# [email protected]#kin Allgeries



## ShaggySean

Just a little rant on the stupid allergies that come up this days. What the hell is wrong with people and there stupid made up allergies this days like we don't know. I'm allergic to nightshade vegetables but only some not all and I don't know what they allthere's only one allergen in there. Or I'm dairy intolerant but butter and cream are fine why can't we go back to the good old days of no food blogger hipster idoits and just tell them to get out. Just a fantasy about simpler times hope you enjoy.


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## ThEoRy

Bacon. Allergy.


I've seen that TWICE!


Yeah.


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## ShaggySean

Doesn't even make sense I understand religious reasons not allergy


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## apicius9

Fortunately, I don't know of any allergies I might have, although I cannot eat fish eggs, roe, caviar etc. I recently found a few documented cases published where people actually had an allergy to fish eggs but not to fish or any other sea food. But since I am not sure, whenever I - slightly embarrassed - ask that there be no fish eggs anywhere, I don't tell them I am allergic but that I will very likely just puke all over the table within seconds of eating them. That seems to convince the waiters 

Stefan


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## ShaggySean

I'm much more likely to deal with a personal preference than a made up on allergy. a lot of other hormoney in fish eggs that aren't in fish normally I can see that


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## ShaggySean

Hormones not hormoney haha


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## JHunter

AMEN!!!!! I loved stopping service for an allergy that is some idiot whom is on a diet or just doesn't like something.


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## RobinW

I'm allergic to stupid people. Especially in the workplace. They give me a rash and i have trouble staying in close vincinity to them. There seems to be plenty of them with my current employer. :beatinghead::beatinghead::beatinghead:


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## NotSwedishChef

Its getting out of hand. We take allergies seriously, changing out boards, pans, tools, etc. Personal preference is fine, ask for something to be excluded and we know to leave something out if possible, falsely telling us it's an allergy but ordering another course which contains your allergen (i.e. dessert) is obnoxious. 

I think to a certain degree it's about people wanting to feel special. If you make special requests and they're obliged, you look like a big shot. It used to be that requests were solely the realm of allergies. Today, people realize that by telling us it's an allergy we'll say yes....preference, I'll tell you to go F.

I've had nights were almost a 1/4 of the tables tell us they have a gluten allergy. Really? Unless Bostonhas become a hotbed of gluten intolerance/ celiac, that's way beyond the normal statistics.


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## ChefT

The gluten fad is getting out of control. Only 1% of the entire US population is actually gluten intolerant but on any given night at least 10-25% of guests are claiming they are "allergic". What, are they travelling in busses together on some kind of anti-gluten tour? If you don't want it, dont order it, but dont lie and try tell me your allergic. It only makes it less believable for those people who really are.


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## ShaggySean

It's completely ridiculous where the hell did it come from 10 years ago there was like one a month now is overwhelming most is crap cause they claiming celiac than start throwing soy sauce down by the cup full.


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## panda

Working in food service should be a requirement to graduate high school so these a-holes at least get to experience the annoyances of the general public. People will still be ridiculous but at least they will have some hind sight.


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## brainsausage

panda said:


> Working in food service should be a requirement to graduate high school so these a-holes at least get to experience the annoyances of the general public. People will still be ridiculous but at least they will have some hind sight.



I've been saying this exact same thing for years. YEARS


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## Chef Andy

panda said:


> Working in food service should be a requirement to graduate high school so these a-holes at least get to experience the annoyances of the general public. People will still be ridiculous but at least they will have some hind sight.



Now that is an excellent idea.


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## snowbrother

What I don't understand is the people that order something that they are clearly allergic to. I've had people order scallops, but they are allergic to shellfish. I did a shallot confit that somebody ordered, but they were allergic to lilies. I don't mind food allergies, just don't order something where the main item in the dish is something that you are allergic to.


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## NotSwedishChef

When I go into visit me friends restaurants, I tell the server/ bartender I have a carbon and deep sea fish allergy. The looks I get before they realize I'm screwing with them.


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## jamaster14

i always saw food allergies and picky eaters as an opportunity not a nussaines. if your gluten free or vegan or cant have dairy there arent many places you can go where you can get a great meal that suits you. usually you get a scaled back crappy version of what was already on the menu. I always like to have 2 vegan and 2 GF specials on the menu. if people know you have stuff for them and not just adapting stuff or giving them bigger portions of a side dish it can bring in some extra business


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## ShaggySean

And when you do that for them you make something they also don't like and won't eat. My restaurant will always accommodate with notice but after going through the effort and it not being appreciated you get upset.


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## brainsausage

As long as 90% of the people are happy, you can excuse the other 10% for being ****heads and move on.


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## ShaggySean

Very true


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## gunnerjohn

It's fun to be in an area that food allergies are a political/environmental statement vs an actual medical need. It's the flavor of the month and they can only wear certain colors on certain days of the week.


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## ShaggySean

I love in a government town full of hipsters they can wear all colours at once


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## ShaggySean

Live


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## NotSwedishChef

Ok...for real.....tonight, dairy allergy. Milk OK, Cream and Butter = No. They than proceed to order a side of malted celery root & parsnip puree (contains, milk & malted milk)....really? REALLY?!


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## panda

did they want cheese with that?


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## Mute-on

As a customer, fortunately without allergies, I have to relate my experience of a fellow patron who had a terrible allergic reaction, cause a massive commotion that ruined our very expensive and (would have been a) romantic meal, threw up in a series of bowls, and then walked out with the paramedics who showed up (they couldn't get her up the stairs in the guerney) :viking:

My real issue was that it was a complicated menu with a lot of seafood, smoked meats, sauces, etc, and they hadn't informed the restaurant of any allergies! None! What an IDIOT!

Fortunately no hipsters were present during this event :biggrin:

Anyway, thanks to all of you who do accommodate real allergies, thus preventing other diners from experiencing the result of the allergic reactions of the few with real issues.

Cheers,

J


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## WildBoar

My ex-wife had a bad dairy allergy. She would not drink milk or eat hunks of cheese. But she would always order things with cream sauces and cheese sauces, and have desserts that included ice cream. And it would make her feel sick. She would tell servers she had a dairy allergy yet turn around and order things with dairy, and when asked would say that even though it would make her feel sick she hoped it would be worth it... I did mention she is an ex, right?


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## orangehero

I think that's understandable...if I was allergic to ribeye steak, I don't know that I would stop eating it. Maybe dairy's not your thing, but I can see it having that kind of appeal to some people.


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## panda

i'm lactose intolerant but i eat dairy stuff anyway, a little more bathroom time doesn't hurt.


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## ecchef

Much like RobinW, I have a severe reaction to idiots. Thank god my customer base eats just about anything that can't outrun them.


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## jvanis

I am going to chime in here with my 2 cents. Having read through some of the posts, there are clearly some "preferences" as opposed to allergies or intolerances that people have described. 

While I do not work in the industry, I do have a wife that has gone through some very tough years of medical appointments and cannot have a number of foods (that have been medically evaluated) While I understand that altering dishes requires extra work/attention. It has forced me to change how I look at food, prep, and cooking in general. As far as dairy goes, there are a number of things which can play into this category. Lactose intolerance is exactly that, the person has issues with the lactose in dairy. Simple enough. In some cases a person is ok with lactose, but has issues with the caseins which is why they can tolerate butter without problems, but not be able to have milk, cream, etc.

My wife falls into this category, so we have significantly changed how we cook in our house. That being said, I have eliminated a majority of dairy from my regular diet. Occasionally I will have a sweet treat or something that has dairy in it. That all said, I do a lot of running and have seen an amazing difference between the periods I consumed dairy and those which I dont. It has a significant inflamatory property to it that has reduced my recovery time and injury when not having it. (So for me it is a preference) 

Likewise with gluten, there are a number of people who do this based on their preferences on how it makes them feel, others are actually celliac, and some are intolerant. The preferences are no different than the "no carb" diets, or the "no sugar no grain" etc etc, whatever the flavor of the month is. I get how this could be difficult to work with especially on some of the more exotic requests though.

As I said, there are described situations above which make you question the request etc. I love cooking, and again while I dont work in the industry, I enjoy the challenge of "recreating" or "crafting" something to accommodate certain requests (be it medical reasoning or personal preference) Obviously a heads up helps to prevent delays in sending it out.


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## matt79

my favourite one was getting an order for a crab salad,which hard to believe we served in the shell.waiter returns with the salad asking me to take it out of the shell and put it on the plate cause the customer has a shellfish allergy.when i told him that he couldnt eat the dish then he explained that it was not a severe allergy but he didnt want to push his luck.


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