouldn’t be able to have the society we have today if we still had to get all of our food that way. I recognize it as a trade off, we gave up the relatively balanced nutrition that at least some human tribes had immediately pre-agriculture, in exchange we can have vast, complex societies. What we eat may be bad for us, but the tradeoff (the society) has resulted in us being able to develop things like modern medicine which ultimately allow us to make net gains in life expectancy despite what we eat. Of course, there are also sustainable changes that can be made that we could live with, that would help to get our diets at least moderately back in shape. I’m all in favor of those in theory. In practice I like the bad foods just as much as the good, and have reached an age where I’m comfortable with that fact. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/134 "2010-09-15T05:58:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think that covers most cicrcumstances, except coffee. I don’t like coffee. I can’t understand why anybody likes coffee. Coffee is warming, stimulating, richly-flavored, and possessing deep, complex aromas that rival wine and chocolate. It can be as simple as a morning brew from grounds or as complex as espresso made from beans of a known origin roasted and ground on-site. Finally, like so many of the finer things, it can either be awful or ambrosial, making the hunt for the good stuff that much more satisfying. > [@](#): > > It’s not like lima beans which everybody hates. Hey, don’t go projecting your irrational hatreds onto me! I don’t exactly _love_ the beans, but I do enjoy them and I always thought they’ve gotten a bad rap, like brussels sprouts and broccoli, both of which I like a lot more. > [@](#): > > Some people actually like drinking coffee. I haven’t found them to be that pushy though. You don’t want it? More for me! ALL FOR ME! ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/135 "2010-09-15T06:20:09Z")
I don’t know if it happens in the US, but in Asia I have a constant battle with people who think I should be eating _more_. They can’t believe I don’t want more than one bowl of rice. “But you’re so big!” It wouldn’t be so irksome if it were out of genuine solicitude, but more often it’s part of the “face” dog and pony show where people you hardly know claim (later, indirectly and through your loved ones) to be insulted and humiliated if you don’t conform to their unspoken expectations to the exact letter. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/136 "2010-09-15T06:24:10Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > The thing is, _it’s rude for you to notice that I scraped the mushrooms off._ It is! Obviously I was being discreet about it (I mean, if I’d said, “Oh, ewww. MUSHROOMS!” then that would be a different story, but that’s not what we’re talking about) and it’s a social bandage. It’s like how at a nice dinner we all pretend you didn’t fart. I am not a picky eater, and if I knew it would hurt your feelings because you don’t have the sense to not notice that I scraped them off I would have eaten them. Maybe even liked them. But I don’t _prefer_ them, is all. And how am I supposed to NOT notice? I’m not talking about “not say anything”, which I wouldn’t and **Lazz** didn’t, but when I’m piling the plates up to take them away, of course I notice which ones are scrubbed clean and which ones have food left, and which food is left and how it is distributed. What am I supposed to do, close my eyes while I clean up the table? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/137 "2010-09-15T06:52:25Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > The thing is, _it’s rude for you to notice that I scraped the mushrooms off._ It is! Obviously I was being discreet about it (I mean, if I’d said, “Oh, ewww. MUSHROOMS!” then that would be a different story, but that’s not what we’re talking about) and it’s a social bandage. It’s like how at a nice dinner we all pretend you didn’t fart. I am not a picky eater, and if I knew it would hurt your feelings because you don’t have the sense to not notice that I scraped them off I would have eaten them. Maybe even liked them. But I don’t _prefer_ them, is all. > > And how am I supposed to NOT notice? I’m not talking about “not say anything” I’m pretty sure that’s what **Zsofia** meant by “not noticing”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/138 "2010-09-15T09:54:09Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > The thing is, _it’s rude for you to notice that I scraped the mushrooms off._ It is! Obviously I was being discreet about it (I mean, if I’d said, “Oh, ewww. MUSHROOMS!” then that would be a different story, but that’s not what we’re talking about) and it’s a social bandage. It’s like how at a nice dinner we all pretend you didn’t fart. I am not a picky eater, and if I knew it would hurt your feelings because you don’t have the sense to not notice that I scraped them off I would have eaten them. Maybe even liked them. But I don’t _prefer_ them, is all. > > And how am I supposed to NOT notice? The same way you don’t notice the fact your guest has a hairy mole on his chin, or has managed to get a fragment of cilantro stuck between her teeth: You ignore it completely in the name of good social graces and allowing everyone to enjoy the meal. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/139 "2010-09-15T12:32:03Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > **Diosa** , I know what you mean. I also hate fish because it tastes like, uh…fish. I have on occasion had people try to tell me that I can eat fish because fish isn’t meat! So it’s allowed for vegetarians to eat it! I just explain that I don’t _like_ fish so it’s really not going to happen. > > That way I don’t have to get myself worked up about how there isn’t a vegetarian “doctrine” that I’m following, with foods that I’m allowed and not allowed to eat, and that I wouldn’t be breaking any “rules” by eating fish because there aren’t any rules to vegetarianism. It’s not a freaking religion, it’s a dietary choice! If I say I don’t eat fish, I don’t eat fish, and trying to convince me that it’s not meat and therefore doesn’t “count” in some way is actually _really annoying_. Are you me? I don’t eat fish regardless of flavor because I’m a vegetarian, but way back when before I was a vegetarian, I still didn’t eat fish or any seafood because it’s GROSS. I’ve had people try to argue me into eating it with this stupid argument, too, not comprehending that A) I PERSONALLY find it immoral regardless of your definition and B) even if I didn’t, I thinks it tastes nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176/140 "2010-09-15T13:03:52Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > > [@Nava](#): > > > > And how am I supposed to NOT notice? I’m not talking about “not say anything” > > I’m pretty sure that’s what **Zsofia** meant by “not noticing”. > [@Derleth](#): > > > [@Nava](#): > > > > And how am I supposed to NOT notice? > > The same way you don’t notice the fact your guest has a hairy mole on his chin, or has managed to get a fragment of cilantro stuck between her teeth: You ignore it completely in the name of good social graces and allowing everyone to enjoy the meal. Then **Zsofia** went a bit overboard in failing to notice that “I didn’t say anything” was already written by the person who’d brought up the issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-really-common-not-to-have-ones-choices-of-not-eating-some-kinds-of-food-respected/553176.md?page=8)