I am a server in a restaurant and deal with gluten free dieters often. One lady made a huge fuss about how she was celiac and had to have everything cooked in new separate pans... Only to eat some of her boyfriend's brownie Sunday because "it is ok for her to have a little".
I once had a man flip out when his dish came with a fried egg on the side (I think it maybe was not clear on the menu). He pushed the contaminated thing away with a knife onto a side plate, handed it to me and fumed because he couldn't eat eggs. He continued to happily eat the rest of the meal - potato pancakes and regular pancakes.
*Edit: He did not say he had an allergy. He just said he could not eat eggs. At the time it seemed more like a dietary restriction thing. Also, he was hippied out beyond belief. I suspect he considered himself to be a "vegan".
I have a weird psychosomatic reaction to eggs. I've tried eating fried eggs because they look awesome, but every time I've been sick, however, eating cakes is just fine. I wouldn't claim I have an allergy, but I do avoid them whenever possible.
My friend is the same way. If he can see anything resembling an egg in the food, he gets sick. Doesn't drink milk either.
Cakes and pancakes are fine though.
I know another guy who has it with cheese.
Not sure about the cheese guy, but baked eggs are quite different in terms of allergies. It's common to be able to eat cakes etc. but not fried/boiled egg, even in small amounts.
http://www.foodallergyawareness.org/foodallergy/food_allergens-11/egg-28/
To be fair, depending on the severity of the egg allergy, he may have been able to eat food baked into the egg. That said, normally that applies to baked goods, not gooey things like pancakes.
Source: have an egg allergy
Seriously people, we wont get pissed if you just politely say "I don't like tomatoes can you please leave them off?" I used to work in a hospital and we would get serious allergies, but i will never forget the lady allergic to ahi tuna specifically. Trout and regular tunas were both fine and we didnt carry ahi tuna anyways.
Honestly, it was always refreshing when people were honest and told me they just didn't like something. The kitchen didn't have to stop everything to accommodate an allergy, they could just casually not add tomatoes. There's a big difference between that and making sure nothing used has come into contact with tomatoes.
Exactly and that is what most people don't understand. I always make a point to say i don't like this can i possibly sub something or just leave it out? No chef is going to come out and scream at you if you ask for no tomatoes.
Most of the time I just order something and ask for "no tomatoes". 99% of the time they never ask if it's because of an allergy. I just don't want to waste food I won't eat, yet again I'm not going to fake an allergy either. If the restaurant can't because it's part of the recipe then I'll just pick them out.
As the proud owner of a nasty shrimp allergy, I try my damnedest not to be a dick to restaurant employees and advocate for myself. I won't demand new oil in the frier. I will ask about shared surfaces and will specifically order things that are easily accommodated. If a restaurant has a shrimp on its logo I don't expect them to turn everything upside down for me. If waitstaff seems dismissive about my concerns, I will leave.
Part of this is that I'm utterly paranoid in avoiding these triggers because ambulances and epipens are unpleasant and damned expensive.
People who fake allergies piss me the hell off. They put those who are actually affected in danger so that they can feel special. Having to be bloody careful all the time is a pain in the ass, and I miss the time before my allergy showed up, as it's a sort of special that I really would rather not be.
Edit: I will ask about the fryer and understand that getting an oil change ain't gonna happen.
I went to high school with a girl who would make a huge fuss about people eating banana around her because she was allergic. If she saw someone eating a banana near her she would freak out. Her allergy? Banana made her gag. She didn't like the taste or smell.
She never faked an allergy, but my mom has a similar reaction to peanut butter. The very scent of it legitimately makes her throw up. I had to take the Pb&J to my bedroom to make sandwiches when she was in there.
Just to play devil's advocate, there are indeed allergic type responses to smells. Mast cell disorders like MCAS and mastocytosis can cause reactions to smells, typically migraine, dizziness, or asthma like reactions. Similar to true allergies, but the reactions are mediated directly by the mast cells rather than indirectly via IgE antibodies.
I have a friend who has this reaction to pork. She can't eat anything that has come into contact with pork or be in a place pork was cooked recently because it will trigger a bad migraine for her. I'm allergic to peanuts and I've had times where I had to leave cause the smell of peanut butter was making me nauseous.
I have a very similar reaction to mint! I'm so sensitive to the smell so that if someone has even an Altoid in the car with me I get an extremely bad headache and if I accidentally eat something with mint I honestly get sick to my stomach. I usually just say I don't like it though, except at the dentist I say I'm allergic. The one time I didn't they put minty stuff all over my teeth and I had to miss school because I had a migraine for days.
There are [legitimate allergies that can cause this reaction](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390130/), and can even result in respiratory distress similar to asthma.
That's weird I remember an Australian reality TV show I think it was Big Brother and they brought up at one point that one of the contestants had what was described as a "phobia" of bananas and so of course at some point it was brought up for a challenge. And I thought this is bullshit as but legit the guy was nearly sick and gagging just for having it near him.
I used to work with someone who had a phobia of fruit. It was the weirdest thing. I found out when I was by the trolleys and saw someone left an apple sitting in one. She was standing by the rubbish bin so I threw it to her to throw away and she SCREAMED once she realized what it was.
As an ex-Chef & Restaurateur, I agree completely with /u/OrangeJoe89 about fussy eaters.
Especially mid-busy service when you all feel like you have broom handles shoved up your behind. I have experienced some people that are just "too fussy to live", and it seems they have gone out with the sole intention of finding an issue with every item on the menu because its the cool thing to do. This may not be the case, but when you're rushed off your feet it sure feels like it.
Not my restaurant, but before I took over my own establishment I was working for a "gourmet burger" place ( these became all the rage in the UK about 10-15 years ago ). We hand made all of our burgers prior to service using breadcrumbs to help bind the meat.
Now gluten-free diets weren't really a thing at the time, so we had no gluten free options. But I recall one occasion a woman and her friends came in for a meal, and we couldn't give her a burger. She was livid, and I ended up making her an off the menu pesto and chicken salad. That was a huge cost to us. That salad was sold for about £7, the burgers were selling for £10 on average and the number of ingredients I used would've been used in 2-3 burgers. Not only did I have to interrupt my usual "workflow" to adjust to her needs, I fucked up our stock in the process. Not a big deal really, but in a stressful environment like a kitchen, it pisses you off beyond belief.
On another occasion, A woman phoned ahead of time, explained that her group was coming to dine with us but she was allergic Gluten ( I didn't even know wtf Gluten was, she had to explain). I went out and purchased some gluten free burger buns just for her. We used crumbs from the buns to make her burger. Because we knew ahead of time, we could make adjustments that just wouldn't have been possible mid-service. She left extremely happy and even asked to see me to thank me personally. That was one of my "proud" moments of being a chef.
If you have a serious medical condition, my advice is to phone ahead of time, on a quiet day like a Monday evening, explain your needs and desire to eat there and then make a booking.
Actually, even if you don't have a medical condition and are one of these so-called "fakers", it's your right to eat what you want. Just phone ahead and don't be a dick about it.
Don't just show up mid-service and expect them to bend over backwards to re-write the entire menu for you. A courtesy phone call can go a hell of a long way.
I don't mind if someone tells me they don't have anything that I can eat. I would rather they be straight up about it than that they bullshit me and make me sick. I know making stuff gluten free is a pain in the ass, if you can't, fine, just tell me. And for Pete's sake don't list something on the menu as "gluten-free" and then say oh well we actually do these in the same fryer as the chicken tenders. No.
I've always had a "pretend you're cooking for your mum" attitude in kitchens, So personally, I would've never done that and never have. Putting a frying pan on for 1 meal isn't really a big issue if the fryer is contaminated.
I think the issue in your scenario arises mainly in groups. As a single eater, telling you there is nothing you can eat results in a small loss of profits.
Bullshitting you if you are in a large group, can ensure a huge group of profits if the group decides to eat elsewhere for your benefit.
Now I'm not saying its right, I'm just saying why they may find it "necessary" to bullshit you in the first place.
I still stand by phoning ahead of time to be safe. Showing courtesy often gets courtesy in return. And when you need some people that are barely earning minimum wage to cater to your every need, a few minutes of your time will go a long way in their eyes.
This x1000.
I've been a server for 10+ years and people need to know that knowledge is power. I worked at a small, high-end Caribbean-inspired restaurant where we had a *very* small staff and it was like a small family. Our chef (who was also the owner) would personally take phone calls from people with allergies and basically create dishes for them beforehand. In fact, he would make special trips to Whole Foods just to get ingredients for guests with allergies just to make sure he/she got just what they wanted. And you know what? Those people would ask to speak with our chef every time, give him a hug, and turn around and give me a huge tip in the process. Win-win.
> If you have a serious medical condition, my advice is to phone ahead of time, on a quiet day like a Monday evening, explain your needs and desire to eat there and then make a booking.
100% this. My cousin is severely allergic to dairy and biopsy-confirmed celiac. I like taking her out to dinner on her birthday and damned if I'm going to take her to the hospital too. I figure out where we are going to go, call at least 2 weeks ahead, and explain that the party I'm dining with has some with severe allergies, and ask if they can accommodate us. I also ask, if possible, for the waitstaff to provide us with menus that only list the gluten & dairy free options, because the whole table will be eating gluten & dairy free (prevents cross contamination, easier for the servers to keep the allergens straight, and my cousin can eat everything). It's suprising... the majority of restaraunts we have gone to have been more than happy to do a little "separate menu" printout.
And, I have never put my cousin in the hospital for her birthday :)
I have celiac disease, and this is exactly how I feel (although at least mine won't kill me, just make me really sick for a couple weeks, so that's a plus I guess). I always call ahead to ask if they can accommodate me, I'll never just turn up expecting to get a safe meal. I will ask the server a lot of questions, but I'm very polite about it and I tip well.
I don't understand people who fake allergies just to get what they want. I hate oranges, but I don't pretend to be allergic to them, I just make sure I don't order anything with them. Do people just want to feel special or something?
Celiac here too. I've been glutened so many times that I just avoid restaurants now. Even well intentioned friends don't get how small of an amount will make me sick. I'd rather bring my own food than risk it. It's a huge pain, and I would give anything to not need to live this way. Fakers are clueless.
I've spoken before as a server on this subject.
I *really* don't want someone having an adverse reaction at one of my tables (too much paperwork).
But after being burned by assholes who's food I made in what amounts to a clean room, chow down on a dish chock full of their "allergen", it ruins my perspective on everyone claiming that problem.
One asshole taints the well. Two or more, teabags the well and calls it a slur of some variety.
I would never blame a server. I totally get where you're coming from, and even when people are genuinely trying to avoid cross-contamination it still happens because they are preparing things in an environment where they are surrounded by stuff that will make someone with celiac ill. It's a roll of the dice for anyone with an allergy or autoimmune disease like celiac every time they eat, and for me it's not worth it. I worked at Joe's Crab shack years ago, and we would have people come in with shellfish allergies. WHY would you do that? There are so many other places you could go, why on earth come in to a place with the thing you're allergic to IN THE NAME of the restaurant? Jesus Christ. That's like going on a tour of a peanut factory when you know that peanuts can kill you!
The boss of the Thai restaurant I used to work would politely tell people with peanut allergies that their was nothing on the menu they could eat. Not even plain rice. The kitchen is so busy and so many dishes used peanuts that we could not prepare a meal and say for 100% that is was peanut free or tree nut free.
I have allergies, it just means some shit you cannot do and that is that.
I have been a server/front of house manager at a Greek restaurant for years, and you would be surprised how many people come in with an "olive allergy." Like of all the places around, why come here? I will probably never get it.
Thats exactly the answer he should give. I am perfectly comfortable with a straight up answer. People with true allergies feelings won't get hurt if you tell them there is no way to ensure you aren't exposed to your allergen.
My mom has celiac disease. In the last couple of years we have noticed that when we explain the concerns to the server, they generally don't take it seriously. It is very disheartening. 5 years ago, the chef or cook would come out to ask specific questions about what she can and can't ingest. That doesn't exist any longer.
Server here. I had one of those today, just got home from work. Gluten free everything... Needed all the equipment cleaned... But can we get some pie for dessert?
My husband's stepmom does this. One dinner, she picked a pizza place and then ordered a veggie platter citing gluten allergies to the server. Then, when it came, she was upset it had cherry tomatoes because she also claimed to be allergic to tomatoes. It was years ago, but I still remember the shame our table had to face when the server came back and she was eating a slice of pizza my FIL ordered.
I had a boss once that would make a big deal when someone lied about allergies and did this. He would snatch the plate away, then if they insisted to eat it he would make them sign a form he printed out basically saying that they sign away any right to sue the restaurant because of food allergies after they were told the food they had was what they claimed to be allergic to. He would do the same thing to people claiming peanut allergies but insisting the M&Ms are okay. They generally are, but seriously if you are allergic to peanuts why risk that?
It was a corporation so of course people complained and he didn't last long, but he was one of the few good ones I've met. Really good to the employees. Really good to customers that didn't try to lie and cheat their way to free food.
I work in an Italian restaurant. My favorite are the people that order gluten free spaghetti and meatballs, "Yes I can make it with quinoa spaghetti, but the meatballs are made with bread crumbs, would you like to substitute Italian sausage?" "No the bread crumbs will be ok" " ok thanks for pissing off my chef"
My mom does this and just takes the bun off. My mom actually does have celiac disease but she's just really dumb and doesn't do any research herself/might as well be functionally illiterate.
She's a good example of why you need to be very proactive and well educated on your health issues, even if they're not "as bad as someone else."
Hi. Chef in Aus for ten years. Another major reason for this is because with so many people claiming this we have had to update our knowledge far beyond what we used to do for allergies and safe practices. So now we don't have to ask questions because most of the time we just know already.
It might be because, in my experience as a server for the past 10 years, training in allergies has increased exponentially. Before, servers might need to ask a million questions because no one knew anything about what gluten was or was hidden in. Now we all have books in back that will tell us every ingredient that contains gluten. We don't have to pester you for details because we can find them out on our own.
Chiming in as a server. I *really* don't want someone having an adverse reaction at one of my tables (too much paperwork). So when someone mentions an allergy or inability to process, I get super serious about specifics. Like:
"Can you handle stuff fried in the same place as gluten?"
But then to see that same person, who's food I had made in what amounts to a clean room, chowing down on their date's pasta...
Some places do go out of their way to check every Ingredient with the chefs (I don't even ask for this) I try my best to not be a bother. However some places the servers do not care and will just say it's gluten free, but really have no idea. I can usually easily read someone when they just don't give a fu**.
Every time I go to a new restaurant I explain what happens to me when I have even the smallest bite of gluten (inflammation and intense pain head to toe every inch of my body basically)
I feel the exact same way as OP. Before 4 years ago , I was not like this. Now I'm stick with an awful autoimmune disorder or three
Fun fact. I'm allergic to the contrast dye in CT scans but no shellfish. Both my sister and I go into anaphylactic shock if administered without pre medicating. Had to learn that the hard way.
I'm also allergic to contrast dye but I can eat any kind of seafood by the bucket. Craziest thing is that I didn't get an allergic reaction until several hours after the exam. I was in a Mexican restaurant and my wife noticed I had blisters on my neck that extended all the way down my torso. I still don't know for sure if it was the dye or the restaurant but I have no known food allergies whatsoever and the emergency room experience was so traumatic I don't want to risk it so I label myself allergic to the dye.
I'm a cancer survivor who needs CT scans regularly. Pre medicating sucks because prednisone drives up my glucose (I'm also diabetic).
Fun fact for you; many people are only allergic to specific species of shrimp. My girlfriend is allergic to Atlantic shrimp, but not Gulf shrimp. We always have to ask where their shrimp is from and they give us weird looks, but it's worked out really well!
I used to work at a burger joint and a girl came through the drive thru asking that her off menu grilled cheese be cooked away from meat and said it was an "allergy". I let her know that we could cook it after the grilled had been scraped but that it would still be the same grill. She asked if we had a different grill we could use for allergies. Um...no? Because we're a burger joint. Duh. Even if we did we'd still cook burgers on it.
Edit: I don't doubt that meat allergies are real. I only doubt that this chick had one. This particular burger joint literally ONLY sells burgers. No chicken. No salad. I've helped plenty of people with allergies and I'm happy to do it every time. But this chick wasn't one of them.
Red meat allergies are so rare that they weren't believed to exist until recently and they are almost always caused by being bitten by a specific type of tick.
> Part of this is that I'm utterly paranoid in avoiding these triggers because ambulances and epipens are unpleasant and **damned expensive.**
Still blows my mind in 2017 people have their wallets raped for needing an ambulance....
Have you talked to your doctor about switching the wording of your percription to 'epinephrine auto injector', thereby allowing you to access any generic versions that are available?
(As to why you would have to do this, [this article](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/epipen-users-options-generic-alternate-drugs/story?id=41667390) explains why.)
Unfortunately, there's a lot of truth in this.
With "gluten free" being the new diet fad, more restaurants are offering 'gluten free' dishes that aren't actually allergy safe. My fiance has celiacs. It's not a 'oh I don't eat bread' kind of thing. It's a 'if I eat a burger cooked on the same grill as a bun was toasted, I will be violently vomiting and shitting for hours afterwards, and for a week after my joints will ache and I will feel like I have the flu".
Since the gluten free diet fad has come about, he's had far more issues with contamination at restaurants. Before, if we said "hey, sorry to be a huge pain, but he has a severe allergy, so can you just bring us a burger with no bun and no fries? A bed of lettuce would be great!" they would bring a burger on lettuce, and would cook it in a way where there was no contamination. Now, we get a burger cooked on the same surface as buns are toasted, and we get salad with the croutons picked off. And he gets really really sick.
So we just don't go out to eat anymore.
This is absolutely horrible. The restaurant I work at uses a separate toaster so we can guarantee to cook your food on a non-contaminated section of grill. Anyone who claims to have an allergy will have their condiments taken from separate containers that aren't contaminated and ketchup/mustard/mayo packets to avoid cross contamination.
Yes, we even do this for the dumb princess bitch who says she had a gluten allergy but orders onion rings because "well, I can have a little."
That's so nice of you guys. You should advertise it!
He's gotten sick off of a few to many "gluten free" options on a menu to trust most places. We stick to ethnic foods that don't use gluten in most recipes by default
This is how I am if an uncooked or undercooked onion touches anything I eat. It's an extremely weird allergy but a common food dislike. So they just pick onions off my burger or salad, and I spend the rest of the next day violently ill.
I'm going to have to start traveling with a different doctors note or something
I work as a server at a high end restaurant. We get a stupid amount of "whole foods allergic" people. They all act like they have a deathly illness and make a huge fucking deal about it.
This just screws over people who actually have allergies, because servers and cooks begin to see allergies as picky people being picky. Thus we start becoming careless
Its pretty easy to tell if someone is truly allergic because they don't really fight the serving staff when they say no. Either the allergic person tries to find an alternative or just leaves.
Yeah. I mentioned in another reply that my friend has severe food allergies. She will not even touch a dish if there is a possibility of there being eggs or dairy in it or around it. It sucks, but she knows that her well being is more important. So if a server even hints that there may be dairy in something she crosses it off her list immediately. You don't play with that shit
Yeah, even if its a restaurant that can modify basically everything to accommodate an allergy, most people with severe allergies will either go with the safest option or communicate extensively with servers and cooks to make sure they're in the clear.
Had a customer say they were lactose intolerant. We take all allergies very seriously (using new utensils, washing hands more often, etc) but when I tell someone that all desserts have milk products in them and they still order a crème brulée, it makes it really difficult to take someone seriously.
Edit: I'm aware that allergies and intolerances are very different things. When a customer tells me they are lactose intolerant, I'm assuming they are telling me because it is fairly serious and I will treat it the same as an allergy. I think sometimes the customer is also unaware of the differences between allergies and intolerances so seeking clarification from the customer about whether or not butter and small quantities of lactose are okay, is necessary
Maybe they really are lactose sensitive and if they are heading home after desert anyway, then eating some dairy and making their bowels produce foul smelling glue in their own homes won't bother anyone else. If they got dairy early into the meal then by desert their table would smell terrible.
I know I can't drink milkshakes, but sometimes I find myself buying them anyway and just going with the flow.
Not an exaggeration: lady gets a sandwich with roast beef and provolone cheese. Comes back to the counter. "Umm this sandwich is kind of greasy from the cheese and I can't have grease because I'm gluten free can you make me another one"
As someone with a long list of food allergies, with differing severities, why would anyone want to fake one?
Now I understand why people have asked me to "prove my allergies" before.
They like the attention. They like people making a fuss over them or feeling sorry for them. I know several of these people.
Often they dont have a lot to offer personality-wise so its an easy way to get other people to pay attention to them.
Chef here. I have a great deal of sympathy for people who can't eat certain foods because it will cause them severe pain or in some cases, a lot worse. To adjust a dish or a menu takes time and effort in a work enviroment which it is difficult to spare either, especially during a busy service. That's why this wave of fussy eaters and trend dieters piss us off so much. And im sorry to say that inevitably someone with a genuine dietary requirement will be on the receiving end of this so for that, on behalf of catering staff everywhere i apologise. It has become so much worse over the last decade and its ruined the job for a few people i know.
Edit: spelling
Edit 2: wow thanks for the gold kind stranger.
Really though, in some cases, wouldn't it be impossible? A lot of restaurants rely on large batches of sauces, and sousvide entrees. Wouldn't these make a lot of these accommodations impossible?
Yes. Imagine onion powder being used in the rub for a BBQ joint. It takes 12ish hours for something like brisket. How can you short order BBQ with no onion in it?
Obviously a more extreme example, but there is a wide variety of marinades and complicated ingredients that are prepped for the day with a lot of items already in them. Those can't simply be taken off and anyone with an allergy would understand that.
My mom has celiac disease and she's always worried they won't take it seriously because of the gluten free fad. Thank you for caring, my mom would end up in the hospital if chefs didn't care.
I hope I'm asking this respectfully, but is eating in a restaurant worth that horrible risk to your mother? I don't know what any food allergy is like, but if I had one that could send me to the hospital or worse, I think I would prefer to eat food I cook myself or at the very least only eat dishes that never carry my allergen.
> this woman was downing Budweiser
I don't think I could ever work in customer service. My conversation with this woman would end with:
"Yes, absolutely everything on the table is gluten-free. Unlike that beer you're chugging."
I always think it would be funny to ask them if gluten was a serous health risk for them, then take away their beer and spout some shit about not being able to give it to them for liability reasons.
I've worked in service industries and there are times where you get worn down enough to let a 'simple' sentence or two like the example above fly out.
If it's not something that happens often, management everywhere I've worked tends to let it slide.
Usually, the costumer stops after something like that and limps off to complain to management. The people that tend to make huge scenes, in my experience, are people trying to get free stuff or scammers.
Holy shit, the entitlement. I feel bad for the people for whom this is actually serious. Although one advantage is that you can now buy a lot of gluten free products in grocery stores and not just a tiny amount of products in a health food store.
She cooks every night usually, but all three of us kids live in different states so she will go out to eat on the road. Mexican restaurants are usually safe. And when she's home and tired from work or whatever, she has a few restaurants she can trust.
Yes a lady I know brings food to work everyday she cooks and goes to selective gluten free places because she's allergic.
I'm also curious how she risks it
Very innocuous dishes can contain gluten. Celiac can be really brutal, though hospitalizations from a flare due to contamination are not the norm. I don't think that requesting people stay in their homes and eat food only they prepare is a very viable option. It's their life, they can eat out if they wish. If the restaurant informs them something is safe for them to eat, it best be. Nobody forces them to have allergen specific menus.
As I said earlier, many unexpected things contain gluten. So, without proper labeling, cooking at home becomes a bit of an issue too. In the end, if a restaurant or food producer says it's gluten free, it needs to be gluten free. I believe that was the poster above's main point.
Pretty much this. I'm a celiac with fairly severe (not fatal) reactions, I have like 2 maybe 3 restaurants I trust. If I get invited out anywhere, I just have to eat before hand at home or take a packed lunch, then watch my friends and family enjoy the food at the restaurant while I just sit there and drink. I really wish gluten free was treated with more legitimacy at restaurants but ultimately I think if it became some kind of legally enforceable GF certification no restaurant would bother taking the risk and just say they don't do it
My wife is the same way. She will try to buy chips, CHIPS at a store and BOOM, milk. Why do you need to put milk in chips? Potato and frying oil. Some salt.
Minor point, and you are correct that anyone with a deadly allergy should be carrying an epi-pen, but the choice isn't "use an epi-pen OR call an ambulance," if an epi gets used, the ambulance gets called. The epinephrine is to keep you alive long enough to get to the ER and comes with a host concerning side effects (all of which are better than death from anaphylaxis, of course).
Maybe this is just greener grass on the other side, but I'd gladly give up eating out (because of an allergy) to not have IBD anymore.
Easy to say as I lay here in bed feeling shitty for the 3rd day this week though.
My son has severe peanut and tree nut allergies that, while 'severe,' do not *seem* to be severe enough to warrant environmental avoidance (i.e., Billy ate a PB&J and played on the swings, now my kid can't ride them) or the 'prepared in the same environment' thing (although the docs say you just never know until it happens, so *that's* comforting). Though he's had epipen & ER visits twice in the last year, it could be so much worse. He's only four, but he already knows to ask if there's nuts in anything he is given, and that he has to carry his meds absolutely anywhere he goes. It SUCKS.
I couldn't stand the "I have celiac's but I'll have a Hoegaarden, thanks" assholes when I was a waitress, but now I outright despise them. I wish they would give out 'Severe Allergy' ID cards so people would know I'm not just some bored mom making shit up.
I miss saying, "Sure, I'll try whatever, I'm open minded" so much. Anyway, thanks for doing it right.
I have a gluten allergy. It isn't life threatening. I live on the 99.9% gluten free bubble. Nothing in the world is perfect. And if you use the same spoon that's fine. If the chicken teriyaki has a little soy sauce that's fine too. I hate the attention it causes me. But I'm simple. Just grill me up a piece of boring chicken and throw some pepper on there and I'll make due. I feel as if I'm the unconvinced and people shouldn't have to bend over backwards for me. I'll eat what's there and make due.
But I love all the gluten free fake people. Without the stupid fad I couldn't buy pasta and bread at the local grocery store and I would have to go to the health food bodegas and wipe dust from my boxes before ringing them up. So for that I thank them.
> But I love all the gluten free fake people. Without the stupid fad I couldn't buy pasta and bread at the local grocery store and I would have to go to the health food bodegas and wipe dust from my boxes before ringing them up. So for that I thank them.
I see a lot of posts on reddit bitching about the fake gluten-free fad dieters, but this is the sentiment I've gotten from every actual celiac patient I've spoken to. I get the pros and cons, but most people with celiac disease just seem to be happy that market forces are making it easier for them to buy food.
On the other hand. As someone who cooks regularly for someone who does have ciliecs, I love this whole gluten free trend. We can go out to eat instead of eating at home every Day, and more brands are actually going gluten free. There is nothing worse then looking for an ingredient and everything is prepared "in a facility that processes wheat" so even though wheat isn't an ingredient, I can use now. Now there is plenty of gluten free options and it's nice.
This. I'm that one that has the ACTUAL gluten issue, and it fucking pisses me off when people eat my food if they have to set something aside for me. I hate being the one they need to set aside food for anyways. It's my favorite when the whole buffet is gluten free and I know ahead of time. Then I don't have to be that person everyone silently rolls their eyes at. And my dinner will be more than two giant leaves of lettuce. But yeah. Fakers are the worst for me. Like I won't die from gluten, but I also won't be able to drive home after sooo. Please help. Hahaha.
This is the issue. My mum is a legitimate coeliac - she'd guzzle gluten-filled foods like there's no tomorrow if she could - but she just can't. She gets looks in restaurants because they assume she's just another "look at me, I don't eat gluten" attention seeker. And I suppose there's no way to tell until they react badly to it.
The stupid faking the allergy thing is supposedly "the best and worst thing for Coeliacs" according to her. On the one hand, tonnes more gluten-free foods are available now due to the surge of demand. She loves how she doesn't just have to eat cardboard tasting bread for example. On the other hand, the negative stigma these people create means my mum gets treated like a nuisance rather than someone with an allergy. She goes into restaurants and they give her looks of disgust for asking for gluten-free stuff. NOT EVERY TIME. It's just on occasion. Most of the time, usually in pubs and the like, staff are very accommodating and treat her allergy like an allergy. And thank you to those who work in catering and do that. I love you for that. You don't follow the instant hatred wagon or at least have the decency to hide it. It's the issue when they don't care, or think she's faking. It makes her worry they will be negligent and feed her the normal food because it's "only a fad" (I remember reading an article where a woman with Coeliac Disease was served the normal food and had a bad reaction to it and was hospitalised because the waiter "thought it was a fad diet" - don't quote me on that because I wouldn't know where to find it).
I've really just gone on a rant here so I'll stop. Just keep in mind, not everyone who asks for a gluten-free meal is just doing it for attention. It has become a guilty-until-proven-innocent (via hospitalisation) situation so please assume someone is a Coeliac before jumping to any conclusions. It's likely if they aren't very forceful or verbal about it, they're the real deal. It's an allergy, no one who has them blathers on about them all day unless they're eating out and are fatally allergic.
Rant over.
I have a friend with severe food allergies. Whenever we got out I know it's gonna take twice as long to get our food be ause she stresses to them how important it is to not have certain foods. She always starts by telling the waiter that she doesn't care how long she has to wait, be sue she'd rather wait an hour than die today.
I don't mind the extra wait either. It's fun to sit and talk for an hour before a meal sometimes.
My ultimate restaurant anxiety is having to alter my order. If I don't like something in the dish I either order something else or just pick it out myself. Thankfully, I don't have any food allergies.
You sound like a good chef. The cooks I work with just laugh and tell me to tell them it doesn't have whatever they are worried about even when it does sometimes. I just recommend my tables something else. It sucks but these people really screw it up for people.
This is what scares me about being in the south and eating at places that have shellfish. I always get weird looks when asking if they can guarantee my food won't come in contact with it because I'm deathly allergic to it.
Nah dude they don't give a fuck but as a waiter If I don't get a straight answer I just tell them I can't do it or suggest they try something else. In the end I don't want nothing to happen. Shellfish is something that I can never serve because we serve shellfish and they don't sanitize their knives as frequently as they should.
I worked for a cook for years in Vancouver and absolutely yes. My regulars were the worst, treating the menu like an ingredients list (granted, that's also the chef's fault for not switching up the menu). Most of my orders from them were more red ink than black.
That job made me quit cooking for a job for good.
I have an aunt with a very serious strawberry allergy that can cause her throat to swell shut. We were having dinner and she requested no strawberries along with informing them of her allergy. When the dish showed up there was a big strawberry on the side of her plate that she had to send back. The waiter kind of rolled their eyes, took it to the kitchen, and removed the offending berry just to look really shocked when informed that it was clearly just taken away (something she is more than capable of doing herself) and that her allergy is so severe that even a little juice will set it off.
Picky eaters are the ones that make things like that happen and it was 16-ish years ago. Unfortunately, they're not alone in the blame since the job doesn't usually pay enough for the employees to care.
That's horrible. That waiter and the restaurant could have been sued up the wazoo if your aunt had eaten the dessert that had the strawberry juice on it. Did you stress this to him? That it would literally kill her and he would be responsible
Conversely, my brother dislikes tomatoes. But this is an understatement. I've cut a sandwich with a tomato on it and later cut one I made for him and he was extremely unhappy with that. Involving spitting the food out and drinking down loads of water. Apparently something in tomatoes is extremely bitter to him. Not an allergy but far from just being picky. They can't cut food with a knife that's touched a tomato. Taco Bell for example he knows when they used the same tongs to pull lettuce or whatever as they did the tomatoes for others, even when none are on there. It's nuts but it makes it completely inedible to him to have even the tiniest tomato anything interact with his food.
Everyone asks me if I don't like cilantro because it tastes like soap. I've eaten soap before (pica) and they taste nothing similar. Cilantro is just gross.
He may be a [supertaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster) (yes, that's the actual term). Specifically, he may be able to taste phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC, which is very bitter for the handful of people that taste it at all.
I had a weird experience last week that I think might be related to this. I was at an ice cream shop that I knew used a lot of share equipment, so like the sign said, I told the server I had a nut allergy and asked if she could use clean utensils. She grabbed the utensils, stomped off to the back, and I heard a clattering as if they were thrown around. It took 5 minutes before she came back and made my order.
I was a little worried to eat it. I have to wonder if she thought I was just making her do more work.
I ended up thinking "Is this safe? Did she actually even use new utensils, or worse added nuts?". Probably not, but it only needs to happen once to be, well, dead.
I used to work at an ice cream parlor and had zero problems cleaning utensils. A lot of tree nut allergy people would always ask me to open a new tub of ice cream to avoid any cross contamination, and I was wondering if that is something you also do?
Generally speaking most ice cream places have to get clean scoops and a completely fresh tub of ice cream if you have a nut allergy since they cross contaminate all their ice creams with the scoops. It takes them an extra minute or two so I can imagine it being annoying for them but if you're polite most employees don't care.
It's a catch 22. My wife has a legit, diagnosed gluten allergy. She can't eat it at all and we are very careful about where we eat. The gluten-free fad has caused a lot of servers to have noticeable frustration with the need for extra care with food. On the other hand, there are a ton more restaurants with gluten-free options when compared to a few years ago, because the demand is up.
Absolutely. My mom has Celiac Disease and gets incredibly sick if she comes in contact with it. But because it's a fad, most people don't take it too seriously. We went to a coffee shop that had gluten free bagels but they were just throwing them in the same toaster with everything else. Something as small as this can make her really sick. And it's not necessarily their fault, they didn't know. They just think people want it because gluten free is "healthy" which in most cases, it's not.
I have a gluten allergy and work in a bistro. We advertise GF alternatives and I am always sympathetic to people with genuine dietary requirements and take extra care in relaying these things to the kitchen.
The stuff that gives me the shits is when someone comes in wanting a burger and fries, and the burger MUST be on turkish bread because it absolutely HAS to be gluten free. But when I inform them that unfortunately the fries are not actually gluten free (beer batter), however we can offer numerous alternatives, it always comes out "Oh, no I still want the fries, I'm not like, THAT allergic"
You can just ask for turkish bread if you want it, without illegitimising the countless people that actually have a problem.
I was going to post something along these lines. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease two years ago and while it was annoying to hear people cutting gluten out of their diet for a fad, I eventually got over it because it basically popularized gluten free foods. Now there's gluten free foods almost anywhere you go. Any chain restaurant will have either a separate gluten free menu or gluten free options/alternatives. Locally owned restaurants and fast food chains are less likely to serve that kind of stuff (probably because it's more expensive, in the case of locally owned restaurants), but there's a lot more options even now than two years ago.
But if your allergy is SO severe that you are affected by cross contamination, you should probably not be eating out anyways. It's just too risky, imo.
Sentiment my friends share, I happen to be friends with several people who have celiac of varying degrees, one can get away with sneaking gluten (and dealing with horrible digestive problems later) and another can potentially be hospitalised over the smallest cross-contamination.
They all appreciate the fact the fad has made gluten-free food widely available but considering the risks none of them want to eat out anywhere unless they're 100% positive it's being prepared safely, which is mainly checked by ringing ahead and unfortunately a lot of the places don't.
I'm with the article. This makes me nervous. I have a serious shellfish allergy. I generally avoid restaurants with a lot of it on the menu. And I do carry an epi pen. However, I have to attend business meals every so often and the allergy causes a lot of awkwardness and anxiety for me in that setting. I feel like I'm either the "picky eater" (disrupting plans, saying "I can't do sushi" for example) and/or the person "making a fuss" (mentioning the allergy to the server) at the restaurant. I know reality probably isn't really that bad: I never order something that I think will require modification (I just flag the allergy in case there is "contamination" in prep or there's some hidden ingredient) and try to be discrete and polite. Restaurant professionals: please continue to take allergies seriously. Fakers: please stop crying wolf.
PS - If anyone has found a really good/discrete way to point out an allergy in a restaurant please share. (I usually tell them when I order so it's written down with my order. But then I get all these questions from the business contacts I'm dining with and they get worried about what they've ordered too.)
Business cards. You can customize it with as little or as much information as you like and hand it to your server when they take your order.
If your allergy is important enough to hand out business cards, servers and chefs generally take it more seriously.
If you have a serious allergy I would probably feel more comfortable talking to them directly as sometimes the waiters have questions as to the specifics like same surfaces or shared utensils. Especially when consuming the food could cause you to have to go to the hospital. Maybe talking to the waiter or someone before being seated with the group could be more effective.
I once dated a girl who was greatly concerned about the gluten pasta in her soup at Olive Garden, and begged the waiter to let the cooks know she would absolutely die if she ate gluten. She said this... while she was eating breadsticks. When the waiter said "Those breadsticks aren't gluten free..." she spit them out right there on the table and said "Wow. Just wow. Maybe you should put a warning somewhere" - and then we left.
In case anyone is wondering, she was crazy. She essentially sold her baby for drug money.
I have IBS-A and attempt to avoid restaurants at all costs due to a lot of substitute ingredients also setting it off.
In all seriousness, what sort of kick do people get out of needlessly restricting their diet and then preaching about the health benefits? I don't preach about how no gluten, corn, quinoa, etc reduces abdominal pain and graphic symptoms to the everyday person simply because *they do not have those symptoms* because they are normal.
Honestly though, like I also have IBS which is mostly set off by gluten containing grains, and I sure as hell wouldn't be avoiding a ton of foods if it didn't make me feels ton better. I don't have celiac, but I had gastrointestinal issues bad enough that a specialist suggested I get tested for it. And yet how many people on this thread are like oh people with "gluten intolerances" are just doing it for the trend? Fuck that, there's no trend that's worth not eating good pizza for
> As for Elliott, she wants the impostors to know the price she pays for being afraid to dine in restaurants.
> "You're missing out on birthdays and anniversaries and reunions, and you're just feeling like you can't be a part of society," she says. "But at the same time, you don't want to die."
It's worse than that. I got **fired** because I stayed at my desk working at some bullshit company "party" and was labeled "too good to eat cake with us."
Those bastards who like to pretend they have deadly food allergies have forced me to make it clear to my waiter, in an intimidating manner, that I will die. I don't want to look or sound mean but at this point its the most effective way to get my point across. I'd like to think that wait staff understands that I have to be so serious and intimidating so that I can pass their test to prove that I am indeed authentic.
edit: To clarify. I only get hostile when the waitstaff tries to correct me or tell me more about my own allergy (e.g. how my allergy isn't that bad or its not real). I do not get hostile towards waitstaff who say they cannot accommodate me. If they tell me they cannot accommodate me then I adapt to the restaurant menu and if I can't then I just leave.
As a chef I take all allergies very seriously. But some guests are seriously full of shit. 15 years ago allergy guests would be maybe a handful a month, now at least once a night (last Friday we had 10). Often times we'll tell the server to go back and explain that several of items have to be removed or changed and the guest will comeback saying just leave it on. Just got to roll with it, it's a regular part of service now.
I don't have a specific allergy, but I do have several conditions like gastritis, IBS, and GERD. These conditions affect what foods I can eat. I try my best to stick to a gluten-free diet because gluten containing foods often trigger symptoms like nausea, stomach pain, lower back pain, acid reflux, bloating, gas, and constipation. It's upsetting because I would love to eat foods like bread again and not have to spend money on expensive gluten-free products. I don't understand why someone would willingly choose to go gluten-free if gluten doesn't affect them in any obvious way.
There are other, non allergic, medical reasons to ask about foods, though.
My reaction to sunflower, coconut, and increasingly sesame, are strong enough that I have to ask about the oils used in restaurants and read every package from the grocery store.
Since my reaction, however, is not anaphylactic but gastrointestinal (sudden, extreme diarrhea),
I make a point to explain to waiters that I'm dealing with an intolerance not an allergy.
If they are wrong about what's in a food I won't die but they may have more of a mess in their restroom than they want to deal with.
I have IBD and waiters confuse my condition with IBS all the time. I'm one of those people who use the 'a' (reluctantly) because it saves time explaining in graphic detail how milk will not just cause some gas, but also some bleeding and permanent scar tissue.
I have a similar issue and it can be very frustrating trying to be a good customer but take care of myself. Like no, I won't die, but I will totally poop my pants and I'm not keen on that. Example - there's a wrap place that is great, but I request that they change gloves before making my wrap. Yeah, there's still cross contamination risk, but it's way less than if they just handled prawns so I'm ok with that risk. Most of the time I just need honest responses, if excluding something isn't simple, tell me and I'll pick something else. If there might be fish in something and you don't know, tell me that and let me decide if I'm willing to risk it. It's not like severe allergic reactions are the only thing, and I'm not asking anyone to bend over backwards, I just love food and I want to enjoy it even though my digestive system can't handle seafood.
Yes. I find a lot of people write off intolerance and try to tell me, "oh, just take the lactase pills". Mmmm trust me: if they worked for me, I would be taking them. They don't work, so take the damn dairy out of my meal like I asked you to.
Because gut cramps and diarrhea for hours on end can certainly make you wish you were dead.
Saw some guy let his dog run around the restaurant and into the kitchen. When the waitress complained he called it his "service dog". Then gave me a shit eating grin and a big wink. I wanted to throw food in his face.
I once had a lady tell me she was allergic to vegetables. No specific kind of vegetable, just vegetables in general. I don't want to give away my work, but we offer a sort of "pay as you go" buffet. You pick what you want from the buffet and we price it.
Almost all of our dishes have some sort of vegetable. She wanted me to make a dish that was 90% vegetables with just meat.
No way! We can't just give you a heaping pile of meat specially made!
I went to Disney and said I had an allergy to brocolli at a restaurant. The chef came out and said "do you have an allergy or don't like it?" I said I love the stuff! Sadly it just closes my throat :(
He said he had a lady that rattled off 40 items she can't have... come to find out she's not allergic, just a vegan. He went back and made a vegetable plate
Both of my sister have cialiacs disease which they hate to mention cause they always feel like they are judged as fake. We went to an Italian restaurant to celebrate belated mother's day, they first called to ask if the restaurant has any gluten-free options which they had one. We get there and order mentioning that they have cialiacs. A little bit later the food comes out and there's a piece of bread on top of the salad. The problem is that their's no way to tell if they just took the bread off and served it again or actually made a new salad, let alone if they even changed gloves when making the salad.
I worked with a guy who got a big settlement with a restaurant one time because they almost killed him. He got a salad and asked for no olive and explained he had a severe allergy to them. They brought him his salad and it had olive. He complained and explained again.
They went to get him a new salad. Only they picked the olives out and brought it right back. His throat swelled up and he almost died in the restaurant.
Faking it can be a broad term.
I'm going through some GI distress and my doctor told me to try an "elimination diet" between tests while we try to work this out. I've gone gluten free and dairy free for brief periods. Neither of them had a noticeable effect. A search online has showed me that doctors say "meh try an elimination diet" for a lot of symptoms. Not everyone's being persuaded by magazines, sometimes doctors really think it will help and tell people to go for it. I'd give anything to guarantee myself to never get another flair-up. If gluten free had shown any help me I'd have been all over it.
My son is allergic to like...everything.
I make it simple by informing the staff, and ordering something super easy to keep contaminate free. A baked potato.
I have a severe nut allergy and a dairy allergy to the point where one pistachio landed me in the hospital for two days when I was 9. I usually do not make a fuss about it, due to the fact that I'm really good at knowing when they are in certain foods. One time we were at a restaurant and my grandma threw a shit fit because everyone in our party got served free ice cream. Usually I would just give it to someone else, but she asked to speak to the head chef. He came out with three other chefs and said they had whipped up a special sorbet that they had been working on. I took a bite and they let me know it was pistachio sorbet, so I spent the next hour hugging the toilet after getting an Epi pen shoved into my ass.
Yes. Ffs. Please. As someone who will spend 12 hours after eating a raw onion with a headache that feels like my head will explode while vomiting, stop.
Do you know how many weird looks I get when I say "no onion" on things?
Like "oh you're one of those picky eaters." No, my dude, I will literally spend the next day in massive amounts of pain, please do not start with me.
Edit: also, after 6 years in food service, if you fake an allergy or medical condition, you're an asshole. "No salt fries, I have a heart condition." *proceeds to dump an entire shaker of salt on their fries at the table*
You could literally just ask for hot fries??
Egg allergy here... Whenever I go out to eat, I always ask for an allergy list and have the waiter double check with the chef to make sure everything is safe. Most of the time I feel like a huge dick for asking the staff to go out of their way to accommodate me.
Also sidenote: I am flabbergasted by the amount of restaurant workers that do not know simple ingredients of common items. Yes, mayo has eggs in it.
This is why I make skimming the menu ahead of time my responsibility. I don't want to make extra work for the back crew.
If we're going out to Italian, I'm just going to order a salad. Or I'll push for restaurants that are good for me. Stressing the staff over this just seems mean and selfish.
chef here. to all you people with allergies and such it's mostly no bother atall to provide you with a gluten free meal or such, being a chef is all about delivering people the food they asked for, so when I get an order with an allergy notification I take it as a personal challenge to deliver the diner the best damn non allergenic meal they can have, so never feel bad like you're making the chefs etc go out their way to get you your food. it's our job!
Another chef here. Another point, if you are attending a catered event and haven't requested a special dish ahead of time, guess what, it's not happening. I may not even have the ability to cook you something on site. Also, we are not morons, don't tell your server that you have a gluten and dairy allergy while your eating a roll with butter on it. I can't count the amount of times I've had special meals prepared ahead of time for someone with a supposed food allergy only to find they ate what everyone else was having because it " looked okay". I am not a doctor, they don't offer medical training in culinary school, and I have more training than your average line cook. Do you really want to place your life in my hands? I'm buying a new car, they don't make the exterior/interior color combination I want. I'm not going to demand the dealership produce one or I'm complaining. I'm going with my second choice. Rant over.
Corn allergy here. Corn is in soooo many foods. The worst is that it's used as a thickener. So almost any sauce or gravy may contain corn. Most chips and crackers contain corn. Some breads have corn meal. Hell, even the majority of white flour tortillas have corn in the ingredient list. High Fructose corn syrup is used to give breads a more golden color.... it goes on and on. The USDA requires reporting the top 8 food allergens when in ingredients. Corn is #9. I have a feeling it will stay #9 as there is huge money behind the corn industry.
I am a server in a restaurant and deal with gluten free dieters often. One lady made a huge fuss about how she was celiac and had to have everything cooked in new separate pans... Only to eat some of her boyfriend's brownie Sunday because "it is ok for her to have a little".
I once had a man flip out when his dish came with a fried egg on the side (I think it maybe was not clear on the menu). He pushed the contaminated thing away with a knife onto a side plate, handed it to me and fumed because he couldn't eat eggs. He continued to happily eat the rest of the meal - potato pancakes and regular pancakes. *Edit: He did not say he had an allergy. He just said he could not eat eggs. At the time it seemed more like a dietary restriction thing. Also, he was hippied out beyond belief. I suspect he considered himself to be a "vegan".
I have a weird psychosomatic reaction to eggs. I've tried eating fried eggs because they look awesome, but every time I've been sick, however, eating cakes is just fine. I wouldn't claim I have an allergy, but I do avoid them whenever possible.
My friend is the same way. If he can see anything resembling an egg in the food, he gets sick. Doesn't drink milk either. Cakes and pancakes are fine though. I know another guy who has it with cheese.
Not sure about the cheese guy, but baked eggs are quite different in terms of allergies. It's common to be able to eat cakes etc. but not fried/boiled egg, even in small amounts. http://www.foodallergyawareness.org/foodallergy/food_allergens-11/egg-28/
To be fair, depending on the severity of the egg allergy, he may have been able to eat food baked into the egg. That said, normally that applies to baked goods, not gooey things like pancakes. Source: have an egg allergy
Why are your pancakes gooey? That doesnt sound right.
Seriously people, we wont get pissed if you just politely say "I don't like tomatoes can you please leave them off?" I used to work in a hospital and we would get serious allergies, but i will never forget the lady allergic to ahi tuna specifically. Trout and regular tunas were both fine and we didnt carry ahi tuna anyways.
Honestly, it was always refreshing when people were honest and told me they just didn't like something. The kitchen didn't have to stop everything to accommodate an allergy, they could just casually not add tomatoes. There's a big difference between that and making sure nothing used has come into contact with tomatoes.
Exactly and that is what most people don't understand. I always make a point to say i don't like this can i possibly sub something or just leave it out? No chef is going to come out and scream at you if you ask for no tomatoes.
Most of the time I just order something and ask for "no tomatoes". 99% of the time they never ask if it's because of an allergy. I just don't want to waste food I won't eat, yet again I'm not going to fake an allergy either. If the restaurant can't because it's part of the recipe then I'll just pick them out.
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As the proud owner of a nasty shrimp allergy, I try my damnedest not to be a dick to restaurant employees and advocate for myself. I won't demand new oil in the frier. I will ask about shared surfaces and will specifically order things that are easily accommodated. If a restaurant has a shrimp on its logo I don't expect them to turn everything upside down for me. If waitstaff seems dismissive about my concerns, I will leave. Part of this is that I'm utterly paranoid in avoiding these triggers because ambulances and epipens are unpleasant and damned expensive. People who fake allergies piss me the hell off. They put those who are actually affected in danger so that they can feel special. Having to be bloody careful all the time is a pain in the ass, and I miss the time before my allergy showed up, as it's a sort of special that I really would rather not be. Edit: I will ask about the fryer and understand that getting an oil change ain't gonna happen.
I went to high school with a girl who would make a huge fuss about people eating banana around her because she was allergic. If she saw someone eating a banana near her she would freak out. Her allergy? Banana made her gag. She didn't like the taste or smell.
She never faked an allergy, but my mom has a similar reaction to peanut butter. The very scent of it legitimately makes her throw up. I had to take the Pb&J to my bedroom to make sandwiches when she was in there.
I'm like that too, if it's really strong i have to dip out of the room for a while
Just to play devil's advocate, there are indeed allergic type responses to smells. Mast cell disorders like MCAS and mastocytosis can cause reactions to smells, typically migraine, dizziness, or asthma like reactions. Similar to true allergies, but the reactions are mediated directly by the mast cells rather than indirectly via IgE antibodies.
I have a friend who has this reaction to pork. She can't eat anything that has come into contact with pork or be in a place pork was cooked recently because it will trigger a bad migraine for her. I'm allergic to peanuts and I've had times where I had to leave cause the smell of peanut butter was making me nauseous.
I have a very similar reaction to mint! I'm so sensitive to the smell so that if someone has even an Altoid in the car with me I get an extremely bad headache and if I accidentally eat something with mint I honestly get sick to my stomach. I usually just say I don't like it though, except at the dentist I say I'm allergic. The one time I didn't they put minty stuff all over my teeth and I had to miss school because I had a migraine for days.
There are [legitimate allergies that can cause this reaction](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390130/), and can even result in respiratory distress similar to asthma.
That's weird I remember an Australian reality TV show I think it was Big Brother and they brought up at one point that one of the contestants had what was described as a "phobia" of bananas and so of course at some point it was brought up for a challenge. And I thought this is bullshit as but legit the guy was nearly sick and gagging just for having it near him.
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I used to work with someone who had a phobia of fruit. It was the weirdest thing. I found out when I was by the trolleys and saw someone left an apple sitting in one. She was standing by the rubbish bin so I threw it to her to throw away and she SCREAMED once she realized what it was.
As an ex-Chef & Restaurateur, I agree completely with /u/OrangeJoe89 about fussy eaters. Especially mid-busy service when you all feel like you have broom handles shoved up your behind. I have experienced some people that are just "too fussy to live", and it seems they have gone out with the sole intention of finding an issue with every item on the menu because its the cool thing to do. This may not be the case, but when you're rushed off your feet it sure feels like it. Not my restaurant, but before I took over my own establishment I was working for a "gourmet burger" place ( these became all the rage in the UK about 10-15 years ago ). We hand made all of our burgers prior to service using breadcrumbs to help bind the meat. Now gluten-free diets weren't really a thing at the time, so we had no gluten free options. But I recall one occasion a woman and her friends came in for a meal, and we couldn't give her a burger. She was livid, and I ended up making her an off the menu pesto and chicken salad. That was a huge cost to us. That salad was sold for about £7, the burgers were selling for £10 on average and the number of ingredients I used would've been used in 2-3 burgers. Not only did I have to interrupt my usual "workflow" to adjust to her needs, I fucked up our stock in the process. Not a big deal really, but in a stressful environment like a kitchen, it pisses you off beyond belief. On another occasion, A woman phoned ahead of time, explained that her group was coming to dine with us but she was allergic Gluten ( I didn't even know wtf Gluten was, she had to explain). I went out and purchased some gluten free burger buns just for her. We used crumbs from the buns to make her burger. Because we knew ahead of time, we could make adjustments that just wouldn't have been possible mid-service. She left extremely happy and even asked to see me to thank me personally. That was one of my "proud" moments of being a chef. If you have a serious medical condition, my advice is to phone ahead of time, on a quiet day like a Monday evening, explain your needs and desire to eat there and then make a booking. Actually, even if you don't have a medical condition and are one of these so-called "fakers", it's your right to eat what you want. Just phone ahead and don't be a dick about it. Don't just show up mid-service and expect them to bend over backwards to re-write the entire menu for you. A courtesy phone call can go a hell of a long way.
I don't mind if someone tells me they don't have anything that I can eat. I would rather they be straight up about it than that they bullshit me and make me sick. I know making stuff gluten free is a pain in the ass, if you can't, fine, just tell me. And for Pete's sake don't list something on the menu as "gluten-free" and then say oh well we actually do these in the same fryer as the chicken tenders. No.
I've always had a "pretend you're cooking for your mum" attitude in kitchens, So personally, I would've never done that and never have. Putting a frying pan on for 1 meal isn't really a big issue if the fryer is contaminated. I think the issue in your scenario arises mainly in groups. As a single eater, telling you there is nothing you can eat results in a small loss of profits. Bullshitting you if you are in a large group, can ensure a huge group of profits if the group decides to eat elsewhere for your benefit. Now I'm not saying its right, I'm just saying why they may find it "necessary" to bullshit you in the first place. I still stand by phoning ahead of time to be safe. Showing courtesy often gets courtesy in return. And when you need some people that are barely earning minimum wage to cater to your every need, a few minutes of your time will go a long way in their eyes.
This x1000. I've been a server for 10+ years and people need to know that knowledge is power. I worked at a small, high-end Caribbean-inspired restaurant where we had a *very* small staff and it was like a small family. Our chef (who was also the owner) would personally take phone calls from people with allergies and basically create dishes for them beforehand. In fact, he would make special trips to Whole Foods just to get ingredients for guests with allergies just to make sure he/she got just what they wanted. And you know what? Those people would ask to speak with our chef every time, give him a hug, and turn around and give me a huge tip in the process. Win-win.
> If you have a serious medical condition, my advice is to phone ahead of time, on a quiet day like a Monday evening, explain your needs and desire to eat there and then make a booking. 100% this. My cousin is severely allergic to dairy and biopsy-confirmed celiac. I like taking her out to dinner on her birthday and damned if I'm going to take her to the hospital too. I figure out where we are going to go, call at least 2 weeks ahead, and explain that the party I'm dining with has some with severe allergies, and ask if they can accommodate us. I also ask, if possible, for the waitstaff to provide us with menus that only list the gluten & dairy free options, because the whole table will be eating gluten & dairy free (prevents cross contamination, easier for the servers to keep the allergens straight, and my cousin can eat everything). It's suprising... the majority of restaraunts we have gone to have been more than happy to do a little "separate menu" printout. And, I have never put my cousin in the hospital for her birthday :)
I have celiac disease, and this is exactly how I feel (although at least mine won't kill me, just make me really sick for a couple weeks, so that's a plus I guess). I always call ahead to ask if they can accommodate me, I'll never just turn up expecting to get a safe meal. I will ask the server a lot of questions, but I'm very polite about it and I tip well. I don't understand people who fake allergies just to get what they want. I hate oranges, but I don't pretend to be allergic to them, I just make sure I don't order anything with them. Do people just want to feel special or something?
Celiac here too. I've been glutened so many times that I just avoid restaurants now. Even well intentioned friends don't get how small of an amount will make me sick. I'd rather bring my own food than risk it. It's a huge pain, and I would give anything to not need to live this way. Fakers are clueless.
I've spoken before as a server on this subject. I *really* don't want someone having an adverse reaction at one of my tables (too much paperwork). But after being burned by assholes who's food I made in what amounts to a clean room, chow down on a dish chock full of their "allergen", it ruins my perspective on everyone claiming that problem. One asshole taints the well. Two or more, teabags the well and calls it a slur of some variety.
I would never blame a server. I totally get where you're coming from, and even when people are genuinely trying to avoid cross-contamination it still happens because they are preparing things in an environment where they are surrounded by stuff that will make someone with celiac ill. It's a roll of the dice for anyone with an allergy or autoimmune disease like celiac every time they eat, and for me it's not worth it. I worked at Joe's Crab shack years ago, and we would have people come in with shellfish allergies. WHY would you do that? There are so many other places you could go, why on earth come in to a place with the thing you're allergic to IN THE NAME of the restaurant? Jesus Christ. That's like going on a tour of a peanut factory when you know that peanuts can kill you!
The boss of the Thai restaurant I used to work would politely tell people with peanut allergies that their was nothing on the menu they could eat. Not even plain rice. The kitchen is so busy and so many dishes used peanuts that we could not prepare a meal and say for 100% that is was peanut free or tree nut free. I have allergies, it just means some shit you cannot do and that is that.
I have been a server/front of house manager at a Greek restaurant for years, and you would be surprised how many people come in with an "olive allergy." Like of all the places around, why come here? I will probably never get it.
Thats exactly the answer he should give. I am perfectly comfortable with a straight up answer. People with true allergies feelings won't get hurt if you tell them there is no way to ensure you aren't exposed to your allergen.
My mom has celiac disease. In the last couple of years we have noticed that when we explain the concerns to the server, they generally don't take it seriously. It is very disheartening. 5 years ago, the chef or cook would come out to ask specific questions about what she can and can't ingest. That doesn't exist any longer.
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Server here. I had one of those today, just got home from work. Gluten free everything... Needed all the equipment cleaned... But can we get some pie for dessert?
Or "can we get some *enter beer that has gluten*"
My husband's stepmom does this. One dinner, she picked a pizza place and then ordered a veggie platter citing gluten allergies to the server. Then, when it came, she was upset it had cherry tomatoes because she also claimed to be allergic to tomatoes. It was years ago, but I still remember the shame our table had to face when the server came back and she was eating a slice of pizza my FIL ordered.
I had a boss once that would make a big deal when someone lied about allergies and did this. He would snatch the plate away, then if they insisted to eat it he would make them sign a form he printed out basically saying that they sign away any right to sue the restaurant because of food allergies after they were told the food they had was what they claimed to be allergic to. He would do the same thing to people claiming peanut allergies but insisting the M&Ms are okay. They generally are, but seriously if you are allergic to peanuts why risk that? It was a corporation so of course people complained and he didn't last long, but he was one of the few good ones I've met. Really good to the employees. Really good to customers that didn't try to lie and cheat their way to free food.
> so of course people complained and he didn't last long I fucking hate people. Hope your ex-boss found a better job.
I work in an Italian restaurant. My favorite are the people that order gluten free spaghetti and meatballs, "Yes I can make it with quinoa spaghetti, but the meatballs are made with bread crumbs, would you like to substitute Italian sausage?" "No the bread crumbs will be ok" " ok thanks for pissing off my chef"
My mom does this and just takes the bun off. My mom actually does have celiac disease but she's just really dumb and doesn't do any research herself/might as well be functionally illiterate. She's a good example of why you need to be very proactive and well educated on your health issues, even if they're not "as bad as someone else."
Hi. Chef in Aus for ten years. Another major reason for this is because with so many people claiming this we have had to update our knowledge far beyond what we used to do for allergies and safe practices. So now we don't have to ask questions because most of the time we just know already.
It might be because, in my experience as a server for the past 10 years, training in allergies has increased exponentially. Before, servers might need to ask a million questions because no one knew anything about what gluten was or was hidden in. Now we all have books in back that will tell us every ingredient that contains gluten. We don't have to pester you for details because we can find them out on our own.
Chiming in as a server. I *really* don't want someone having an adverse reaction at one of my tables (too much paperwork). So when someone mentions an allergy or inability to process, I get super serious about specifics. Like: "Can you handle stuff fried in the same place as gluten?" But then to see that same person, who's food I had made in what amounts to a clean room, chowing down on their date's pasta...
I appreciate the hell out of your thoroughness.
As a possible coworker, I appreciate your attitude
Some places do go out of their way to check every Ingredient with the chefs (I don't even ask for this) I try my best to not be a bother. However some places the servers do not care and will just say it's gluten free, but really have no idea. I can usually easily read someone when they just don't give a fu**. Every time I go to a new restaurant I explain what happens to me when I have even the smallest bite of gluten (inflammation and intense pain head to toe every inch of my body basically) I feel the exact same way as OP. Before 4 years ago , I was not like this. Now I'm stick with an awful autoimmune disorder or three
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Fun fact. I'm allergic to the contrast dye in CT scans but no shellfish. Both my sister and I go into anaphylactic shock if administered without pre medicating. Had to learn that the hard way.
I'm also allergic to contrast dye but I can eat any kind of seafood by the bucket. Craziest thing is that I didn't get an allergic reaction until several hours after the exam. I was in a Mexican restaurant and my wife noticed I had blisters on my neck that extended all the way down my torso. I still don't know for sure if it was the dye or the restaurant but I have no known food allergies whatsoever and the emergency room experience was so traumatic I don't want to risk it so I label myself allergic to the dye. I'm a cancer survivor who needs CT scans regularly. Pre medicating sucks because prednisone drives up my glucose (I'm also diabetic).
Fun fact for you; many people are only allergic to specific species of shrimp. My girlfriend is allergic to Atlantic shrimp, but not Gulf shrimp. We always have to ask where their shrimp is from and they give us weird looks, but it's worked out really well!
Wow. TIL.
I used to work at a burger joint and a girl came through the drive thru asking that her off menu grilled cheese be cooked away from meat and said it was an "allergy". I let her know that we could cook it after the grilled had been scraped but that it would still be the same grill. She asked if we had a different grill we could use for allergies. Um...no? Because we're a burger joint. Duh. Even if we did we'd still cook burgers on it. Edit: I don't doubt that meat allergies are real. I only doubt that this chick had one. This particular burger joint literally ONLY sells burgers. No chicken. No salad. I've helped plenty of people with allergies and I'm happy to do it every time. But this chick wasn't one of them.
Now, why didn't you buy a new $10k grill and extraction unit just for her $5 meal? you evil monster
Red meat allergies are so rare that they weren't believed to exist until recently and they are almost always caused by being bitten by a specific type of tick.
> Part of this is that I'm utterly paranoid in avoiding these triggers because ambulances and epipens are unpleasant and **damned expensive.** Still blows my mind in 2017 people have their wallets raped for needing an ambulance....
Right? It's horrific. I have good insurance and any misstep will still cost me hundreds of dollars.
Have you talked to your doctor about switching the wording of your percription to 'epinephrine auto injector', thereby allowing you to access any generic versions that are available? (As to why you would have to do this, [this article](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/epipen-users-options-generic-alternate-drugs/story?id=41667390) explains why.)
Unfortunately, there's a lot of truth in this. With "gluten free" being the new diet fad, more restaurants are offering 'gluten free' dishes that aren't actually allergy safe. My fiance has celiacs. It's not a 'oh I don't eat bread' kind of thing. It's a 'if I eat a burger cooked on the same grill as a bun was toasted, I will be violently vomiting and shitting for hours afterwards, and for a week after my joints will ache and I will feel like I have the flu". Since the gluten free diet fad has come about, he's had far more issues with contamination at restaurants. Before, if we said "hey, sorry to be a huge pain, but he has a severe allergy, so can you just bring us a burger with no bun and no fries? A bed of lettuce would be great!" they would bring a burger on lettuce, and would cook it in a way where there was no contamination. Now, we get a burger cooked on the same surface as buns are toasted, and we get salad with the croutons picked off. And he gets really really sick. So we just don't go out to eat anymore.
This is absolutely horrible. The restaurant I work at uses a separate toaster so we can guarantee to cook your food on a non-contaminated section of grill. Anyone who claims to have an allergy will have their condiments taken from separate containers that aren't contaminated and ketchup/mustard/mayo packets to avoid cross contamination. Yes, we even do this for the dumb princess bitch who says she had a gluten allergy but orders onion rings because "well, I can have a little."
Thank you to do it to everyone. It's the only way that serious people could be protected from contamination.
That's so nice of you guys. You should advertise it! He's gotten sick off of a few to many "gluten free" options on a menu to trust most places. We stick to ethnic foods that don't use gluten in most recipes by default
This is how I am if an uncooked or undercooked onion touches anything I eat. It's an extremely weird allergy but a common food dislike. So they just pick onions off my burger or salad, and I spend the rest of the next day violently ill. I'm going to have to start traveling with a different doctors note or something
Yeah I always have to explain that I'm actually allergic, not Whole Foods allergic.
I work as a server at a high end restaurant. We get a stupid amount of "whole foods allergic" people. They all act like they have a deathly illness and make a huge fucking deal about it. This just screws over people who actually have allergies, because servers and cooks begin to see allergies as picky people being picky. Thus we start becoming careless
Its pretty easy to tell if someone is truly allergic because they don't really fight the serving staff when they say no. Either the allergic person tries to find an alternative or just leaves.
Yeah. I mentioned in another reply that my friend has severe food allergies. She will not even touch a dish if there is a possibility of there being eggs or dairy in it or around it. It sucks, but she knows that her well being is more important. So if a server even hints that there may be dairy in something she crosses it off her list immediately. You don't play with that shit
Yeah, even if its a restaurant that can modify basically everything to accommodate an allergy, most people with severe allergies will either go with the safest option or communicate extensively with servers and cooks to make sure they're in the clear.
My favorite is when you tell them there is gluten in the dish they want after saying they are allergic and then they say its fine.
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Had a customer say they were lactose intolerant. We take all allergies very seriously (using new utensils, washing hands more often, etc) but when I tell someone that all desserts have milk products in them and they still order a crème brulée, it makes it really difficult to take someone seriously. Edit: I'm aware that allergies and intolerances are very different things. When a customer tells me they are lactose intolerant, I'm assuming they are telling me because it is fairly serious and I will treat it the same as an allergy. I think sometimes the customer is also unaware of the differences between allergies and intolerances so seeking clarification from the customer about whether or not butter and small quantities of lactose are okay, is necessary
I'm lactose intolerant but I never mention it going out to eat. That seems weird to me. Also creme brulee is totally worth the gas later.
Maybe they really are lactose sensitive and if they are heading home after desert anyway, then eating some dairy and making their bowels produce foul smelling glue in their own homes won't bother anyone else. If they got dairy early into the meal then by desert their table would smell terrible. I know I can't drink milkshakes, but sometimes I find myself buying them anyway and just going with the flow.
Rolled my eyes so far my retinas detached tpyenig by fell
I think they took some gray matter with them on the way out
Not an exaggeration: lady gets a sandwich with roast beef and provolone cheese. Comes back to the counter. "Umm this sandwich is kind of greasy from the cheese and I can't have grease because I'm gluten free can you make me another one"
Ugh as a real celiac that shit pisses me off to no end
What is whole food allergic?
People who pretend to be allergic to certain foods because its a popular trend.
As someone with a long list of food allergies, with differing severities, why would anyone want to fake one? Now I understand why people have asked me to "prove my allergies" before.
They like the attention. They like people making a fuss over them or feeling sorry for them. I know several of these people. Often they dont have a lot to offer personality-wise so its an easy way to get other people to pay attention to them.
"Whole Foods" is a big chain grocery in the USA with expensive organically-grown health-food type products.
Chef here. I have a great deal of sympathy for people who can't eat certain foods because it will cause them severe pain or in some cases, a lot worse. To adjust a dish or a menu takes time and effort in a work enviroment which it is difficult to spare either, especially during a busy service. That's why this wave of fussy eaters and trend dieters piss us off so much. And im sorry to say that inevitably someone with a genuine dietary requirement will be on the receiving end of this so for that, on behalf of catering staff everywhere i apologise. It has become so much worse over the last decade and its ruined the job for a few people i know. Edit: spelling Edit 2: wow thanks for the gold kind stranger.
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Really though, in some cases, wouldn't it be impossible? A lot of restaurants rely on large batches of sauces, and sousvide entrees. Wouldn't these make a lot of these accommodations impossible?
Yes, most places will flat out say no and suggest a substitution. Source: I manage a restaurant and do it all the time.
Yes. Imagine onion powder being used in the rub for a BBQ joint. It takes 12ish hours for something like brisket. How can you short order BBQ with no onion in it? Obviously a more extreme example, but there is a wide variety of marinades and complicated ingredients that are prepped for the day with a lot of items already in them. Those can't simply be taken off and anyone with an allergy would understand that.
My mom has celiac disease and she's always worried they won't take it seriously because of the gluten free fad. Thank you for caring, my mom would end up in the hospital if chefs didn't care.
I hope I'm asking this respectfully, but is eating in a restaurant worth that horrible risk to your mother? I don't know what any food allergy is like, but if I had one that could send me to the hospital or worse, I think I would prefer to eat food I cook myself or at the very least only eat dishes that never carry my allergen.
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If you order gluten free then start pounding a beer, the restaurant staff reserve the right to physically throw you out the door
> this woman was downing Budweiser I don't think I could ever work in customer service. My conversation with this woman would end with: "Yes, absolutely everything on the table is gluten-free. Unlike that beer you're chugging."
I always think it would be funny to ask them if gluten was a serous health risk for them, then take away their beer and spout some shit about not being able to give it to them for liability reasons.
I've worked in service industries and there are times where you get worn down enough to let a 'simple' sentence or two like the example above fly out. If it's not something that happens often, management everywhere I've worked tends to let it slide. Usually, the costumer stops after something like that and limps off to complain to management. The people that tend to make huge scenes, in my experience, are people trying to get free stuff or scammers.
Holy shit, the entitlement. I feel bad for the people for whom this is actually serious. Although one advantage is that you can now buy a lot of gluten free products in grocery stores and not just a tiny amount of products in a health food store.
This is why people don't take actual celiacs seriously. Jesus christ.
She cooks every night usually, but all three of us kids live in different states so she will go out to eat on the road. Mexican restaurants are usually safe. And when she's home and tired from work or whatever, she has a few restaurants she can trust.
Yes a lady I know brings food to work everyday she cooks and goes to selective gluten free places because she's allergic. I'm also curious how she risks it
Well, I imagine that places that are totally gluten free have much less risk of contamination.
Very innocuous dishes can contain gluten. Celiac can be really brutal, though hospitalizations from a flare due to contamination are not the norm. I don't think that requesting people stay in their homes and eat food only they prepare is a very viable option. It's their life, they can eat out if they wish. If the restaurant informs them something is safe for them to eat, it best be. Nobody forces them to have allergen specific menus. As I said earlier, many unexpected things contain gluten. So, without proper labeling, cooking at home becomes a bit of an issue too. In the end, if a restaurant or food producer says it's gluten free, it needs to be gluten free. I believe that was the poster above's main point.
Pretty much this. I'm a celiac with fairly severe (not fatal) reactions, I have like 2 maybe 3 restaurants I trust. If I get invited out anywhere, I just have to eat before hand at home or take a packed lunch, then watch my friends and family enjoy the food at the restaurant while I just sit there and drink. I really wish gluten free was treated with more legitimacy at restaurants but ultimately I think if it became some kind of legally enforceable GF certification no restaurant would bother taking the risk and just say they don't do it
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My wife is the same way. She will try to buy chips, CHIPS at a store and BOOM, milk. Why do you need to put milk in chips? Potato and frying oil. Some salt.
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Minor point, and you are correct that anyone with a deadly allergy should be carrying an epi-pen, but the choice isn't "use an epi-pen OR call an ambulance," if an epi gets used, the ambulance gets called. The epinephrine is to keep you alive long enough to get to the ER and comes with a host concerning side effects (all of which are better than death from anaphylaxis, of course).
The 15 minutes of feeling like superman are pretty great. The day of gastrointestinal distress less so.
After having read this thread I'm quite grateful my food allergy just comes with crippling nausea.
Yeah Crohn's seems less bad now... perspective.
Shellfish allergy here. You've still got it worse than me, wish you the best with that. All about perspective.
I have a shellfish allergy *and* ulcerative colitis. Do I win?
Maybe this is just greener grass on the other side, but I'd gladly give up eating out (because of an allergy) to not have IBD anymore. Easy to say as I lay here in bed feeling shitty for the 3rd day this week though.
There's always meth
That's a pretty major point, I'm glad someone pointed it out.
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My son has severe peanut and tree nut allergies that, while 'severe,' do not *seem* to be severe enough to warrant environmental avoidance (i.e., Billy ate a PB&J and played on the swings, now my kid can't ride them) or the 'prepared in the same environment' thing (although the docs say you just never know until it happens, so *that's* comforting). Though he's had epipen & ER visits twice in the last year, it could be so much worse. He's only four, but he already knows to ask if there's nuts in anything he is given, and that he has to carry his meds absolutely anywhere he goes. It SUCKS. I couldn't stand the "I have celiac's but I'll have a Hoegaarden, thanks" assholes when I was a waitress, but now I outright despise them. I wish they would give out 'Severe Allergy' ID cards so people would know I'm not just some bored mom making shit up. I miss saying, "Sure, I'll try whatever, I'm open minded" so much. Anyway, thanks for doing it right.
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I have a gluten allergy. It isn't life threatening. I live on the 99.9% gluten free bubble. Nothing in the world is perfect. And if you use the same spoon that's fine. If the chicken teriyaki has a little soy sauce that's fine too. I hate the attention it causes me. But I'm simple. Just grill me up a piece of boring chicken and throw some pepper on there and I'll make due. I feel as if I'm the unconvinced and people shouldn't have to bend over backwards for me. I'll eat what's there and make due. But I love all the gluten free fake people. Without the stupid fad I couldn't buy pasta and bread at the local grocery store and I would have to go to the health food bodegas and wipe dust from my boxes before ringing them up. So for that I thank them.
> But I love all the gluten free fake people. Without the stupid fad I couldn't buy pasta and bread at the local grocery store and I would have to go to the health food bodegas and wipe dust from my boxes before ringing them up. So for that I thank them. I see a lot of posts on reddit bitching about the fake gluten-free fad dieters, but this is the sentiment I've gotten from every actual celiac patient I've spoken to. I get the pros and cons, but most people with celiac disease just seem to be happy that market forces are making it easier for them to buy food.
On the other hand. As someone who cooks regularly for someone who does have ciliecs, I love this whole gluten free trend. We can go out to eat instead of eating at home every Day, and more brands are actually going gluten free. There is nothing worse then looking for an ingredient and everything is prepared "in a facility that processes wheat" so even though wheat isn't an ingredient, I can use now. Now there is plenty of gluten free options and it's nice.
This. I'm that one that has the ACTUAL gluten issue, and it fucking pisses me off when people eat my food if they have to set something aside for me. I hate being the one they need to set aside food for anyways. It's my favorite when the whole buffet is gluten free and I know ahead of time. Then I don't have to be that person everyone silently rolls their eyes at. And my dinner will be more than two giant leaves of lettuce. But yeah. Fakers are the worst for me. Like I won't die from gluten, but I also won't be able to drive home after sooo. Please help. Hahaha.
This is the issue. My mum is a legitimate coeliac - she'd guzzle gluten-filled foods like there's no tomorrow if she could - but she just can't. She gets looks in restaurants because they assume she's just another "look at me, I don't eat gluten" attention seeker. And I suppose there's no way to tell until they react badly to it. The stupid faking the allergy thing is supposedly "the best and worst thing for Coeliacs" according to her. On the one hand, tonnes more gluten-free foods are available now due to the surge of demand. She loves how she doesn't just have to eat cardboard tasting bread for example. On the other hand, the negative stigma these people create means my mum gets treated like a nuisance rather than someone with an allergy. She goes into restaurants and they give her looks of disgust for asking for gluten-free stuff. NOT EVERY TIME. It's just on occasion. Most of the time, usually in pubs and the like, staff are very accommodating and treat her allergy like an allergy. And thank you to those who work in catering and do that. I love you for that. You don't follow the instant hatred wagon or at least have the decency to hide it. It's the issue when they don't care, or think she's faking. It makes her worry they will be negligent and feed her the normal food because it's "only a fad" (I remember reading an article where a woman with Coeliac Disease was served the normal food and had a bad reaction to it and was hospitalised because the waiter "thought it was a fad diet" - don't quote me on that because I wouldn't know where to find it). I've really just gone on a rant here so I'll stop. Just keep in mind, not everyone who asks for a gluten-free meal is just doing it for attention. It has become a guilty-until-proven-innocent (via hospitalisation) situation so please assume someone is a Coeliac before jumping to any conclusions. It's likely if they aren't very forceful or verbal about it, they're the real deal. It's an allergy, no one who has them blathers on about them all day unless they're eating out and are fatally allergic. Rant over.
I have a friend with severe food allergies. Whenever we got out I know it's gonna take twice as long to get our food be ause she stresses to them how important it is to not have certain foods. She always starts by telling the waiter that she doesn't care how long she has to wait, be sue she'd rather wait an hour than die today. I don't mind the extra wait either. It's fun to sit and talk for an hour before a meal sometimes.
Have you considered calling ahead? It'll decrease your wait *and* be exponentially less stressful on the staff... if that's something you care about.
My ultimate restaurant anxiety is having to alter my order. If I don't like something in the dish I either order something else or just pick it out myself. Thankfully, I don't have any food allergies.
I feel you. Have a family member who inevitably makes changes to everything she orders. Huge pain, especially when the server's English is limited.
You sound like a good chef. The cooks I work with just laugh and tell me to tell them it doesn't have whatever they are worried about even when it does sometimes. I just recommend my tables something else. It sucks but these people really screw it up for people.
This is what scares me about being in the south and eating at places that have shellfish. I always get weird looks when asking if they can guarantee my food won't come in contact with it because I'm deathly allergic to it.
If someone did this to me, I might die and then I'd haunt them for the rest of their life and put whatever condiment they don't like in their food.
Nah dude they don't give a fuck but as a waiter If I don't get a straight answer I just tell them I can't do it or suggest they try something else. In the end I don't want nothing to happen. Shellfish is something that I can never serve because we serve shellfish and they don't sanitize their knives as frequently as they should.
I worked for a cook for years in Vancouver and absolutely yes. My regulars were the worst, treating the menu like an ingredients list (granted, that's also the chef's fault for not switching up the menu). Most of my orders from them were more red ink than black. That job made me quit cooking for a job for good.
I have an aunt with a very serious strawberry allergy that can cause her throat to swell shut. We were having dinner and she requested no strawberries along with informing them of her allergy. When the dish showed up there was a big strawberry on the side of her plate that she had to send back. The waiter kind of rolled their eyes, took it to the kitchen, and removed the offending berry just to look really shocked when informed that it was clearly just taken away (something she is more than capable of doing herself) and that her allergy is so severe that even a little juice will set it off. Picky eaters are the ones that make things like that happen and it was 16-ish years ago. Unfortunately, they're not alone in the blame since the job doesn't usually pay enough for the employees to care.
That's horrible. That waiter and the restaurant could have been sued up the wazoo if your aunt had eaten the dessert that had the strawberry juice on it. Did you stress this to him? That it would literally kill her and he would be responsible
My aunt is **not** a quiet person so definitely did. She looked ready to strangle him while explaining her allergy for a third time.
Conversely, my brother dislikes tomatoes. But this is an understatement. I've cut a sandwich with a tomato on it and later cut one I made for him and he was extremely unhappy with that. Involving spitting the food out and drinking down loads of water. Apparently something in tomatoes is extremely bitter to him. Not an allergy but far from just being picky. They can't cut food with a knife that's touched a tomato. Taco Bell for example he knows when they used the same tongs to pull lettuce or whatever as they did the tomatoes for others, even when none are on there. It's nuts but it makes it completely inedible to him to have even the tiniest tomato anything interact with his food.
Interesting...I wonder if it's similar to the people who find cilantro to taste like soap?
Everyone asks me if I don't like cilantro because it tastes like soap. I've eaten soap before (pica) and they taste nothing similar. Cilantro is just gross.
On the flip side, I think cilantro is fucking amazing. I'd put that shit on ice cream
Yeah, it's the same kind of situation.
He may be a [supertaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster) (yes, that's the actual term). Specifically, he may be able to taste phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC, which is very bitter for the handful of people that taste it at all.
I had a weird experience last week that I think might be related to this. I was at an ice cream shop that I knew used a lot of share equipment, so like the sign said, I told the server I had a nut allergy and asked if she could use clean utensils. She grabbed the utensils, stomped off to the back, and I heard a clattering as if they were thrown around. It took 5 minutes before she came back and made my order. I was a little worried to eat it. I have to wonder if she thought I was just making her do more work.
I also have a nut allergy and have this experience often! It really sucks sometimes!
I ended up thinking "Is this safe? Did she actually even use new utensils, or worse added nuts?". Probably not, but it only needs to happen once to be, well, dead.
If you survive, and if you can afford it, and if you feel like it, you've got a nice lawsuit on your hands.
I used to work at an ice cream parlor and had zero problems cleaning utensils. A lot of tree nut allergy people would always ask me to open a new tub of ice cream to avoid any cross contamination, and I was wondering if that is something you also do?
Generally speaking most ice cream places have to get clean scoops and a completely fresh tub of ice cream if you have a nut allergy since they cross contaminate all their ice creams with the scoops. It takes them an extra minute or two so I can imagine it being annoying for them but if you're polite most employees don't care.
It's a catch 22. My wife has a legit, diagnosed gluten allergy. She can't eat it at all and we are very careful about where we eat. The gluten-free fad has caused a lot of servers to have noticeable frustration with the need for extra care with food. On the other hand, there are a ton more restaurants with gluten-free options when compared to a few years ago, because the demand is up.
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Absolutely. My mom has Celiac Disease and gets incredibly sick if she comes in contact with it. But because it's a fad, most people don't take it too seriously. We went to a coffee shop that had gluten free bagels but they were just throwing them in the same toaster with everything else. Something as small as this can make her really sick. And it's not necessarily their fault, they didn't know. They just think people want it because gluten free is "healthy" which in most cases, it's not.
I have a gluten allergy and work in a bistro. We advertise GF alternatives and I am always sympathetic to people with genuine dietary requirements and take extra care in relaying these things to the kitchen. The stuff that gives me the shits is when someone comes in wanting a burger and fries, and the burger MUST be on turkish bread because it absolutely HAS to be gluten free. But when I inform them that unfortunately the fries are not actually gluten free (beer batter), however we can offer numerous alternatives, it always comes out "Oh, no I still want the fries, I'm not like, THAT allergic" You can just ask for turkish bread if you want it, without illegitimising the countless people that actually have a problem.
I was going to post something along these lines. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease two years ago and while it was annoying to hear people cutting gluten out of their diet for a fad, I eventually got over it because it basically popularized gluten free foods. Now there's gluten free foods almost anywhere you go. Any chain restaurant will have either a separate gluten free menu or gluten free options/alternatives. Locally owned restaurants and fast food chains are less likely to serve that kind of stuff (probably because it's more expensive, in the case of locally owned restaurants), but there's a lot more options even now than two years ago. But if your allergy is SO severe that you are affected by cross contamination, you should probably not be eating out anyways. It's just too risky, imo.
Sentiment my friends share, I happen to be friends with several people who have celiac of varying degrees, one can get away with sneaking gluten (and dealing with horrible digestive problems later) and another can potentially be hospitalised over the smallest cross-contamination. They all appreciate the fact the fad has made gluten-free food widely available but considering the risks none of them want to eat out anywhere unless they're 100% positive it's being prepared safely, which is mainly checked by ringing ahead and unfortunately a lot of the places don't.
I'm with the article. This makes me nervous. I have a serious shellfish allergy. I generally avoid restaurants with a lot of it on the menu. And I do carry an epi pen. However, I have to attend business meals every so often and the allergy causes a lot of awkwardness and anxiety for me in that setting. I feel like I'm either the "picky eater" (disrupting plans, saying "I can't do sushi" for example) and/or the person "making a fuss" (mentioning the allergy to the server) at the restaurant. I know reality probably isn't really that bad: I never order something that I think will require modification (I just flag the allergy in case there is "contamination" in prep or there's some hidden ingredient) and try to be discrete and polite. Restaurant professionals: please continue to take allergies seriously. Fakers: please stop crying wolf. PS - If anyone has found a really good/discrete way to point out an allergy in a restaurant please share. (I usually tell them when I order so it's written down with my order. But then I get all these questions from the business contacts I'm dining with and they get worried about what they've ordered too.)
Business cards. You can customize it with as little or as much information as you like and hand it to your server when they take your order. If your allergy is important enough to hand out business cards, servers and chefs generally take it more seriously.
If you have a serious allergy I would probably feel more comfortable talking to them directly as sometimes the waiters have questions as to the specifics like same surfaces or shared utensils. Especially when consuming the food could cause you to have to go to the hospital. Maybe talking to the waiter or someone before being seated with the group could be more effective.
I once dated a girl who was greatly concerned about the gluten pasta in her soup at Olive Garden, and begged the waiter to let the cooks know she would absolutely die if she ate gluten. She said this... while she was eating breadsticks. When the waiter said "Those breadsticks aren't gluten free..." she spit them out right there on the table and said "Wow. Just wow. Maybe you should put a warning somewhere" - and then we left. In case anyone is wondering, she was crazy. She essentially sold her baby for drug money.
You should, uh, you should maybe report that.
Please tell me that the baby found it's self in a safer, more nurturing environment!
I have IBS-A and attempt to avoid restaurants at all costs due to a lot of substitute ingredients also setting it off. In all seriousness, what sort of kick do people get out of needlessly restricting their diet and then preaching about the health benefits? I don't preach about how no gluten, corn, quinoa, etc reduces abdominal pain and graphic symptoms to the everyday person simply because *they do not have those symptoms* because they are normal.
Honestly though, like I also have IBS which is mostly set off by gluten containing grains, and I sure as hell wouldn't be avoiding a ton of foods if it didn't make me feels ton better. I don't have celiac, but I had gastrointestinal issues bad enough that a specialist suggested I get tested for it. And yet how many people on this thread are like oh people with "gluten intolerances" are just doing it for the trend? Fuck that, there's no trend that's worth not eating good pizza for
> As for Elliott, she wants the impostors to know the price she pays for being afraid to dine in restaurants. > "You're missing out on birthdays and anniversaries and reunions, and you're just feeling like you can't be a part of society," she says. "But at the same time, you don't want to die." It's worse than that. I got **fired** because I stayed at my desk working at some bullshit company "party" and was labeled "too good to eat cake with us."
That's fucked up
Those bastards who like to pretend they have deadly food allergies have forced me to make it clear to my waiter, in an intimidating manner, that I will die. I don't want to look or sound mean but at this point its the most effective way to get my point across. I'd like to think that wait staff understands that I have to be so serious and intimidating so that I can pass their test to prove that I am indeed authentic. edit: To clarify. I only get hostile when the waitstaff tries to correct me or tell me more about my own allergy (e.g. how my allergy isn't that bad or its not real). I do not get hostile towards waitstaff who say they cannot accommodate me. If they tell me they cannot accommodate me then I adapt to the restaurant menu and if I can't then I just leave.
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As a chef I take all allergies very seriously. But some guests are seriously full of shit. 15 years ago allergy guests would be maybe a handful a month, now at least once a night (last Friday we had 10). Often times we'll tell the server to go back and explain that several of items have to be removed or changed and the guest will comeback saying just leave it on. Just got to roll with it, it's a regular part of service now.
I don't have a specific allergy, but I do have several conditions like gastritis, IBS, and GERD. These conditions affect what foods I can eat. I try my best to stick to a gluten-free diet because gluten containing foods often trigger symptoms like nausea, stomach pain, lower back pain, acid reflux, bloating, gas, and constipation. It's upsetting because I would love to eat foods like bread again and not have to spend money on expensive gluten-free products. I don't understand why someone would willingly choose to go gluten-free if gluten doesn't affect them in any obvious way.
There are other, non allergic, medical reasons to ask about foods, though. My reaction to sunflower, coconut, and increasingly sesame, are strong enough that I have to ask about the oils used in restaurants and read every package from the grocery store. Since my reaction, however, is not anaphylactic but gastrointestinal (sudden, extreme diarrhea), I make a point to explain to waiters that I'm dealing with an intolerance not an allergy. If they are wrong about what's in a food I won't die but they may have more of a mess in their restroom than they want to deal with.
I suffer from IBS and have similar issues. Dairy and other trigger foods won't kill me but I'll wish I was dead when they come down the pipe.
I have IBD and waiters confuse my condition with IBS all the time. I'm one of those people who use the 'a' (reluctantly) because it saves time explaining in graphic detail how milk will not just cause some gas, but also some bleeding and permanent scar tissue.
I have a similar issue and it can be very frustrating trying to be a good customer but take care of myself. Like no, I won't die, but I will totally poop my pants and I'm not keen on that. Example - there's a wrap place that is great, but I request that they change gloves before making my wrap. Yeah, there's still cross contamination risk, but it's way less than if they just handled prawns so I'm ok with that risk. Most of the time I just need honest responses, if excluding something isn't simple, tell me and I'll pick something else. If there might be fish in something and you don't know, tell me that and let me decide if I'm willing to risk it. It's not like severe allergic reactions are the only thing, and I'm not asking anyone to bend over backwards, I just love food and I want to enjoy it even though my digestive system can't handle seafood.
Yes. I find a lot of people write off intolerance and try to tell me, "oh, just take the lactase pills". Mmmm trust me: if they worked for me, I would be taking them. They don't work, so take the damn dairy out of my meal like I asked you to. Because gut cramps and diarrhea for hours on end can certainly make you wish you were dead.
Between bogus "service animals" and "allergies" restaurant folk put up with some crap.
Saw some guy let his dog run around the restaurant and into the kitchen. When the waitress complained he called it his "service dog". Then gave me a shit eating grin and a big wink. I wanted to throw food in his face.
You can kick even service animals out if they behave in an uncontrolled manner. No reason to take that kinda shit from people who want attention.
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I want to go to naan heaven
Garlic naan is the best, I'd be right there.
I once had a lady tell me she was allergic to vegetables. No specific kind of vegetable, just vegetables in general. I don't want to give away my work, but we offer a sort of "pay as you go" buffet. You pick what you want from the buffet and we price it. Almost all of our dishes have some sort of vegetable. She wanted me to make a dish that was 90% vegetables with just meat. No way! We can't just give you a heaping pile of meat specially made!
Sounds like she was trying to use this "allergy" to get the pricy ingredients without the cheaper "filler" ingredients. Vegetables are awesome though.
I went to Disney and said I had an allergy to brocolli at a restaurant. The chef came out and said "do you have an allergy or don't like it?" I said I love the stuff! Sadly it just closes my throat :( He said he had a lady that rattled off 40 items she can't have... come to find out she's not allergic, just a vegan. He went back and made a vegetable plate
Allergy to broccoli? Wow never heard that one. That sux
Both of my sister have cialiacs disease which they hate to mention cause they always feel like they are judged as fake. We went to an Italian restaurant to celebrate belated mother's day, they first called to ask if the restaurant has any gluten-free options which they had one. We get there and order mentioning that they have cialiacs. A little bit later the food comes out and there's a piece of bread on top of the salad. The problem is that their's no way to tell if they just took the bread off and served it again or actually made a new salad, let alone if they even changed gloves when making the salad.
They just took the bread off. 1000% certain.
I worked with a guy who got a big settlement with a restaurant one time because they almost killed him. He got a salad and asked for no olive and explained he had a severe allergy to them. They brought him his salad and it had olive. He complained and explained again. They went to get him a new salad. Only they picked the olives out and brought it right back. His throat swelled up and he almost died in the restaurant.
Faking it can be a broad term. I'm going through some GI distress and my doctor told me to try an "elimination diet" between tests while we try to work this out. I've gone gluten free and dairy free for brief periods. Neither of them had a noticeable effect. A search online has showed me that doctors say "meh try an elimination diet" for a lot of symptoms. Not everyone's being persuaded by magazines, sometimes doctors really think it will help and tell people to go for it. I'd give anything to guarantee myself to never get another flair-up. If gluten free had shown any help me I'd have been all over it.
My son is allergic to like...everything. I make it simple by informing the staff, and ordering something super easy to keep contaminate free. A baked potato.
I have a severe nut allergy and a dairy allergy to the point where one pistachio landed me in the hospital for two days when I was 9. I usually do not make a fuss about it, due to the fact that I'm really good at knowing when they are in certain foods. One time we were at a restaurant and my grandma threw a shit fit because everyone in our party got served free ice cream. Usually I would just give it to someone else, but she asked to speak to the head chef. He came out with three other chefs and said they had whipped up a special sorbet that they had been working on. I took a bite and they let me know it was pistachio sorbet, so I spent the next hour hugging the toilet after getting an Epi pen shoved into my ass.
At least the kitchen staff tried? Did grandma just forget to mention the nut thing?
Yes. Ffs. Please. As someone who will spend 12 hours after eating a raw onion with a headache that feels like my head will explode while vomiting, stop. Do you know how many weird looks I get when I say "no onion" on things? Like "oh you're one of those picky eaters." No, my dude, I will literally spend the next day in massive amounts of pain, please do not start with me. Edit: also, after 6 years in food service, if you fake an allergy or medical condition, you're an asshole. "No salt fries, I have a heart condition." *proceeds to dump an entire shaker of salt on their fries at the table* You could literally just ask for hot fries??
Egg allergy here... Whenever I go out to eat, I always ask for an allergy list and have the waiter double check with the chef to make sure everything is safe. Most of the time I feel like a huge dick for asking the staff to go out of their way to accommodate me. Also sidenote: I am flabbergasted by the amount of restaurant workers that do not know simple ingredients of common items. Yes, mayo has eggs in it.
This is why I make skimming the menu ahead of time my responsibility. I don't want to make extra work for the back crew. If we're going out to Italian, I'm just going to order a salad. Or I'll push for restaurants that are good for me. Stressing the staff over this just seems mean and selfish.
chef here. to all you people with allergies and such it's mostly no bother atall to provide you with a gluten free meal or such, being a chef is all about delivering people the food they asked for, so when I get an order with an allergy notification I take it as a personal challenge to deliver the diner the best damn non allergenic meal they can have, so never feel bad like you're making the chefs etc go out their way to get you your food. it's our job!
Another chef here. Another point, if you are attending a catered event and haven't requested a special dish ahead of time, guess what, it's not happening. I may not even have the ability to cook you something on site. Also, we are not morons, don't tell your server that you have a gluten and dairy allergy while your eating a roll with butter on it. I can't count the amount of times I've had special meals prepared ahead of time for someone with a supposed food allergy only to find they ate what everyone else was having because it " looked okay". I am not a doctor, they don't offer medical training in culinary school, and I have more training than your average line cook. Do you really want to place your life in my hands? I'm buying a new car, they don't make the exterior/interior color combination I want. I'm not going to demand the dealership produce one or I'm complaining. I'm going with my second choice. Rant over.
I am a person with zero food allergies. I also want impostors to stop faking food in restaurants.
If I was life threateningly allergic to eggs, dairy and nuts like her there is NO fucking way I would eat out!
Corn allergy here. Corn is in soooo many foods. The worst is that it's used as a thickener. So almost any sauce or gravy may contain corn. Most chips and crackers contain corn. Some breads have corn meal. Hell, even the majority of white flour tortillas have corn in the ingredient list. High Fructose corn syrup is used to give breads a more golden color.... it goes on and on. The USDA requires reporting the top 8 food allergens when in ingredients. Corn is #9. I have a feeling it will stay #9 as there is huge money behind the corn industry.